What's It About? Uniting a veritable bounty of Marvel's cherished characters, we see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury join forces to prevent Earth becoming enslaved to Loki, Thor's vengeful brother.*****
What's It Like? This is comic-book film-making on an epic and virtually peerless scale. Whereas some properties have "gone dark" (see Nolan's Batman films), this manages a seemingly impossible task of balancing half a dozen big characters, giving them each their moment to shine and still presenting a genuine threat in a light-hearted but never flippant or trite manner. It could easily have become bloated, weighed down by the need to cover so many characters and give them a reason to join forces, but the excellent, intelligent, funny and accessible script moves through the gears quickly, establishing each character with economy without feeling rushed.
Although Iron Man is the most obviously charismatic character and has had the most successful films out of this bunch, Robert Downey Jr never tries to steal the show, enjoying his moments in the sun without embarking on an ego trip to dominate every scene. Instead, it falls to the more measured Mark Ruffalo, or more to the point his alter-ego Hulk to run away with virtually every scene he is in. Hulk's fight with Thor and his encounter with Loki are particular highlights, though the early square (triangle?) off between Captain America, Thor and Iron Man manages to be thrilling, funny and serious all at the same time - there are stakes here, not just witty quips to make us laugh.
In Loki and his assembled minions we have a menacing villain, one who is able to convince as a match for such an abundance of super-powered heroes and although the rules of franchises dictate that we suspect we know who is going to make it to the closing credits, the film isn't afraid to show occasional ruthlessness. The first big blockbuster of the summer has set the bar exceedingly high and it is doubtful that Prometheus, Spider-man and Batman will find it easy to measure up.
Although Iron Man is the most obviously charismatic character and has had the most successful films out of this bunch, Robert Downey Jr never tries to steal the show, enjoying his moments in the sun without embarking on an ego trip to dominate every scene. Instead, it falls to the more measured Mark Ruffalo, or more to the point his alter-ego Hulk to run away with virtually every scene he is in. Hulk's fight with Thor and his encounter with Loki are particular highlights, though the early square (triangle?) off between Captain America, Thor and Iron Man manages to be thrilling, funny and serious all at the same time - there are stakes here, not just witty quips to make us laugh.
In Loki and his assembled minions we have a menacing villain, one who is able to convince as a match for such an abundance of super-powered heroes and although the rules of franchises dictate that we suspect we know who is going to make it to the closing credits, the film isn't afraid to show occasional ruthlessness. The first big blockbuster of the summer has set the bar exceedingly high and it is doubtful that Prometheus, Spider-man and Batman will find it easy to measure up.
Should I See It? Yes, you really should. It won't be to everyone's tastes but I've yet to speak to anyone who didn't like it. It is refreshingly free of any coarse language, even though the film's 12A certificate would enable it to get away with a certain amount. There is no sexual content and although there is plenty of violence, it is for the most part bloodless, with the indestructible Hulk, the armoured Iron Man and the Norse god Thor taking the sternest beatings. I would not have any reservations about taking my 6 year old son to see it, if that is any help.
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