I will try to make this as comprehensible as possible given my still-bubbling excitement, but here is an instant-impression review for Marvel’s The Avengers:

IT WAS MIND-BLOWINGLY PERFECT!

All right, so a little more is probably necessary.  Let’s just say if I was susceptible to a monstrous man-crush, Nathan Fillion was just replaced by his friend/writer/director/foil, Joss Whedon.  I will break things down just a bit to make this review easier to digest.  I will try to AVOID spoilers, but this is a movie review, so in the interest of not getting anyone cheesed at me:

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!!!!   READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!!!!!

Writing:  Joss Whedon is a genius without equal when it comes to script writing.  His familiarity with his characters and his work writing for Marvel in the past shines through in each character’s lines.  He is able to capture the tension of the arguments as well as the sometimes gut-busting humor of their banter perfectly.  NONE of the characters in this movie deliver a line that makes you think “Gee, that doesn’t really sound like Captain America,” or Iron Man, or Nick Fury.  The timing and delivery of every character’s lines is just dead perfect.  It’s so good, in fact, you don’t even notice the movie is almost two-and-a-half hours long.  It paces itself perfectly.

Cinematography:  It was as expected.  Very clean, with a few odd camera angles at times just to change one’s screen focus.  Nothing exceedingly wonky like Hunger Games (which was good, just too much jitter at times).  The CG was extremely clean and well-placed, every bit as good or better than what we saw from Transformers.  The sets and green-screen scenes were also very believable.  The fight between Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America in the woods is a perfect example of set-work seamlessly blended into a green-screen environment.

Costuming:  OK, I will say this:  I’m not sure how I feel about the change back to the round chest-piece on the Mark VII suit, but I’m not going to have a hissy about it.  There have been so many variants in that armor I’ve lost track anyway.  Overall, though, every costume looked absolutely fantastic, even Cap’s screen-printed wings on his mask/headcover.  I’m glad they kept away from Hawkeye’s purple-and-blue combo with the weird mask, and Thor’s Asgardian garb was just perfect.  And, well…we just won’t get into what I think about Black Widow’s costume…this needs to remain PG or better.  ;)

Characters:  Everyone in this movie was familiar with his or her character, and it shows.  Each character was not just almost comic-book perfect (at least in the standard/Ultimates hybrid they’ve built here) but they were also inherently believable.  Stark and Cap can’t really get along to start with because Cap think’s Tony is too undisciplined and unwilling to sacrifice, while Tony is suspicious of SHIELD and thinks Cap is way too huah soldier-y and unwilling to question.  In fact, ALL of the characters who have done this before are exactly what you’d hope they would be, so let’s not spend time on them.  It’s Mark Ruffalo I want to spend some time on, because he had some work to do.  As the third actor to play the embattled Bruce Banner (and fourth to play a Banner, if you count Bill Bixby), it was his task to bring Banner  to the table, not necessarily the Hulk.  He did so well I almost wish he’d had more opportunity to play Bruce.  He was the most human, most vulnerable, and most self-assured Banner of them all, and it really seemed as if it was as effortless for him to step into those shoes as it was for the rest of the cast.  How was he vulnerable and self-assured at the same time?  Well, he knew he could involuntarily snap and change at any moment, but he also knew he could control when he changed, and Ruffalo carries that knowledge brilliantly.  Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention how incredibly fabulous Tom Hiddleston is as Loki.  That hurt, crazed, and driven evil he exudes is just amazing.

Wrap-up:  I would give you some review of the story, but really the story is just the backdrop for the characters and the humanity Whedon puts on the screen.  These people are more than larger-than-life heroes, they are genuine people with vulnerabilities and weaknesses to overcome.  In true Whedon-esque fashion, he uses a tragic event to illustrate all of these aspects.  Nope, no spoilers here, but if you know how Whedon works, you know what I’m talking about.  In any case, it all comes together here.  Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk (sorta) were all able to occupy the same space on the screen without one character vastly overshadowing the others.  And let’s not forget Nick Fury’s screen-stealing moments that transition just as easily into the larger group.  This movie was meant to be L-A-R-G-E, and it delivers like no superhero movie before it.  Like Albert Pujols before he went to LA-LA land, Whedon , Downey, Johanssen, Evans, Hemsworth, Ruffalo, Renner, and Hiddleston hit it out of the stadium.  I haven’t laughed, teared up, clapped, and cheered any movie like I did watching The Avengers.  For the first time in quite a while, I finally feel as if I got my money’s worth from a movie.  Yeah, it’s the first time since The Empire Strikes Back.  The Avengers really is THAT good.

5 of 5 stars, 10 out of 10, 100% fresh…however you want to put it. 

PS:  Watch ALL of the credits!  Post to this blog if you get the joke!