First thing I must say about The Avengers is this: you're going to want to see it a second time. There are so many great scenes followed by good dialogue but audience reactions results in you missing some of it. Since I am big on dialogue, I plan to wait a week or two before seeing it a second time. Joss Whedon does a wonderful job of balancing each of the character's airtime. I never got the feeling that one character took precedent over the others. A hard job to do, especially with that many strong personalities.
Even though there have been two "Hulk" movies made in the last decade, neither of which impressed me, I'd like to see one with Mark Ruffalo playing Dr. Bruce Banner. As a fan of the original series, Bill Bixby has remained Dr. Banner in my mind. After seeing Ruffalo's portrayal, that could changed if the Hulk movie is well written and with him in the lead role. The big, green guy is the focus but we tend to forget about the man underneath. That is one option for a spin-off movie, another is to tell the back story between Hawkeye and Natasha Romanoff.
I'll assume that any person planning to see this movie has seen the others that tie all these characters together. If not, then I strongly suggest it. Of course, Tony Stark/Ironman, Steve Rogers/Captain America, Demi-Gods Loki and Thor are just as good as they were in their previous films. It's a treat seeing them all interact but the "Other Guy" really gives a good performance. Overall, I give this film a high rating, even though there is one part that I do not like at all. I'll let you figure that one out for yourself.
One last thing, there are two bonus scenes after the movie. One is after the main ending credits and the other at the end of the final credits, so stay for both.
Now, suit up!
