I've only recently become a fan of comic books and found the Marvel universe particularly difficult to find a path into, the individual movies have helped to some degree, and whilst they were entertaining enough The Avengers is a whole different ball game.

Whedon manages to direct the various ego's amongst the cast absolutely wonderfully and each character gets multiple high profile moments in the spot light (although for me the Hulk steals the show). As a villain Loki could be considered rather flat and uninspiring, but to believe that would be to miss the point of the character and the role he plays within the context of the universe that has been presented within the movies thus far.

For the first time in what feels like a very very long time, action scenes are genuinely exciting and easy to follow and as the film builds up to its final confrontation you'll be on the edge of your seat without even noticing it.