Marvel's The Avengers

Being a fan of comics and the Marvel Universe, and after seeing all the other movies leading up to it, I obviously had pretty high hopes going into Avengers, and after finding out a while before that Joss Whedon was going to be directing it, I had a gut feeling it would be well done, because Joss Whedon is an awesome director. I went within the first week with my wife and a few of our friends...made a whole day out of it. I enjoyed just about every minute of that movie, from start to finish! All of the characters were really well done, (it helped that each of the directors from Ironman, Hulk, Thor, and Chaptain America came on board to help advise & whatnot), and each actor played their parts very well. At first, my only one real concern was that Edward Norton was not going to be returning as Bruce Banner, but after watching the Avengers, I found that Mark Ruffalo was a bit better for the role in the end...he played the nerd card a bit better than Norton I thought. The special effects were fantastic! I found myself totally pumped and on the edge of my seat during the action bits in the movie, and the effects done during those scenes were very well done in my opinion. In my head, my hopes for the quantity of action was about right on, maybe just a tad higher, but really not by much. The action sequences incorporated into this movie were just simply awesome! The comedy added into this movie screamed Joss Whedon (looking back on Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Firefly and whatnot), and there was just the right amount in it. It was added in at just some of the right times, and they were great! I laughed pretty good in those scenes. The story was well done, and is close enough to the comics as far as my recollection (it has been some time since I have read some Avengers comics). Obviously, not every little detail would be added in, because that's almost impossible to do when you're converting stuff from a story that spans quite a ways. I imagine it differs when transferring from comics as opposed to books too...there is so much detail in books, but at the same time, it's probably very difficult to transfer every detail within animation and whatnot as well. All in all, bravo on the story though. Of course, that's what you get too when you chose a director like Whedon who grew up reading comics and knows the material and has a real passion for that kind of stuff...you're going to get a good movie. All in all, this is a well rounded superhero movie, and may well be the best one I've seen thus far, right up their with the Dark Knight, which is probably my favorite DC movie up to this point. If you have not seen this movie, please Please PLEASE do yourselves a favor and go watch it, comic fan or not...it's freakin great! Even the action fan who isn't a big comic book lover would enjoy this movie. I have already preordered about the best version of this movie that is going to be available, because it's worth it...even with the 3D, although I don't have 3D capability. I don't really care...it's worth it in my opinion, because this was such a kick@$$ movie. Definitely check it out!

Not much more can be said about this movie than has already been said about it. The movie is a comic book come to life, perhaps the first of its kind. Marvel has spent the past 4 years developling their Cinematic Universe, resulting in this masterpiece that recently even came under fire from Christopher Nolan's cinematographer (not understanding all that, but it was disregarded). What started as mentions of SHIELD and Captain America's shield in Iron Man in 2008, culminated in a cameo appearance by Nick Fury who actually name-drops The Avengers. Now, in 2012, we get a team up picture featuring the solo characters from their own franchises: Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. One liberty taken for this movie was character development, but remember, Marvel developed these characters over the course of 4 years, giving the main characters their own movies to develop character and give the origin stories required to explain who everyone was. That said, it is strongly recommended that you watch Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger before you sit down to enjoy this movie. It will help with your understanding of why the characters are where they are and why they are doing what they are doing. What results is a witty, action packed movie that fully entertains the entire time. There are moments that can be nitpicked, such as Thor's appearance, which negates the finale to his own film, and no mention whatsoever of the other hero, War Machine, who was introduced and used by the US government in Iron Man 2 during an alien attack of New York, but those are moments that do not ruin the movie completely. Memorable scenes you will walk away with are the Hulk's handling of Loki, the team coming together culminating in Captain America's marching orders to each person, and a couple more, now tradmark, post-credits scenes. Of course we were bound to get a mega combo pack, something that came in the form of a Blu-Ray 3D/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital/Soundtrack (and also a regular combo pack and single DVD and Blu-Ray releases), maybe the first of its kind to have so much together at once. The special features are actually not as great as you would think or hope, although there is a commentary by writer/director, Joss Whedon. There is no 'Making Of' feature, outside of a couple short moments discussing the actors and the formation of the team through the course of the 4 year period developing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A Marvel One-Shot short film, Item 47, is present, featuring characters from the movie, and set within the MCU, and it does not disappoint. Also featured are some deleted scenes that, for example, shed light on Captain America's acclamation into present day society. However, it was briefly mentioned before the release that there may be a Director's Cut of the film, with as much as 30-40 minutes of deleted scenes added in to the movie, but sadly, this is no where to be seen on this giant release. Does this mean Marvel will double-dip with a further release in the future? The answer is probably a resounding yes, which is unfortunate for people who bought this thinking it would be the ultimate release. But, this movie has made loads of money, both from its release in theaters and from the home release, so it goes to stand that it would make even more with a further release of all-new material at some point in the future. Other highlights include a digital copy (which is curiously not present on either the other Blu-Ray packs or solo Blu-Ray or DVD releases) and the soundtrack download, a cool code that allows you to get the entire soundtrack from online, for free. This combo is packed to the gill with stuff, just not everything that could have been, or that was even discussed before the final release. That all said, definitely get a combo pack to enjoy the film in either all its Blu-Ray glory, as this movie is fantastic seen on 1080p and with a full audio surround sound transfer. Despite the shortcomings of the home release, get this movie and share with friends and family, whether they've seen it already or not (and chances are they have seen it), this will only get better with age. And we'll all be in line again waiting for Marvel to show else they have their sleeve, from a further release of The Avengers on Blu-Ray, all the way to Phase 2 beginning with Iron Man 3 in 2013.

....And what fun it is. *Spoilers Ahead* Marvel's "The Avengers" is an expertly-crafted movie that makes 2 1/2 hours fly by like....well....I don't really know...SOMETHING FAST. My thoughts on seeing this movie--the first time (yes, you WILL go to see this more than once)--were: "This was just as good as 'The Dark Knight'....how is THAT even possible?" Well...consider first that Marvel has always had the best storylines, and the know-how to mix all of their characters' comic books together into one, all-encompassing storyline. Then, consider they decided to apply said formula to their movies. Third, they went out and expertly casted the parts. How could this NOT be good? Who else but Robert Downey, Jr could be a multi-billionaire, techno-wizard, armor-wearing snark-artist? Acts like he doesn't care, but is willing to sacrifice his life to save New York. Chris Evans is Captain America. A 1940s guy living in the present day....brings "a little old-fashioned" to the role and shows old-fashionedness isn't cheesy, it just depends on how it is presented. It is presented very well, with Evans being the heart and soul (not to mention team leader) of The Avengers--by the way: love the shot, at the movie's end, of him on his motorcycle riding off into the sunset. Mark Ruffalo, (great casting here; now I feel the Hulk movie franchise finally has hope) channels Bill Bixby in his performance (good idea!) but adds a "Hulk-sized" portion of world-weariness to his character...his over-the-shoulder "I'm always angry" is one of my favorite moments in an entire movie of favorite moments. And....The Hulk gets two more "Hulk-sized" moments that totally bring the house down. Oh, nice touch having Lou Ferrigno voice the Hulk. Chris Hemsworth as Thor is the only character in the movie whom I feel was under-utilized. No fault of the actor's; he does a great job with what he is given....and DOES have his moments ("He's adopted")....I just felt they didn't give him as much as they did the other three leads. Rounding out The Avengers are Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner as the assassin/couple: Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) and Hawkeye. Ms. Johansson is a master interrogator (albeit by making use of quite unorthodox means). Hawkeye is the steely-cool expert marksman--I had my doubts as to how an archer could work in such a high-energy movie. It works. The Avengers are put together by SHIELD: Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury (need I say more?); Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson, and very funny in the role); Colbie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill--doesn't get nearly enough screen time) and Stellan Starsgard. Loki is portrayed by Tom Hiddleston; whom, for a character thinking of himself as a god, brings some amusing vunerability to the character: His embarrassment at being unable to kill/brainwash Tony Stark: "This usually works."; or, "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now." I was initially skeptical about this movie. I didn't think Loki was the best choice for a screen villain. Er, was I wrong....this tale of an immortal/meglomaniac/demigod/god-wannabe who enlists an alien race to help him conquer Earth (Question: if Loki *really* was a god, why would he need alien help?) made for some great popcorn, big-tent, summer viewing. ....My other initial fear was that this wasn't going to be "The Avengers" as much as it would be "Iron Man and Friends". Thankfully, I was wrong again. To sum up: The Avengers is cinematic excellence. Many have complained about it being too long--and, the first 20 minutes or so setting up the story *do* take a moment....but once "Marvel's The Avengers" splashes across the screen: The movie takes off and never looks back. It is packed with great moments and memorable lines/one-liners. The action sequences are the best I've ever seen and it all looks real. Seems I read somewhere online the battle in New York would have done (in reality) 39 billion dollars' worth of damage. You WILL believe it. Oh, one last thing: sit through ALL of the credits. Thank you, Joss Whedon and co. Please go all-out on the blu-ray release. Please. Quotes Natasha: "I'd sit this one out, Cap." Captain America: "I don't see how I can." Natasha: "These guys (Thor and Loki) come from legend. They're basically gods." Cap: "There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he isn't dressed like that." Cap: "Dr. Banner, now might be a good time for you to get angry." Dr. Banner: "That's my secret, Captain." (looks back over his shoulder at Cap) "I'm always angry." Loki: (embarrassed) "This usually works." Tony Stark: "Well, you know, performance issues..." "The Avengers" PG-13 for language (non-harsh) and violence; no gore or sex to be found, parents. Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures Directed by Joss Whedon **********UPDATE: Oct. 2, 2012********** Ok, the Blu-Ray/DVD has finally arrived, here is what you get: DISC 1 *Blu-Ray Feature Film in 3D (3D viewing requires Blu-Ray 3D player, 3D capable display and 3D glasses DISC 2 *Blu-Ray Feature Film *An original SHORT: "Item 47". I won't give the story away, but it could have been called, "Fun at the gas pump". *FEATURETTE: "A Visual Journey". Documentary about the film's look, ranging from the set-building and visual effects all the way through to the film's cinematography, too. *Marvel's First Ever Gag Reel: The outtakes are presented are entertaining enough, but the whole featurette is barely five minutes long. I wish it were a half-hour in length--at the least. *Deleted Scenes: and, a LOT of them. One very interesting one concerning a present-day Captain America *and* his love interest from "Captain America-The First Avenger". I had heard a rumor these deleted scenes WOULD BE INSERTED SEAMLESSLY into the original movie, giving us a new, special edition version....said rumor was wrong. *Soundgarden Music Video: :Live To Rise". *The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen Experience. This works on your iphone, ipad or laptop. Once enabled, it "breaks you into" S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data base and allows you to explore: 1) Marvel's cinematic history 2) The comic book history of The Avengers 3) Avenger personnel files and origins DISC 3 *DVD Feature Film *Audio Commentary (full-length) with director Joss Whedon. I've listened to it--very well done. *Featurette--Assembling The Ultimate Team: the movie casting process, what the actor's bring to their roles, character interactions, etc, etc. DISC 4 *Digital Copy (for Mac and PC) *Digital Album 1) Soundgarden-Live To Rise 2) Shinedown-I'm Alive 3) Rise Against-Dirt And Roses 4) Papa Roach-Even If I Could 5) Black Veil Brides-Unbroken 6) Scott Weiland-Breathe 7) Redlight King-Comeback 8) Bush-Into The Blue 9) Evanescence-A New Way To Bleed (Photek Remix) 10) Pusher Jones-Count Me Out 11) Buckcherry-Wherever I Go 12) Five Finger Death Punch-From Out Of Nowhere 13) Cherri Bomb-Shake The Ground FINALLY *Technical Specifications: Blu-Ray: 1080p High Definition Widescreen (1.78:1) * Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD MA, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, 7.1 DTS-HDHR French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks * Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish DVD: Widescreen (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio * Audio: English, French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital Language Tracks * Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish (Applies To Film Content Only) Film's RUN TIME is 143 Minutes (Approx.) Avengers.Marvel.com ****ALL SPECS AND RELATED INFO ARE TAKEN FROM THE BLU-RAY/DVD PACKAGING--WHICH FEATURES A NICE (DARE I SAY, "COLLECTIBLE?") HOLOGRAM OF ONE OF THE MOVIE'S (FULL TEAM ASSEMBLED) POSTERS ON THE FRONT. Thank you again for reading.

This is, if you watch the MCU movies in chronological order, the seventh, after Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Hulk, and Thor. If you are watching them in release order, it is the sixth, after Iron Man, The Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America. It is in part a sequel to both Thor and Captain America, with the Mcguffin of Captain America (the Tesseract) and the villain of Thor (Loki) being front and center in the story. Basically, Loki is tasked to use the Tesseract to open a portal through which an army of aliens called the Chitari can come through and take over Earth. The Avengers have to team up to stop him, leading to what would be referred to in the subsequent movies as "The Battle of New York" and have reverberations throughout the other movies and the tv series that the MCU would spawn. For those who get the 4k disc, the A/V quality is excellent. I do not count myself as an A/V expert so I cannot really tell you whether the 4k UHD disc is a huge upgrade over the initial Blu-Ray release (there are certainly sites out there that can do that), but as a novice, it does look like, when watching it on a big screen 4k tv playing on a 4k Blu-Ray player, the UHD disc does look better than the Blu-Ray version. The extras include a director's commentary track on the movie, several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a Marvel One-Shot short film starring Lizzy Caplan set after the events of the movie. As is the case with many UHD releases, the UHD disc just has the movie itself and then the regular Blu-Ray has all of the extras. Overall, the movie is wonderful. I think Marvel did a good job by introducing the characters in stand-alone films first and getting the origin stories for most of them (all but Black Widow and Hawkeye) out of the way and developed (at least to an extent) before they started doing the big team-up movies. It seemed like the cast had great chemistry, and worked well together. Of course, the big casting change from the prior movies was the fact that Mark Ruffalo was brought in to play Bruce Banner/Hulk, replacing Edward Norton who seemingly wore out his welcome very quickly when filming The Incredible Hulk. Even though Ruffalo was kind of shoe-horned in, given that this was the first movie in which all of the major actors worked together, it worked out well. The movie is, as you can imagine, mostly an action movie, but does have some comedy and even drama mixed in. It also started the tradition of having both a mid-credits scene that advances the storyline (this one introducing the "big bad" of the initial phases of the MCU, and a post-credits scene that is meant to be more fun or tie back into the movie you just watched. So, if you are a fan of superhero movies, this one is definitely worth watching and pays off on the prior movies quite well.

Sitting in the theater during The Avengers (2012) was unlike many previous theater experiences I've had. I sat with a grin squeezing my wife's hand in joy. Pardon the cliché, but I felt like a kid in a candy store. If you read Cultural Transmogrifier`s Staff Discussion, you know the expectations I and the staff had. They were quite high to say the least. I was more than pleased with the results and my expectations were more than met. Joss Whedon felt like an inspired choice for director when it was announced a few years ago, and I stand by that. Whedon and Zak Penn's story, and Whedon's screenplay, translates to an Avengers comic come to life. Simply put, The Avengers is one of the best comic book adaptations ever made. Building off the success of the previous character films, Whedon was able to jump right into things with this story. I will only briefly and vaguely touch base on the specifics because I don't want to spoil anything. If you haven't seen the previous character films you won't be totally lost, but there are a few things that will just gloss right over you. The basic story revolves around the tesseract--an extraterrestrial source of unlimited power. It's under the control of S.H.I.E.L.D. and they're running tests on it under the guidance of Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). Learning that the tesseract is a portal device, we witness the reentrance of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to Earth. Loki is working with an extraterrestrial race hellbent on bringing Earth to its knees. It's hinted that Loki is not merely the powerful messenger, but the leader of this new army. The only ones who stand in his way are the Avengers, who are brought together through various circumstances and thrust together in the final act by one significant character . . . moment. (Anyone familiar with Whedon will understand this.) Every question I had about what our characters were doing between their own films and this one were answered in one way or another. The cast continues to be excellent. Most will give the nod to Robert Downey Jr., but I think a special spotlight should shine on Chris Evans. His portrayal of Captain America is ideal. He is still the super solider of the early 1940s, and despite being out of time and out of place, the leader within is clearly there. The struggle to establish the team mentality of The Avengers is a joy to watch. Each character is perfectly written, self-aware, and aware of each other's flaws--which they are quick to point out. FINALLY, I think the Hulk/ Bruce Banner have been written correctly and expertly. Watching Hulk smash is just so awesome! The Avengers is filled with just the right amount of exposition, action, story, and best yet, humor. Just when you need a breather, Whedon offers it up and tosses in a wonderfully written joke delivered by almost every single character in the film. Without detailing anything else, just know that when this movie ends, it doesn't really end. Most people know that Marvel likes to add a "stinger" at the end of the credits, an extra scene to tease about a future film. This is no different. In fact, The Avengers offers two such scenes. (The first one--I called it! See our Staff Discussion for proof). Make sure you stay in your seats until the theater lights go fully up and the screen turns off. Any sooner and you'll miss out. 30% of the audience left before the first tease, 95% were gone before the final one. Don't be that person! Trust me, after a somewhat exhausting 2 hours and 22 minutes, that final scene is just what the Captain ordered.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to see this movie when it was in theaters; so I had to wait until it was released on DVD/Blu-ray to watch it. The wait was agonizing, because everyone kept raving about how great it was. Many people were even saying that it was the greatest superhero movie ever made. Well, I've been a fan of Joss Whedon's work ever since "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; so I knew he had it in him. But the level of fanboy gushing over this movie was so over-the-top that even I was getting a bit skeptical of all the hype. That is until I was able to watch the movie for myself, and see how spectacular it truly was. It's a fun ride from start to finish; but it wasn't until the film's final act -- which I watched with a giddy delight that I don't think I've experienced since childhood -- that I finally became convinced that this might actually be the greatest superhero movie ever made. That climactic battle has to be the most epic thing ever put on film. Joss Whedon really knocked it out of the park with this one. In addition to Whedon's brilliant screenwriting and directing, this movie has an amazing cast, great production values, and the best special effects I've ever seen. I'm still in awe of the Hulk (who totally steals the show, by the way), and am completely dumbfounded by how real they made him look. But all the action and special effects wouldn't be worth all that much if this movie didn't make us care about these characters. And that all comes down to the writing and the acting. As a screenwriter, Joss Whedon is rightly known for his witty dialogue; but he is also a master of characterization. He knows what he needs to do in order to "sell" a character to the audience so that they have a stake in what happens to that character. By the time we get to the epic battle that takes up most of the last act of this movie, we are rooting for the heroes in a way that we never would have had Whedon not spent the previous hour and three quarters building an emotional bond between the audience and these characters. But Whedon can't take all of the credit for this. Much of it must go to the wonderful actors who play these characters. They really sell it. These actors were born to play these parts. I can't even imagine better casting for these roles. Marvel really lucked out by getting the right people to bring these iconic comic book characters to life on the big screen. They ought to be very pleased with the final result. In addition to the movie itself, this DVD/Blu-ray set has a number of special features. I really enjoyed seeing the deleted scenes. The movie works perfectly well without them; but they do add a bit more context to some of the things that happen in the film. There's also an audio commentary by Joss Whedon, a gag reel, a featurette about the making of the movie, another one about the cast, and a music video by Soundgarden. But perhaps the most unusual special feature included on the Blu-ray disc is a short dramatic film that loosely ties in to the plot of the movie. Of course, it's the movie itself, and not the special features, that really matters. And this movie is definitely worth having on DVD/Blu-ray. If you're one of the few people who haven't seen this movie yet, I'd definitely recommend checking it out. It's a whole lot of fun.

I feel as if I got a great deal on this product and shipping was very quick (2 days). I could not wait to watch this on my plasma TV with my kids. The video played through with no errors, the quality on my TV was amazing. The sound, I feel could be better, but this I would blame on my TV (I am looking to add a surround sound system to upgrade the entertainment experience for when we get a chance to experience a movie to wind down). I do not want to play spoiler for this movie if you have not seen it, but I will say that there are a few super-heroes: Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Nick Fury and The Hulk. Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) was great, I like that she had the look and nailed the moves. Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner) was pretty good, there were a few really cool parts in this movie that Hawkeye had. Captain America (played by Chris Evans) Captain is the first Avenger and even if the Captain is overmatched he will not back down and does what he must. I really liked the humanistic approach of Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America as being more believable in the story because they cannot fly, do not have hulkish strength or able to command thunder. They brought a sense of reality to the story. Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) was downright AWESOME! I think Downey is meant to be Iron Man. He captivated this role; his personality and character are very convincing for this role. Iron Man is criticized as not being a team player but then.... happens (again do not want to play spoiler). Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) was pretty cool; I personally think The Avengers could have had more Thor due to who the villain was. Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) was very cool, as Jackson is cool in what seems to be every other movie in existence do to the amount of movies he is in! Fury does what has to be done to assemble the Avengers to defend earth. Lastly, my favorite character was the Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo). I feel as if Marvel finally got what the audience wants out of the "real Hulk". Not to blame Edward Norton, I personally think that he played an aspect of who the Hulk really should be (during last hulk movie) when not angry better. But unfortunately, it took Marvel up to this point with the Computer Graphics Imaging to get what we really care about down. In my opinion, the Hulk had the coolest and most awesome moments in the movie! I cannot wait for another Hulk movie! I do have some points to criticize about this movie- The fact that there are seven Marvel characters (hero’s) used and only one is female is a little underrepresented by females. Also, Fury is a Marvel character but does little real fighting or real action, I feel as if the African American hero population is also underrepresented. In the next film it would be nice to have another female hero and an African American hero. The end result is entertainment and appeal. I feel that a super hero should not just appeal to little boys, but little girls too. I have two little girls and I personally think there is nothing wrong with them wanting to be like a hero that they have seen (goals, great virtues, etc...). Picture quality-5/5 Sound quality-3.5/5 *(see above) Story-line- 4.5/5 Cast-5/5 Super heroes on team-5/5 *(although from my readings the Hulk is not a typical Avenger) Value-5/5 $25 free shipping for Blue-Ray 3D, Blue-Ray, DVD, Digital Copy and Digital Music copy for a newly released movie. Anxiety for Avengers 2-5/5! lol Hope I helped; this movie is now among my top five favorites of all-time now! What are you doing reading? Go out and get your copy today! Do it now!

I'm not really into Marvel so I was really surprised that I really did enjoy this movie. Though, I was a tinsy bit confused about what was going on, then I watched Thor, maybe this was just me, but after watching Thor the Avengers made a lot more sense to me. The story really didn't get intresting till Thor came, and no it's not because Chris plays him, but after watching Thor he grew on me. Anyways, this movie really is a great movie and I'm a girl so.., if you don't like this movie then something is wrong with you and you don't know what a great, action packed movie is. Spoilers S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) arrives at one of his agency's facilities during an evacuation. The Tesseract, an energy source of unknown potential, has activated. It opens a portal through space and the exiled Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston) steps through. Loki takes the Tesseract and also takes control of the minds of several SHIELD personnel, including Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and Agent Clint "Hawkeye" Barton (Jeremy Renner), to aid him in his getaway. As SHIELD personnel pull out of their base, some pursuing Loki and others merely fleeing, the ground beneath the base collapses and it's destroyed. In response to the attack, Fury re-activates the Avengers Initiative. First he pulls Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), a.k.a. the Black Widow, out of an interrogation (tied to a chair, she seems to be the victim rather than the interrogator, but appearances are deceiving). Fury sends her to India to find and recruit Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), a.k.a. the Hulk. At the same time Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) approaches "Iron Man" Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and requests that he review Dr. Selvig's research. Fury himself approaches Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a.k.a. Captain America, with an assignment to retrieve the Tesseract from Loki. During his exile, Loki encountered the Chitauri, an alien race seeking to conquer the galaxy. In exchange for the Tesseract, the Chitauri agree to help Loki subjugate Earth. Suiting up, Captain America and Iron Man travel to Germany to apprehend Loki, who is recovering iridium needed to stabilize the Tesseract's power, and demanding that the civilians kneel before him. Loki quickly surrenders when the two heroes arrive, and he is escorted to a SHIELD helicarrier, a high-tech, flying aircraft carrier. However, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki's half-brother and the Norse God of thunder, arrives and attempts to free Loki so he can reason with him on his own, but he gets into a fight with Iron Man and Captain America. The fight ends in a stalemate. Eventually, Loki is taken to the helicarrier and placed in a glass cell designed to hold the Hulk. Fury explains that if Loki attempts to escape, even by merely cracking the glass, a shaft will open below him and he'll plummet to Earth and possibly be killed. The Avengers, now brought together, argue and deliberate over how to approach Loki and the revelation that SHIELD plans to harness the Tesseract's power to develop weapons, a discovery made by Rogers. Fury admits that the events in New Mexico a year before (recounted in "Thor") made SHIELD aware of other races on other worlds, some of whom may see Earth as an easy target. The decision was made to produce weapons with the Tesseract as a means of deterrence. As the group argues, Clint Barton and Loki's possessed agents attack the helicarrier, disabling one of its engines in flight. While Stark and Rogers attempt to restart the damaged engine, Romanoff tries to prevent Dr. Banner from turning into the Hulk and destroying the ship from inside. Her attempt fails and she's chased through the ship until Thor takes up the battle to pacify the beast and manages to fell him briefly with a hit from his hammer, Mjolnir. While fighting Barton, Romanoff slams him into a guard rail, and the blow to the head breaks Loki's mind control. After the Hulk falls from the ship, Thor is tricked into Loki's holding cell by Loki himself, who has recovered his scepter and releases the cell and allows Thor to plummet. Loki is held at bay briefly by Agent Coulson who is also tricked by one of Loki's holographic projections - Coulson is stabbed in the back by the real Loki. Coulson later shoots Loki with a blast from an unidentified weapon, one that harnesses the power of the Destroyer. Coulson dies while Fury tries to save his life. Thor escapes from the cell a split second before it hits the ground. Banner wakes up in his human form after crashing into an abandoned factory. Fury uses Coulson's death to motivate the Avengers to work as a team. Stark and Rogers realize that simply defeating them will not be enough for Loki. He needs to overpower them in a very public way so as to validate himself as ruler of Earth. Using a device built by Dr. Selvig, Loki opens a portal to the Chitauri home world over Manhattan, summoning a Chitauri invasion. The Avengers rally in defense of New York, but quickly come to the conclusion that they will be overwhelmed as wave after wave of Chitauri descend upon Earth. With help from the reformed Barton, Captain America and Thor evacuate civilians while Dr. Banner transforms into the Hulk and goes after Loki, beating him into submission in Tony Stark's penthouse. Romanoff makes her way, with a little help from the Chitauri, to the device that holds the portal open (conveniently located on the roof of the Stark Building) and hits Dr. Selvig over the head, freeing him of Loki's control. Dr. Selvig reveals that Loki's staff can be used to close the portal. Meanwhile, the council overrides Fury and scrambles a jet that fires a nuclear missile at Manhattan to end the invasion. Iron Man intercepts the missile and directs it at the portal and the Chitauri base before running out of oxygen and plummeting back to Earth, but the Hulk catches him as he falls. A dazed Stark, awakened by the Hulk's roar, offers to take the team out for shawarma, but they decide to apprehend Loki first. Thor escorts Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard, while Fury notes that the Avengers will go their separate ways until a new world-threatening menace emerges. In a mid-credits scene, the Chitauri leader the Other tells his master that it is futile to attack Earth, as fighting the Avengers is like courting death. His master turns, revealing himself to be Thanos. After further credits, the Avengers are shown eating together in a shawarma joint; the team looks worn out and no one speaks.

このシリーズは面白い 何回見てもいいと思う

Joss Whedon belegt mit seinem "The Avengers", dass man durchaus Marvel-Charaktere und Comic-Plots generell, mit einer z.T. hochkarätigen Besetzung und einem exzellenten Drehbuch, interessant, spannend, humorvoll, amüsant und erstklassig auf die Leinwand bringen kann; so, dass die Erwartungen der großen Gemeinde an Comic/Marvel-Fans und/oder Action-Fans erfüllt werden! Starke Musiktracks, brachiale Soundeffekte in Verbindung mit tollen CGI- und Realbildern übertreffen alle bis dato verfilmten Comics. Es gelingt die recht bekannten Comichelden in die Neuzeit zu portierten, ihnen eine passende Optik und einen zeitgemäßen Auftritt über hervorragende, dienliche, angemessene Dialoge, scharfe Konturen zu spendieren, so das auch Menschen die an Marvel wenig interessiert sind, die Herkunft, die Motivationen, die Fähigkeiten und die Konflikte in den Helden, aber auch untereinander nachvollziehen können. Lediglich der Darsteller Lokis, Tom Hiddleston, -vielleicht ist es aber auch die Figur selbst?- fällt leicht hinter den sonst starken Auftritten aller anderen Protagonisten zurück. Es fehlt die diabolische Tiefe, ein Komponente die ihn nicht nur als rachsüchtigen und machtgeilen Jüngelchenbösewicht da stehen lässt; trotzdem funktioniert er, weil er unsympathisch wirkt und als angehender Weltenzerstörer irgendwie keine Lobby hat. Mit dem Erscheinen von Thors Halbruder Loki in einer geheimen S.H.I.E.L.D. Forschungsanlage, der wegen eines Bündnisses mit den außerirdischen Chitauri, den dort untersuchten Tesserakt –einen sagenumwobenen kosmischen Energiewürfel- stiehlt, startet der immense Action-Reigen. Schon hier wird klar, in welchem Stil es im Film weitergehen wird, nämlich ohne Umschweife schnell, laut, packend, spektakulär mit ausgezeichneten-Effekten, erwachsenen und immer das Genre „Comic“ ernstnehmend; und damit vor allem nicht so, wie in einem kinder- und jugenkonformen Sam Raimi Spiderman... Mit Hilfe eines Stabes (gespeist durch die Energie des Tesserakts), verwandelt Loki den in der Anlage forschenden Prof. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), sowie Clint Barton alias Hawkeye - glasklar und glaubwürdig gespielt von Jeremy Renner- in ihm hörige Marionetten, die ihm bedingungslos zu Diensten sind. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), der S.H.I.E.L.D.-Director, überrascht und überrannt von den Ereignissen, aber dennoch cool und in einem analytischen Modus, versucht daraufhin die einzelnen Helden zusammen zu rufen: Natasha Romanoff alias Black Widow, ehm. KGB-Agentin (Scarlett Johansson), die sich gerade in einem Folterverhör befindet, wo sie während des Verhörs angerufen wird und sich in Sekunden befreit. Bruce Banner alias Hulk –in so zurückhaltender, bescheidener und authentischer Weise gespielt von Mark Ruffalo- wird dann von Black Widow in Kalkutta aufgestöbert und „motiviert“ mitzukommen. B. Benner: „Und wenn ich Nein sage?“ B. Widow: „Ich werde Sie schon breit schlagen!“ Steve Rogers alias Captain America (Chris Evans), der – nachdem er über 70 Jahre im Eis konserviert war, - noch lebt, wird von N. Fury selbst gewonnen bei der Rettung der Welt mit zu wirken. C. America: „Sind Sie hier um mich in DIE WELT zurück zu holen?“ N. Fury: „ Ich bin hier um sie (die Welt) zu retten!“ Der trocken-sympathische Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) holt den exzentrischen, zynischen Tony Stark alias Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) ab, um den gestohlen Würfel zurück zu holen und Loki zu stoppen. Tatsächlich ist es –nach den gelungenen Iron Man Filmen- kaum noch möglich in R. Downey nicht den echten, wirklichen Iron Man zusehen. Es zahlt sich offenkundig aus, gute Schauspieler auf vermeintlich einfache Rollen zu setzen. T. Stark: „Ich war sowieso nicht geeignet. Offenbar bin ich sprunghaft, egozentrisch und nicht teamfähig…“ P. Coulson: „Hier geht es nicht mehr um Persönlichkeitsprofile!“ Alle Helden treffen sich auf einem gigantischen Heli-Carrier, eine Art fliegendem Flugzeugträger und bilden damit die (noch unvollständigen) "Avengers". Die Dialoge fallen dabei niemals ab: entweder sie sind informativ, treiben die Geschichte voran oder sie unterhalten auf eine ironische-witzige, aber immer intelligente Art. Dann werden Captain America und Iron Man entsandt, um Loki in Stuttgart einzufangen und den Stab sicherzustellen, wo dieser einen seltenen Stoff stehlen möchte, was überraschenderweise auch recht problemlos gelingt. C. Amerika: „Das gefällt mir nicht!“ I. Man: „Was, das der Operettengeneral so leicht aufgibt!?“ Thor („noch einer aus Asgard“) dargestellt von Chris Hemsworth erscheint nun (endlich), um seinen (Halb-)Bruder aus der Gefangenschaft zu befreien, wie er davon erfährt und durch wen bleibt unklar, wahrscheinlich hat es sich wohl rumgesprochen in Asgard. Es entwickelt sich ein spektakulärer Kampf zwischen Superhelden (C. America, I. Man) und dem Donnergott Thor, immer gut gefilmt, immer erstklassig choreografiert, mit geistreich- humoristischen Dialogen. Thor: „Du hast keine Ahnung, womit du es zu tun hast.“ I.Man: „Shakespeare im Park. Ist Eure Mutter gewahr, dass Ihr mit den Vorhängen spielet?“ Aber die Gefangennahme und Verbringung Lokis in ein Hochsicherheitsgefängnis auf dem Heli-Carrier bringt keinen erkennbaren Erfolg, da zum einen der Aufbewahrungsort des Tesserakts weiterhin verborgen bleibt und sich zum anderen die Konflikte der unterschiedlichen Heroen nicht auflösen, bzw. sich zugunsten eines einzigen Ziels subsumieren lassen. Toll geschriebene Wortgefechte, mal provokant-bissig, mal karikierend-lustig, mal hämisch oder sarkastisch. Die Konflikte untereinander eskalieren und ein Angriff von Hawkeye-geführten und damit Loki-gesteuerten Truppen auf den Carrier, bei dem Loki befreit und Agent Coulson getötet wird, führt dazu, dass die meisten Helden auseinandergerissen werden und sich an unterschiedlichen Orten wiederfinden. Die zerstrittenen Helden –unter „Moderation“ Fury’s- finden sich aber schnell wieder und formen sich zu einem Team, – bei dem der abtrünnige Hawkeye ebenfalls zurück gewonnen wird -, das nun gemeinsam vorgeht. Besonders beeindruckend und eine der grandiosesten Szenen überhaupt ist, wenn der Hulk im Rahmen der Eskalation das erste Mal „erscheint“. Gigantisch, grün, überzeugend, gewaltig-stark und WÜTEND. Der geflüchtete Loki etabliert und öffnet mit Hilfe von Prof. E. Selvig ein Portal –ironischer Weise auf der Spitze des Stark-Towers- und lässt die Chitauri-Alien-Invasion auf/gegen die Erde frei. Was folgt ist eine dauernde, kompromisslose, bestens inszenierte Actionsequenz. Überall Außerirdische, Raumschiffe, monströse garnelenartige Riesenmonster in Rüstungen, Feuergefechte, Explosionen, die Straßen, Gebäude und alles andere verwüsten, zerlegen, zerschmettern, in die Luft sprengen! Jeder der Helden kämpft mit seinen speziellen Fähigkeiten, - jedoch im Team - gegen die Eindringlinge. Entgegen des ersten Auftritts von Hulk, zeigt er hier nun ein kontrollierteres Auftreten das ganz im Sinne des Avengers-Teams geschieht. C. America: „Dr. Banner, das wäre der ideale Zeitpunkt um wütend zu werden…“ Hulk: „Das ist mein Geheimnis Captain, ich bin immer wütend!!!“ Tatsächlich gibt es ausgesprochen wenige schwächere Augenblicke. Hier seien beispielhaft die Auftritte der Senatoren des Sicherheitsrates oder die Szene genannt, in der die Verhörspezialistin (!) Agentin Romanoff übermenschengleich über das Schild von Captain America 15m hoch und weit auf einen superschnellen Aliengleiter hüpft. FAZIT: Sensationelle Verfilmung mit allerhöchstem Unterhaltungswert, die mit allen genretypischen Elementen erstklassig spielt, diese ausgezeichnet verwendet und sogar weiterentwickelt. Auch wenn die Geschichte nicht hochkomplex oder unvorhersehbar ist, bleibt sie immer überzeugend spannungsgeladen, perfekt unterhaltsam, zeigt durchgehend atemberaubende Effekte, unglaubliche Kamerafahrten(!), einen mitreißenden Soundtrack vom Komponisten Alan Silvestri und erstaunlich gute schauspielerische Leistungen. Jeder Held bekommt ausreichend Platz im Film und hat genügend Möglichkeiten seine jeweiligen Stärken, Fähigkeiten einzusetzen! Und Cameo-Auftritte von Stan Lee und Harry Dean Stanton machen den Film perfekt! T. Stark: „Wenn wir die Welt nicht schützen können, werden wir sie rächen!“

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Buenas noches el producto llegó en excelentes condiciones debo destacar que en la imagen se podía visualizar que el producto venía con sleepcover Realmente no me sé exigente pero la verdad es que la fotografía que presentaba el producto y se podría apreciar este detalle pero en fin pondré mi granito de arena para que esto mejore . Pasando a otro apartado si la verdad vale la pena comprarlo en el formato ultra HD pues la verdad que si esta versión 4K cumple en todos los sentidos aunque debo decir como coleccionista que el HDR no suele ser tan impactante como en otras películas Sin embargo con estas palabras no quiero decir que ningún momento no valga la pena simplemente que creo que fue una decisión de los creadores poner de esta manera la remasterisado así que desde mi muy humilde punto de vista definitivamente si si es fan de la película pues hay que comprarla el único detalle es que ya muchos tendremos la versión en Blu-ray anterior Y la verdad que esta también se ve muy bien repito sólo lo recomiendo para fans de la película gracias por este espacio sin más que agregar me despido

A thrilling and satisfying culmination of the early MCU films. The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and the rest of the team is fantastic, balancing humor, personality, and stakes. The action sequences are exciting and well-choreographed, and the story does a good job of juggling multiple heroes without feeling too crowded. Some plot points are predictable, and the villain could have been more developed, but overall it’s a highly entertaining, fun, and essential superhero film.