Avengers Assemble movie review

Release date: 26 April 2012
Certificate: 12A
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson

What's the story?
Marvel's greatest superheroes - Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America - assemble to help military agency SHIELD stop Norse alien-god Loki from carrying out his plans to enslave Earth.

What did we think?
Banter trumps ka-booms in Joss Whedon's mightily enjoyable ensembler, which isn't the best superhero movie ever but could easily be the funniest. Booming laughs, smart dialogue and some screen-filling action make this a breezy, blockbusting crowd-pleaser that won't disappoint.

Big egos, big budget, big expectations... And the biggest superhero movie of the year, all on the shoulders of 47-year-old Buffy creator Joss Whedon, a writer/director whose last two TV shows were cancelled (Firefly, Dollhouse) and whose only previous feature film (Serenity) died at the box office.

But the longer Avenger Assemble lasts, the less you worry. If Whedon's no big-screen maestro, he sure understands his superheroes' strengths and weaknesses: Norse god Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) ego, scientist Bruce Banner's (Mark Ruffalo) anger, WWII super-soldier Captain America's (Chris Evans) heart and genius billionaire playboy Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr) cockiness.

Handing out a lot of laughs as he neatly brings together four comic-book franchises, Whedon keeps a smart grasp on his characters' vivid personalities and his cast's effortless performances to ensure no one gets lost in the mix - not even mere mortals like SHIELD boss Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), gymnastic spy Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and dead-shot archer HawkEye (Jeremy Renner).

Having locked down the character dynamics in Avengers' first half, Whedon unleashes them in the second half, throwing his $200m-plus budget up on the screen in two huge, blitzkrieg action sequences. Guess who nearly stomps away with the entire movie? Smashing.

Fun to the power of four.


In pictures: Avengers Assemble