Review: The Avengers

Marvel's The Avengers, which opened Friday, is the best superhero/comic-book adaptation ever made. Filmmaker Joss Whedon proves he's the man who can bring together characters with godlike talents (and egos) and effortlessly make them play in his arena. This is the week's hottest release, and you want to be there.

If you've been living on another planet, then you might not know that Marvel has been working up the hype machine for this weekend's big release. Starting with post-credit teases after Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor and Captain America, Marvel has goaded fans into a fever of excitement. After such a build-up, it would be a catastrophe if the movie failed to deliver, but Joss Whedon writing and directing is at a career-high.

Whedon sets up the threat that brings all the now-familiar characters together, then he lets them face off as their super-powered egos bring their tempers to a boil before finally turning their attention back to the enemy that's threatening to destroy Earth.

That kind of juggling act is difficult with a normal ensemble cast, but doing it with names like Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston and Robert Downey Jr., and making it feel natural, is unfathomable. How do you reconcile the different power levels of these characters, which range from being literally a god to being land-bound and very vulnerable? It's done masterfully, as each hero proves to have unique skills that together produce the best team action ever filmed.

The only variable, the only big hulking question about The Avengers is Mark Ruffalo's performance as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. We've seen all the other characters in films within the last year. Ruffalo is a phenomenal actor, but after two previous actors' interpretations of the role, would his be some mashup of their styles? Would it be something new? Or would it be over-the-top?

It would be cliched to say this was the role Ruffalo was born to play, but after seeing it, those are the words that come to mind. In my mind, the Norton and Bana films were cinematic time bombs. Like a jack-in-the-box, Ang Lee and Louis Leterrier both cranked the wheel until about 45 minutes in, their CGI creations popped out. The story was all about the military putting so much pressure on Bruce, painting him into a corner until he hulks out.

Ruffalo's Banner is more in control, but more importantly, has grown to accept his condition, and here he's valued for his skills as a scientist. Of course, he's going to Hulk out, but that's just a part of the character, and not the only point of his storyline. Most of the audience walked away with The Hulk as their favorite character, and someone was even heard to say "Team Hulk!"

I'm not going to argue the pros and cons of 2D or 3D for The Avengers. Go see it in 2D. Go see it in 3D. Whichever you like, just go see it!