The Avengers, or as I'd like to call it 'How to go from a 36 year old to a 12 year old in 2.5 hours', is this generation's Star Wars. Or Back to the future. Or Indiana Jones. It doesn't matter, pick one, it's iconic.

This will not be a rational review. It never could have been as I am a silly comic book geek. Whether good or bad, it would simply be impossible for me to approach this film rationally. I am so happy that at the centre of this film lies a big, thunderously thumping heart.

Technically this film is practically perfect. There are so many unbelievably impressive set pieces you get to see, it is simply stunning.…

When Marvel announced they were going to set up their own film studio, not only making individual superhero movies but also set them in the same universe and using the solo outings as a way to build interest in a mega-collaboration with four of the biggest heroes in comic books, it seemed like an ambitious folly that was doomed to fail. When most of the solo films turned out to be merely decent the ambition seemed to be misplaced, even if the films were financial successes. However, my reservations were thankfully unfounded as not only have they managed to cleverly assemble (if you pardon the pun) the disparate heroes into a cohesive and consistently exciting story but Marvel and Whedon…

Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.27

Best read with this running in the background

Rise up with me, my friends!

I have been called an idiot for liking this.

I have been called a moron for liking this.

Apparently, liking this means you're a Whedon fanboy.

Apparently, you and I are not allowed to like this film at all.

Apparently, you and I don't give a fuck and this was my fifth viewing.

It's still brilliantly paced.

Still hilarious.

Still immensely entertaining.

Still a cocktail of characters that tastes delicious.

Black Widow is still scrumptious.

Loki still a fantastic villain.

Still has one of the best boss battles ever.

Still captures the Marvel Comic vibe perfectly.

Still makes me…

To kind of steal a line from The Rock... FINALLY! THE RON HAS SEEN THE AVENGERS!

This film was like when you get super excited as a kid to do something or go somewhere and it pays off. You have a blast, you drive your parents nuts talking about it, and you bounce off the walls with excitement until you eventually pass out from exhaustion!

My Letterboxd friends know I generally prefer the darker comic book films so I was interested to see what I made of this film. Well call me impressed! Joss Whedon did an excellent job giving us all the action you expect from a film like this, but also managed to deliver excellent snappy dialogue which…

Up until now, I never truly understood all the fuss about Joss Whedon. I never related to Buffy, never got into Firefly or Dollhouse, and while I enjoyed Serenity I didn't worship it like some. But at long last, Whedon has delivered a piece of work that blew me away, one I truly believe will swiftly enter the pantheon of classic action-adventure movies. The Avengers is not only far and away the best of Marvel's (mostly impressive) movie staple, it's a candidate for the best comic book movie ever made.

High praise indeed, but to my mind utterly deserved. Whedon has done the near impossible here - bring to life the greatest superhero team in fiction while delivering excellent character…

I admire Joss Whedon's attempts to construct a film that pays tribute to the spectacle of superheroes, but I do not admire the film that it is a part of.

The film lacks a cohesive and satisfying narrative to make this venture a worthwhile trip. Spectacle itself is not a bad thing, but Aristotle placed it low on his priorities for storytelling for a very reason: Spectacle alone is not satisfying.

What could be an interesting film is ultimately just a series of events that vaguely connect to each other as it smashes its way through to the end. It is essentially a Saturday morning cartoon blown up in proportion. If this is something you find satisfying, I will not…