Avengers Assemble [The Avengers] ***** (2012, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston) – Classic Movie Review 3615

Written and directed by an inspired Joss Whedon, the brilliant 2012 sci-fi action adventure Avengers Assemble [also known as The Avengers] stars Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / The Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. It is a dream team of perfect performers, performing their iconic characters to perfection.

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Chris Evans as Captain America and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in Avengers Assemble.

As for the story, it is direct, slick, simple and straightforward, the mighty Avengers heroes must assemble and fight as a team to stop the evil Loki (Hiddleston) and his alien army from enslaving humanity. Whedon directly sleekly, putting on the polish, in what looks like a labour of love. It is a great mix of the gloriously grand and the gently humorous, with the astonishing, marvellously created visual effects we have come to expect on such a huge budget movie.

Avengers Assemble [The Avengers] runs 143 minutes, with the extended cut at 173 minutes.

It is an Oscar and Bafta nominee for The Best Achievement in Visual Effects for Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Daniel Sudick.

It cost $220 million and grossed $623 million in the US for a cumulative worldwide gross of $1,519 million.

You can see why they did not want to call it The Avengers in the UK as the TV series is fondly remembered, and there is also that terrible movie version of it, the 1998 flop The Avengers.

Sequel: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), with Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner. And that is followed by Avengers: Infinity War (2018), with Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner all returning after all.

Chris Evans also plays Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and has a cameo in Thor: The Dark World (2013).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3615
Check out more reviews on derekwinnert.com

Chris Evans plays Captain America in Avengers Assemble [The Avengers] (2012).