Marvel's The Avengers Reviews

After years of buildup and prequels, "The Avengers" is merely average.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10

The overlong, stale experience barely raises a fast pulse, as the movie quickly stumbles into a standard film structure and doesn't even try to break free.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5

Every now and then, director Joss Whedon executes a quirky camera set-up to assert that the film was created by him and not a team of marketing executives.

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It was right the Avengers shouldn't gel right at once, but how that get-to-know-you period is played out in the script gets massively out of hand.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5

A slow start, a single star performance surrounded by indifferent acting and an onslaught of computer effects that range from seen-it-all-in-"Transformers" to a whole sky full of spectacular stuff in the midtown Manhattan climax.

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There are also the fans who rage in the comments, as if men in spandex are as serious as war and the economy. Is there a defensive euphoria in seeing your childhood heroes come to life? Is 'The Avengers' a great film? No. Will people love it? Yes!

Full Review | Original Score: C+

The filmmakers play a conservative game, not setting out to make a great movie but simply making sure not to screw it up an entire franchise.

Full Review | Original Score: 4

Yet another brainless, overbloated and mostly underwhelming blockbuster despite marvelous visual effects.

Full Review | Original Score: 5.25/10

Really, who cares about another battle? We know how this is going to end.

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[VIDEO ESSAY] Sloppy in its construction, "Marvel's The Avengers" has one thing going for it - humor.

Full Review | Original Score: C+

The light, amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding, hectic emptiness, the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5

Biff! Bam! Boring!

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4

By the time the utterly routine (and decidedly endless) finale rolls around, Marvel's The Avengers has unquestionably squandered the potential of its premise and its cast...

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4

Nothing but 2:20 of special effects and ridiculous fights...it's like all the superheroes are trying out at the Improv to see who can give the best one-liner, and none of them do.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10

Apparently, bootleg copies of Transformers 3 made it to Asgard.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5

The Avengers has a knockout final 30 minutes, all gee-whiz crash and bang and eye candy that makes grand use of 3D and IMAX and all the other toys. But the Transformers movies did that, too.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4

The picture is broken down into narrative chunks that ultimately don't tell much of a story - what you get instead is a series of mini-climaxes held together by banter between characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10

If you're not much of a Marvel Comics person but just want to get an early start on your mindless summer moviegoing, well, I guess this picture is no stupider than anything else.

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To watch another comic book transformed into another blockbuster is to "marvel" at much and to feel nothing - that's a safer bet than the converse, perhaps, which may explain the genre's popularity.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4

What the Avengers really need is something to avenge, some compelling emotion or commitment; rallying the troops with blood-stained collectible trading cards doesn't cut it.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4