Thankfully, I didn't need to bone up on my research in order to see the film. That is, I didn't need to go out and rent Captain America and Thor in order to understand the plot of the film. And the thanks for that has to go out to Joss Whedon (director and co-writer). The movie is self-contained, and I like that. But it also delivers, what I assume, insider nods to the other films. It's the best of both worlds, a film that pleases both fanboys/fangirls and non-fanpeople alike, which is why it has been so popular.
The plot involves a bid for world-domination by the brother of Thor, Loki. A smaller, more manageable project is not in Loki's laundry list of things to do, but then again, I may have missed his earlier exploits. Nevertheless, he is employed by an alien race, I forget the name, to steal a power source that opens a wormhole to the other side of the universe. After the power source is stolen, Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) assembles the superheroes, thus activating the Avengers Initiative.
Of course, being such disparate and unique characters, they don't get along at first, but after a couple of action sequences, and very surprising loss, they team up to battle the invading army.
My favorite characteristic of the whole film is its sense of fun, but it also helps that Whedon doesn't just deliver one-liner after one-liner. The screenplay adequately gives each character plenty of screen time. That is, they are allowed to talk, a novel concept for many action films out there. The characters are so well set up that the audience cares when everything goes to hell.
Now, my favorite moment involves the Hulk and Loki. At first, Loki's speeches were getting on my nerves, but once Hulk delivers a huge slice of humble pie, I forgave the writers for Loki's speeches. They built up to the biggest payoff of the film. Indeed, the audience I saw the film with clapped.
The special effects were very good, and the action sequences delivered, but the real star of the film is the script. It's the model of what a comic book film should be, at least the variety The Avengers belongs to: humorous, takes the characters seriously (but not too seriously), and delivers a fun time at the movies. The Avengers may not be as great as Spider-man 2 or The Dark Knight, but it's a step in the right direction.
By the way, I did stay after the credits. It's interesting how a shot with no dialogue can produce the second biggest laugh of the film.
In the same spirit of fun, I do enjoy the pictures below. Together, they address the sticky issue of how women are posed in action film advertisements.
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