The Avengers

This week I was in the video store and was very surprised to see that The Avengers was already out on video. I don't understand what all the hype has been about lately. I thought it sucked. I expected more with a cast of Sean Connery, Ralph Fiennes, and Uma Thurman, but I was really let down. I also didn't recognize Robert Downey Jr. in it. He must have just had a cameo.

Now that my comedy routine is over, I will give you my official review of The Avengers (2012 release). I thought it was well done considering the subject matter. I wasn't expecting this movie to be as good as it was since I felt it was such a big task to bring all these characters together successfully in a good movie.

What's there really to say about The Avengers? Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, the Black Widow, and Hawkeye all join forces under the leadership of Nick Fury to fight against Loki as he attempts to invade earth with an army of aliens once he is empowered with that blue cube thingy that was in the Captain America movie. No, I can't remember the name of it and I'm too lazy to check on IMDB to find out what it's called.

Joss Whedon did a good job of keeping the background of each character consistent with the prior movies they were featured in. The special effects were great and there was plenty of action and even some humor. I never thought seeing Hulk smash a person like a rag doll could be so funny. This was also by far the best portrayal of Bruce Banner compared to any prior Hulk movie.

I thought it was strange that there was not a more equitable gender balance when it comes to the superhero ratio. Just one lone woman among all that testosterone? I would expect at least two or three women in a day of affirmative action. At least X-Men got that part right.

I give The Avengers 8.4 stars. It's over the top, but it was good and lived up to the hype.