Review: Marvel's 'The Avengers' does it right - San Jose Mercury News

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In this film image released by Disney, Thor portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, left, and Captain America, portrayed by Chris Evans, are shown in a scene from "The Avengers" (AP Photo/Disney)

Not all superhero movies scale great heights. Despite the hype, last year's "Green Lantern" couldn't hold a candle to much of anything, leave alone Christopher Nolan's "Batman" series. "Wolverine" was an outright dog, "Spider-Man 3" a tangled mess.

Now along comes "The Avengers," and we're reminded there's a way to do it right.

Joss Whedon's take on the Marvel collection of good guys is about as great as a superhero movie can get. It's bursting with imaginative action, jacked up on clever dialogue, directed with fanboy exuberance and teeming with well-drawn Marvel comic-book icons -- Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury.

Most remarkable is its pacing and how

smoothly this mammoth, potentially unwieldy production runs ... and runs ... and runs until it finishes with a smashing special effects smackdown on the streets of Manhattan.

Assembling such a massive cast of larger-than-life characters and actors, some of whom we know can wield superhero egos of their own making, is a risky proposition, ripe with potential for spotlight-hogging. But "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" Whedon, who directs and co-wrote the hip, frequently laugh-out-loud funny screenplay with Zak Penn, respectfully grants equal playing time to each character. Moreover, the move allows the actors to not only impress us with their lean torsos but demonstrate their acting muscle. The result is one of the most winning displays of

teamwork since the San Francisco Giants captured the World Series in 2010.

After a fast-paced opening, the film does take some time to find its legs, and the exposition seems unavoidable since the superheroes need to be reintroduced. But once it hits the highway, the action moves like a Lamborghini.

The plot is fondly and appropriately rooted in comic book tradition -- there's a power-mad villain out to destroy the world. That part falls on the antlers of Loki (Tom Hiddleston),

introduced last year in the Kenneth Branagh-directed "Thor." Loki, the bad-boy brother of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), plunks down on Earth so he can steal an all-powerful energy source called the Tesseract, which is a big, glowing cube.

In the process, he takes mind control of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). None of that sits well with the crafty Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) from the covert S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. He summons a team of superheroes -- dubbed the Avengers -- to save the world, and maybe set up a sequel -- or three.

As you'd expect, getting everyone on the same superhero page isn't easy, but it's that tension between their dissimilar personalities that gives the story a compelling dramatic arc. It also allows the stars a chance to do some real acting, delineating their character's strengths and weaknesses in a way you can't see when the story's all about just one of them. The friction is particularly evident in the exchanges between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans). As the sharply focused script probes the psyches of both men, the cocky, wisecracking Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) clashes mightily with the by-the-book sincerity of Steve Rogers (aka Captain America).

The rest in the cast each holds their own. Scarlett Johansson is sexy and tough as the cunning and acrobatic Black Widow. Renner further cements his new action star status as he slings his arrows. Hemsworth, as Thor, shows why he's one of our more promising talents. And Jackson -- relegated to tiny teaser roles in previous Marvel films -- gets a chance to do more with the crucial Nick Fury part.

The most pleasant surprise, though, is Mark Ruffalo, who is the best Hulk on film to date (sorry Eric Bana and Edward Norton). As the brilliant, seemingly mild-mannered scientist with Jekyll and Hyde issues, Ruffalo makes Bruce Banner an eccentric loner living in fear of himself.

While everyone in the cast suits up like a pro, the person responsible for making "Avengers" such a smashing success is Whedon. He loads this blockbuster with clever, unexpected touches -- like the guy who plays a video game aboard the airborne headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Even those who don't know a Marvel hero from a DC caped crusader will find themselves having a grand time. That's because Whedon manages to tap the inner fanboy and fangirl dormant in us all.

Marvel's "The AVENGERS"

* * * ½

Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Joss Whedon
Running time: 2 hours, 21 minutes