Brief review: Sorry "The Dark Knight" fans, but Marvel's superhero gathering, "The Avengers" easily outshines every other entry into the popular genre. The effectiveness of the otherwise familiar story lies in the ideal balance of its script. Not only the script is smart, humorous and wonderfully-written, but it allows each of its many characters to develop equally and shine on their own. The pacing is quite brisk, yet slow when needed, but the movie never loses its steam and remains engrossing from start to finish. Technically, "The Avengers" delivers and then some. Whedon's direction is so stylish, diverse and accomplished, it's hard to belive that this is only his second feature film. Some of the scenes seem impossible to shoot, but at the same time they feel effortlessly-executed. There's one particular scene during the final battle (where the camera skillfully 'jumps' over from one Avengers member to the next, showing them kicking asses with style), that is so exciting and brilliantly-shot, it will literally blow you away. The rest of the action is first-rate as well, and the CGIs are astoundingly polished and pretty much flawless, apart from the 3D, which is good, but rather unnecessary. The cast is superb in their roles. Hemsworth, Evans, Ruffalo, Johansson and Renner all do a stellar job, but Robert Downey Jr. is the one that steals the show. Hiddleston also turns in a strong performance as the malicious villain, Loki.
Overall summary: Clever, amusing, perfectly-balanced, skillfully-shot and jaw-droppingly action-packed, "The Avengers" is the ultimate dream come true for every single fan of the genre, and arguably the best and most spectacularly entertaining superhero movie ever made.
