What's the story?
The end of the world is nigh. Norse God of Mischief Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – the sly, conniving brother of the hammer-wielding Thor (Chris Hemsworth) – stakes his bid for world domination by stealing a weapon of mass destruction.
It’s known as the Tesseract and he takes it from S.H.I.E.L.D., an organisation dedicated to the protection of the entire human race.
With great power at his disposal, Loki plans to bring a horde of hostile aliens to Earth and enslave mankind.
However, all hope is not lost as Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), the grizzled leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., puts together a team of superheroes to defend the planet against Loki and his alien invasion.
Enlisting Thor, Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), he sees the Avengers work through their differences as they strive to save the human race from total destruction.
Any good?
It's been a long time coming but the much-anticipated Avengers movie finally arrives and, I have to say, it really doesn't get any better than this.
Remember that exhilarating feeling after watching the first Iron Man movie and the satisfaction of seeing Captain America and Thor colourfully and boldly brought to life on the big screen? Then be prepared for similar sensations of awe, wonder and blissful entertainment as director and self-confessed comic book nerd Joss Whedon gives us one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Yes, it's that good!
Whedon does each character justice and gives each Avenger time to develop but, just as importantly, he has fun with their predicament, throwing an assortment of massive egos together in one room and letting the fireworks fly.
Avengers Assemble is a simply executed story that pays homage to the world of Marvel comics like no other movie has done so before.
Rumbles
The cast are uniformly brilliant and each one gives an effortlessly fun and easy performance, with the always excellent Robert Downey Jr delivering his lines with patience and finesse, whilst Chris Hemsworth rumbles exquisitely through his dialogue as only a Norse god can. Chris Evans fits into the skin of Captain America perfectly and the superb Mark Ruffalo gives us probably the best Incredible Hulk yet (and we’ve had a few).
Tom Hiddleston makes for a wickedly good baddie – he's simply the bad guy you will love to hate as he sneers and jeers his way through the movie.
The action is also expertly woven into the fabric of the film and, paced perfectly, Avengers Assemble is a special effects showcase that'll blow your socks clean off and leave you wanting more.
Final word?
Without a doubt the best and most entertaining film I've seen all year, if you're after a perfect popcorn movie, Avengers Assemble is not to be missed.
