Marvel has successfully assembled Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Hulk together on the big screen. After years of teasing and tedious setup (ahem, “Iron Man 2”), “The Avengers” is the movie that fans have long deserved.

And, after two theatrical misfires, The Hulk finally gets a bold, fantastic showcase.

When banished demigod Loki (Tom Hiddleson) threatens Earth with hostile takeover, spy extraordinaire Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) works to bring together a ragtag team of extraordinary heroes – billionaire egomaniac Tony Stark (aka Iron Man aka Robert Downey Jr.), super-soldier/1940s transplant Captain America (Chris Evans), scientist-with-a-hulking-secret Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Loki’s noble brother/the God of Thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth). There’s also the acrobatic spy Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and arrow wielding Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to round out the team.

“The Avengers” spends quite a bit of time bringing them all together, in part to give individual screen time to these complicated superheroes. The early character moments reward fans of the previous movies with new revelations while helping new viewers to understand the backstory just in time for “The Avengers” to throw down a breathtaking set of action sequences. (more…)