The Avengers

Our Review

The gamble that paid. Six leads from four separate movies, one writer director asked to make them talk to each other, and a studio betting the whole blueprint on it working. Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is still the most purely fun thing the franchise produced, because it treats the team as an argument rather than a merchandising lineup.

The first hour is the secret weapon. Instead of rushing to the fight, Whedon locks his heroes on a flying aircraft carrier and lets them bicker: Tony Stark needling Steve Rogers, Thor talking about his brother like a tired parent, Bruce Banner waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mark Ruffalo slips into the Hulk role instantly and gives the character a dry, tired wit that three previous movies never found. The helicarrier attack, with Loki’s staff quietly prying the team apart, gives the climax its weight.

Tom Hiddleston’s Loki graduates to full opera villain, all wounded grandeur, and the Battle of New York remains the gold standard for the sequence every blockbuster has chased since. The tracking shot that circles all six heroes is the money shot of an entire era.

Essential. Our score: 9/10.