The Avengers

The Avengers
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference.

Awesome.

Okay, maybe I should expound on that:

The Avengers is such an excellent movie! It was a tense, unpredictable thrill ride with great characters and a great story (not to mention it's hilarious!)

It's taken me this long to see it because I was unsure at first. But when friends assured me of its merits, I decided to give it a try.

May I just say that I love character-driven plots?

Hawkeye was brilliant, and Thor was just great. I also adored Bruce/The Hulk. Just the way he spoke and the way he acted, it was so heart-rending to see someone so unsure and terrified of themself. I really liked how he and Stark/Iron Man became buddies (and of course Stark was as sarcastic and funny as usual.) 

And though I hated the Captain America movie, I loved him in this! He held the team together, he was the leader. And considering that he's Captain America, you couldn't help but feel patriotic just watching him. 

I fully expected The Black Widow, the only female lead, to be just that--the only female lead. The character who's only there to look pretty and offer stale chemistry with one of the male leads.

Boy was I wrong. And what's this I keep hearing about Scarlett Johansson being a bad actress? She was tough and clever, but not heartless, and it was very refreshing to see a woman like that in an action movie.

I've also never liked Phil, but I loved him in this movie, too. 

And I know there are girls out there who have a crush on Loki as a character, but I'm pretty sure that after seeing this movie that will all stop. What a despicable villain! Really. You can sort of see where he's coming from, but in order to see his full point of view you're mind would have to be as twisted as his. Even his "smile" is chilling. 

The scene where he forced those people to bow...man, even the extras are good actors! I don't want to give anything away but--that was a really good scene.

The action scenes were great--action without being pointless--and the final battle battle was the sort that leaves you on the edge of your seat. (And you know I loved the Lord of the Rings reference.)

And I know that it's really difficult for movies nowadays to bring something new to the table when it involves aliens, but they pulled it off. The aliens' design was very original. 

The Avengers just packs all the right ingredients. With a punch.

Why don't people make more movies like this?

Favorite Line: Oh, gosh. Almost every line was my favorite! So many good one-liners. But since I need something, have this awesome one: 

Council Member: War isn’t won by sentiment, Director.
Nick Fury: No, it’s won by soldiers.

Verdict: Go see it! And maybe even again after that! Aaand maybe even again...
Grey Travel Rating: 4/5
Special Effects: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Acting: 5/5
Objectionable Content:
Bruce wakes up naked after being the Hulk, but nothing is shown, and actually they cover him up via camera very well. During an interrogation a man tells a woman "This is not how I wanted this evening to go", but nothing further is implied. Loki puts some spinning device to a man's face--the man's body is shown jerking in pain but it's only slightly disturbing if you have a good imagination. Stark calls himself a playboy. One use of the Lord's name in vain. Uses of the H-word and D-word a few times. One use of the B-word, P-word, and A-word.