Avengers Assemble: Review

Avengers Assemble is a film that could have gone so wrong, so very wrong. Marvel have literally put all their eggs in one basket, building multiple franchises together in a way no other studio has dreamed of or been able to achieve (just look at DC's Justice League project never getting off the ground for a prime example). I was dizzyingly excited and with a fantastic marketing campaign the anticipation was building. But deep down, I feared the worst. At best, I thought Id come out and say, it was good fun, but nothing special, like so many popcorn films have been in recent years.

But Avengers, Assemble only here in the UK, is so much more than just good fun, its one of best comic book films ever made. Despite all the odds against him, the up and down quality in the preceding Marvel films and more Fan Boy anticipation than Bruce Banner could handle, Joss Whedon has created a blockbuster so rare these days, one that lives up to the hype and surpasses it. The story is simple yet effective, its both a fantastic pay off for fans following every detail of the previous film's end of credits teasers and perfect for casual film goers as well. The film should please both the hardcore followers as well as attract some new ones, much like the Star Trek reboot a few years ago.

Every character is given time to shine, grow and ultimately kick ass in the various action sequences, all of which are beautifully shot and expertly edited. Notable mentions must go to Tom Hiddleston's devilish Loki, eating up every inch of screen time offered to him. Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, who needs her own movie as soon as (super)humanly possibly. And Rober Downey Jr as Iron Man, who manages to perfectly inject the right amount of honest humour in what could have become a ridiculous film, as well as continuing to be one of the coolest super heroes in Marvel universe. But all the characters, both new and old, have something likeable about them. Even newbie Jeremy Renner, playing Shield agent Hawkeye, who effectively is just a good archer, feels like a rounded character with a satisfying plot arc standing tall next to the likes of Hulk and Iron Man.

Avengers never scarifies the action for the drama or vice versa. As the film reached its spectacular finale I found myself thinking 'This is the type of film Transformers:Dark of the Moon could have been if it had included a decent plot and some likeable characters', but then I changed my mind, as Avengers is so much more. I wont spoil it for those who haven’t seen it yet, but one shot alone changed my mind, one shot that perfectly captured everything I love about Super Hero films and made me want join up the Avengers myself. Whoever is sitting in the directing chair for Avengers 2, be warned, you have big shoes to fill!

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