Marvel's The Avengers: Critic Reviews

It really is an astounding achievement - a film that juggles an unenviable number of elements; combining what we've seen before, slotting them together and then adding enough depth, action and humour to make this a remarkable standalone film.

Marvel's "The Avengers" is the super-hero movie to end all super-hero movies. Why? Joss Whedon.

Without Robert Downey Jr. delivering his witty quips in patented rat-a-tat-tat fashion, The Avengers would largely be a soulless shell of a movie that could be mistaken for a Michael Bay production.

Without Robert Downey Jr. delivering his witty quips in patented rat-a-tat-tat fashion, The Avengers would largely be a soulless shell of a movie that could be mistaken for a Michael Bay production.

After years of buildup and prequels, "The Avengers" is merely average.

The first great superhero team movie, and a film that captures the essence of what makes the Marvel Universe great.

The filmmakers play a conservative game, not setting out to make a great movie but simply making sure not to screw it up an entire franchise.

Feels like actual Marvel Comics are being injected directly into your bloodstream. It's simply jaw-dropping.

While it reflects a movie culture that has traded originality for scale - one wonders if there's a shred of originality anywhere in the film - The Avengers is grand, throwaway fun.

Yeah, it's all that. A tent-pole cash cow for the studio, a dream come true for fans, and treat for action aficionados, 'The Avengers' comes at you as the first true "summer movie spectacular" of the 2012 season.

Wonderful blink and you'll miss them comic beats in the middle of the finale's mayhem. And what glorious mayhem!

The overlong, stale experience barely raises a fast pulse, as the movie quickly stumbles into a standard film structure and doesn't even try to break free.

... The movie isn't so much a work of storytelling as it is a marathon of wish-fulfillment moments for comic book enthusiasts -- punches peppered with punchlines.

The culmination of four distinct franchises is an exciting and entertaining product.

The culmination of four distinct franchises is an exciting and entertaining product.

It's the humor that's The Avengers' strength.

Whedon's clear fanboy glee is irresistibly contagious to the audience, whether the heroes and villains go at it with fisticuffs or sharp, witty dialogue.

Comic-book movie delivers the goods

By the time the utterly routine (and decidedly endless) finale rolls around, Marvel's The Avengers has unquestionably squandered the potential of its premise and its cast...

Delivers big time with everything longtime fans and newcomers alike could possibly want in a summer blockbuster that definitely surpasses the hype.

This too-long adventure is a sensory overload --- complete with loud, protracted battle scenes and hunky super heroes who provide the necessary eye candy. It's also very funny, and highly entertaining.

There is much humor laced throughout the film, giving it an air of not taking itself too seriously -- which is as it should be in a film of this genre.

... tremendous fun ...

A creative team WOW

It's a blockbuster that manages to please with intelligence and fun. Whedon makes it look easy.