‘The Avengers’ packs a mighty punch

“THE AVENGERS.” Exhilarating blend of action, comedy and movie magic.

The star-studded alliance of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), under the leadership of SHIELD’s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), is the stuff that fanboys’ dreams are made of – and director Joss Whedon pulls off the high-wire act with flair, panache, and an exhilarating blend of action, comedy and movie magic.

At the heart of “The Avengers’” conflict is the “tesseract” cube, whose vast powers can supply earth’s need for unlimited, sustainable energy. Along with its benefits, however, comes the energy-producing device’s down side – it also has the potential to blow the planet to smithereens!

When Thor’s vengeful brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), gets hold of the contentious cube responsible for Captain America’s 70-year slumber, Fury enlists the help of The Avengers to tip the scales against their ruthless Asgardian nemesis, who’s about to open the space-travel portal from which his army could enter to help him execute his “glorious mission” of invasion –because, he reasons, “Freedom is life’s great lie!”

First time

Fury has his work cut out for him, though – because it’s almost impossible to gather six hot-headed, insult-hurling superheroes in one room without breaking anything. It certainly isn’t “like at first sight” when Steve Rogers aka Captain America meets cocky Tony Stark aka Iron Man and the banished God of Thunder – nor is there any love lost between them and the Hulk aka Dr. Bruce Banner, who’s forced out of retirement to trace the tesseract’s faint gamma-ray emissions. With allies like these, who needs enemies?

The Avengers must let their supersized egos (and sense of entitlement) take the back seat, and disregard their differences to unite against their  common enemy. Fortunately, Marvel has found the perfect director to bring out these disparate personalities without straining credulity or compromising the film’s fast-faced exposition, in which each superhero is given his or her moments to shine.

If you think Hawkeye, Black Widow and Hulk have only been added to keep the production’s novelty quotient high, think again.  Their back stories are seamlessly fused into the busy but coherent narrative. Renner’s character is a point-and-shoot expert with a dark side, and Johansson’s dazzling heroine is a first-rate manipulator, whose punches are as deadly as the guys’.

Moreover, who would have thought that the usually stolid Hulk could steal scenes from the adorably witty Downey and the dashing Evans? But, then again, it isn’t every day that a superhero is portrayed by Ruffalo, who’s no slouch at acting.

The film even manages to give the angry green monster a sense of humor via CG-manipulated facial expressions that look more winking than manic—and his (confrontation) scenes with Loki, Black Widow and Thor are some of the funniest (you read that right) in the action-packed superhero franchise. (Another wow moment takes place when Iron Man is seen changing into his armored suit in midair.)

Sibling strife

Once the novelty dust settles, however, you’ll realize that the lengthy movie (it’s two hours and 22 minutes long) is merely an expanded version of Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” – wherein the demigod and his bratty brother’s sibling strife wreaks havoc, this time on Manhattan.

Moreover, if Hulk were truly capable of teamwork, then what was all the chasing and smashing onboard The Avengers’ spacecraft about? What explains his selective moments of lucidity, especially during the film’s exhilarating action finale?

Our quibbles notwithstanding, Whedon should be commended for whipping up one of the most entertaining superhero flicks in years. Whoever’s helming “The Avengers” sequel has a tough act to follow!