Superheroes put aside their superegos in ‘The Avengers’

The summer’s first true blockbuster, The Avengers posted a big opening weekend that bodes well for the summer’s upcoming superhero flicks The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. The film unites Marvel’s Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Tony Stark/Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) under the capable direction of their leader Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson). In hands less capable than those of director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), this star- and action-packed movie would be a mess. But Whedon, who also co-wrote the screenplay, keeps the superegos in check and delivers a storyline that gives each character its due.

The film’s plot revolves around the return of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s evil brother who has struck a deal with the alien race called the Chitauri (more on them later) so that he can return to earth and try to force the planet into submission. To counter Loki, Nick Fury assembles the Avengers, requiring the mortals, the monsters, the scientists and the demi god work together to win the war. Easier said than done. Upon their first meeting, Hulk, Iron Man and Thor have a fight that destroys everything in the vicinity before they can reach a truce. Tony Stark/Iron Man is accused of only thinking of himself, and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow must confront Clint Barton/Hawk Eye and break the spell that Loki has put him under.

Once they get it together, the Avengers are ready to take on the Chitauri army that’s unleashed through a portal in the universe. And it’s quite an army as the creatures descend from the sky and proceed to obliterate New York City. While the battle scene might go on for a bit too long (the film’s running time of 143 minutes could have been trimmed), the display of power is impressive. Hulk, especially, shines when told to simply “smash.”

Johansson’s Black Widow is the weakest link in an otherwise well-cast film. Downey, Jr. has all the best one liners, and Ruffalo brings a certain professor-like charm to the role of the conflicted Bruce Banner/Hulk. Evans and Hemsworth hold fare better as part of the ensemble than they did on their own in Captain America and Thor, respectively. And Hiddleston nearly steals the show as the highly articulate Loki.

Reportedly added after the film was already made, the 3-D effects aren’t going to rival those of Avatar, but they help enhance the action scenes (and the surcharge undoubtedly helped push the movie’s opening weekend gross past the $200 million mark and into the record books). One of the handful of folks who haven’t seen the film yet? Stay through the credits because there is not one, but two, extras.