Avengers Re-Assemble

By Conor Lennon

Billed as the biggest superhero movie of the decade, Avengers Assemble does not disappoint.

Mixing stunning CGI with a star-studded cast, Avengers brings together five of Marvel Comics biggest superheroes in one film. Colonel Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles a squad of elite soldiers to defend the earth from the Norse god of mischief, Loki, who plans to wipe-out all of mankind.

Led by Captain America, played by Chris Evans, the Avengers include Thor (Chris Hemsworth) the Norse god of thunder and Loki’s half-brother, Tony Stark A.K.A Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) as well as Bruce Banner and his alter-ego The Hulk who, thanks to motion-capture CGI, will both be played by Mark Ruffalo.

The team also includes master archer and assassin Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and super spy and secret agent Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Photo by Compulsive Collector on Flickr.

While Loki and his henchmen fail to impress as serious evil villains, director Joss Whedon has managed to give each of the heroes enough screen time to succeed in making them memorable, by having the heroes battle each other as their ego’s get the better of them.

This means we get to see Hawkeye take on Black Widow, Iron Man battle Thor and Thor go head-to-head with The Hulk.

Predictably the heroes must put aside their differences at the end of the film and learn to work together, resulting in a spectacular final battle.

Despite its breath-taking special effects and action sequences, some of the film’s best moments come in the exchanges between the heroes.

Downey Jr. gets the best of the one-liners, like describing The Hulk as having “breathtaking anger issues”, while the rivalry between the cynical Tony Stark and straight-laced Captain America provide some of the most entertaining scenes.

While Downey Jr. steals the show, Ruffalo gives a tremendous performance as Banner, a mild-mannered scientist battling inner demons, and it’s the more personal exchanges between him and Downey that provide the most poignant and thought-provoking scenes.

Whedon, a Marvel Comics fan, has stayed loyal to the original heroes as much as possible and this is sure to appease die-hard fans, while the film includes enough explosions, jokes and acting talent to appeal to viewers of all ages and tastes.