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.

Downey continues to show considerable charm as Tony Stark, and the movie gives him plenty of snappy scenes to chew scenery. Thor and Captain America remain in engaging and competent hands in Hemsworth and Evans, and Johansson adds an edge to Black Widow that was absent in her debut appearance in “Iron Man 2.” Only Hawkeye gets shortchanged in screen time, with Renner doing what he can with minimal character development.

The true standout of “The Avengers” is Ruffalo as tortured scientist Bruce Banner. He shows the vulnerability and underlying anger that is constantly boiling under the good doctor’s skin. Ruffalo brings humanity to the role that Edward Norton and Eric Bana struggled with so mightily in previous “Hulk” adventures. In “The Avengers,” you actually believe there’s an angry green monster hiding behind Dr. Banner’s eyes.

The CGI effects for The Hulk are much improved too, with Ruffalo serving as a motion capture reference point for all of Hulk’s destruction. There’s so many powerhouse setpieces in the film, but anything involving The Hulk is always a highlight.

“The Avengers” is written and directed by Joss Whedon, the creator of “Buffy” and co-writer on the twistedly genius “Cabin in the Woods” that opened last month. Whedon also has considerable experience writing for comics, notably in the “X-Men” series. Bottom line: Whedon understands what comic book fans want from an “Avengers” movie.

Even better, Whedon is a crafty storyteller, focusing on character for long stretches while still offering the occasional nugget of blockbuster spectacle. He isn’t afraid to take audiences to unexpected places, even when it’s well assumed “The Avengers” will be followed by numerous sequels and spinoffs.

Taking off the geek hat for a moment, “The Avengers” maybe spends too much time with an uncomplicated story (bad guy wants to take over the world), and it certainly doesn’t have the political and thematic undertones that permeate throughout Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies.

That shouldn’t matter to the core audience itching to see Thor chuck his hammer at Iron Man’s face, or The Hulk smashing every bad guy in sight. “The Avengers” is riveting fun with a smart script and a killer cast. It will be hard for any blockbuster this summer to top that.
Grade: A-
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