The Avengers

I can't believe this. I can't believe that I, Jess Linde, am sitting down to review The Avengers. This is a film I've been waiting for since I discovered comic books. Now it's here, and it's made up from other movies put together. Movies with real stars and real directors that really happened. The Avengers. It's real. It's real, and it's directed by nerd-god Joss Whedon. And, it's a masterpiece of both superhero and action cinema. I can't believe this. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is back to harness the power of the tesseract and invade earth with his alien army. Shoved into a corner, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) activates the Avenger Initiative, a proposed team of the world's greatest misfits. Those gathered are: Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr,), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansonn), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Dr. Bruce "Hulk" Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Now, these clashing personas must come together and be earth's mightiest heroes. Wow. Just wow. I have to admit, I never thought I'd see a non-Dark Knight superhero blockbuster that does everything perfectly. The effects, the acting, the story, the script, the action; I have no complaints as both a comic book geek and a film buff. Somehow, Joss Whedon managed to combine the signature tones of each character and their respective films without any hitches or bumps. That, and he gives The Avengers its own signature feel and experience. The only words I have are: holy crap. There really isn't much else for me to say. The acting has never been better, the character and story development is perfect, the script is great, and it's just so epic. I haven't been this excited about a big-budget action movie since Avatar. Sure, Avatar had its problems, but the moviegoing experience was unique and made it worth seeing on a huge screen. For me it was also like that with Hugo. The Avengers just does it all right, and there is also great subtext under the whiz and the bang. There really is meaning behind how the characters come together as a team. Oh, and it's also got some sides-splitting humor to boot. You see, if I didn't love the feeling of sitting my butt down in front of a huge screen, I wouldn't review films. For me the point of new movies is to see them in the theater not on your laptop. When one has the option of checking Facebook between scenes, the experience is lost. Seeing a movie in the theater with friends while eating popcorn and candy and drinking soda is a beautiful experience that bonds people like no other. The Avengers made that experience true for me as well as thousands of others. Be part of it. Go see The Avengers.