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Marvel's The Avengers: Movie Review

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Marvel’s The Avengers surpasses the entertaining qualities seen in the Iron Man franchise and last summer’s Captain America movie, and makes up for the disappointing Thor and Hulk movies of year’s past.

Director Joss Whedon’s take on these revered superheroes is spot-on. His popcorn summer flick delights from its first moments to the sneak peek after the credits, and makes you believe good can win even against the evilest of forces.

THE MOVIE IN A MINUTE

Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., calls in the reserves for help when a powerful energy source called the Tesseract is stolen by Loki, a demi-god and adopted brother of Thor. Fury’s go-to superheroes, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow, must find a way to work together despite their "differences" to have any hope of defeating Loki and his invading alien army.

THE GOOD AND BAD IN MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS

Marvel’s The Avengers contains sci-fi violence, mild use of foul language and a drug reference. For these cautionary elements, it garnered a PG-13 rating. The action in the film includes numerous explosions, gun fights and hand-to-hand combat. But, the violence doesn’t become gory.

Whedon, who is most known in science-fiction circles, also wrote the screenplay for this superhero movie. His talent for mixing the right amount of hilarity, action and humanity to fictional stories isn't lost on this new project.

Reprising their roles as the avenging superheroes are Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Joining the cast is a new actor to the role of The Hulk—Mark Ruffalo. Each character is strong, with every actor filling into their roles giving moviegoers a rich experience as they see the vulnerable and “human” side to the Avengers.

Whedon's contrast of the good against utter darkness that lies within humanity is abundantly clear. The villain, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), encapsulates the worst a man (or demi-god in his case) can become. His tyrannical arrogance and jealousy fuels an unquenchable desire to subjugate an entire planet. It's Loki's wickedness that unifies the “good guys”, the superheroes. The selfishness and insecurities of the Avengers are squelched in order to combat the invading army and save humanity. One of the character’s belief in God is cited, which is surprising given Whedon is a professed atheist.

IN THE END

Like the comic books it’s based on, Marvel’s The Avengers extols freedom and the price some pay to protect it. Never a dull moment with an explosive action sequence around every corner, this witty summer blockbuster is a thrill ride. However, viewer discretion is advised.

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About The Author

Hannah
Goodwyn

Hannah Goodwyn served as a Senior Producer for CBN.com, managing and writing for the award-winning website. After her undergraduate studies at Christopher Newport University, Hannah went on to study Journalism at the graduate level. In 2005, she graduated summa cum laude with her Master's from Regent University and was honored with an Outstanding Student Award. From there, Hannah began work as a content producer for CBN.com. For ten years, she acted as the managing producer for the website's Family and Entertainment sections. A movie buff, Hannah felt right at home working as CBN.com's