The Avengers (2012) - 8 stars out of 10

The Avengers (2012) - 8 stars out of 10

"The Avengers" is epic.  It successfully pulls six superheros into one film while giving each hero his own storyline and development until all six paths eventually intersect.  Some multi-hero films (cough cough "Fantastic Four") don't properly develop the characters and just become a jumble of annoying personalities.  But "The Avengers" has even more challenges than character development.  Unlike the X-Men films, where all of the characters exist in the same world and have the same goal of protecting the mutants, this film pulls characters from several comic worlds and has to make these worlds align.  I like how the writers didn't suddenly throw all of the characters together in a room and say "Let's do this."  The film has a believable quality because some of the characters show resistance to joining, other characters pair up and try to find a solution but can't do it on their own, and finally the necessity of the situation pulls them all together instead of their desire to be a team.  All of the acting is incredible, from Robert Downey Jr.'s coolness as Iron Man to Scarlett Johansson's kick-butt attitude as Black Widow.  Outside of the superheros, Clark Gregg reprises his role as Agent Coulson and really grabs the spotlight this time.  Also, Samuel L. Jackson.  That is all.  The action sequences are amazing, the Hulk is so cool as he destroys stuff, the dialogue is great, and the acting is even better; however, this movie falls short in one way for me and that's the inclusion of mythological enemies.  The recent trend in superhero movies has placed these heroes into real world situations that makes it seem that they could be among us.  The costumes and characteristics of these heroes have been altered so that their abilities can be logically explained and the character's appearance wouldn't be laughable if we saw them on the street.  I understand that the plot of "Thor" requires this mythical garb and even though he looks goofy standing next to Hawkeye, I could have been okay with it.  But why did the conflict have to revolve around other-worldly beings instead of a realistic enemy like those in the "Iron Man" series.  I just feel as if this film lost some of its potential by breaking the realism that has placed superheros into the real world.  That being said, the story, special effects, acting, and script are awesome and make "The Avengers" one of the best superhero films out there.  I can't wait to see The Disney Corporation's continued enhancement of the Marvel Universe.