Category: Reviews

Released: 1986

Directed by: James Cameron

Cast:

Sigourney Weaver: Ripley

Michael Beihn: Hicks

Bill Paxton: Hudson

William Hope: Lt. Gorman

Paul Reiser: Burke

In 1979, movie audiences were shown a science fiction film like no other.  Instead of the uplifting “what happens when we meet aliens” theme of Close Encounters of The Third Kind and the fantasy world of Star Wars, the world got a terrifying look at the unknown.  Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, introduced the world to a new kind of monster: The xenomorph.  Taking place on the claustrophobic ship, The Nostromo, the crew battled for survival against an unseen creature that picked them off one by one until only one remained.  Alien was a major box office hit.  It was enough of a hit that 20th Century Fox commissioned a sequel.  Not wanting to tread down the same path that Alien did, they decided to take the franchise into a different direction.

As the film opens, we see a lone ship floating through space when it is picked up by a salvaging vessel.  The salvage people discover a lone survivor: Ripley(Sigourney Weaver).  Waking up on a strange space station, Ripley is greeted by Weyland-Yutani exec, Carter Burke(Paul Reiser), who informs Ripley that she’s been in hypersleep for 57 years.  Later, at a hearing, Ripley’s report of what happened on the Nostromo are met with criticism.  She also finds out that there is a colony on the planet LV-426, the same planet on which the Nostromo encountered the vicious creature.  When they lose contact with the colony, Burke and Lt. Gorman(William Hope)of the Colonial Marine Corps convince Ripley to join to find out what happened.  Accompanied by marines such as Corporal Hicks(Michael Beihn), Private Hudson(Bill Paxton), Private Vasquez(Jenette Goldstein), and an android: Bishop(Lance Henriksen), they arrive at the colony to find it deserted, save one little girl, Newt(Carrie Henn).

As far as movie sequels go, it’s rare to find one that almost outdoes the original film.  James Cameron’s Aliens does almost exactly that.  Fox Studios wanted a sequel, but they didn’t want a rehash of the original film, so James Cameron was brought to direct a more action-oriented picture.  Hot off the success of the original Terminator, Cameron was given the opportunity to create a worthy follow-up to one of the most iconic movies ever made.  He was also given license to redesign the creature as long as it remained true to the essence of the original monster.  Adding different life-cycles to the xenomorph, made the species more of a threat, especially when the Queen Alien is introduced.  Having the film take place 57 years after the original film, also helped reduce the temptation to do another “haunted house in space” kind of movie.  Where Alien was a psychological thriller/monster movie, Aliens is more of an action movie.  That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its fair share of surprises, however.  The performances in the film are outstanding.  Everyone brings their A-game.  Carrie Henn, who plays Newt, had no prior acting experience or training, does remarkably well among her more seasoned co-workers.  Bill Paxton plays the smart-ass Hudson, while seemingly a coward at times, steps up to the plate when the going gets rough.  Jenette Goldstein plays the tough chick marine, Vasquez.  She’s as bad-ass as they come, armed with a powerful smart-gun, which is the future-equivalent of a mini-gun.  Paul Reiser is fantastic as the corporate weasel, Burke.  The two real standouts in the supporting cast are Michael Beihn and Lance Henriksen, both of whom appeared in The Terminator.  Beihn plays the loyal and confident Hicks who packs a shotgun, “for close encounters.”  Henriksen brings a surprisingly human quality to his role of the android, Bishop.  We learn right from the get-go that he’s an android, so that sets up some tension between him and Ripley.  The REAL star of this film franchise is Sigourney Weaver.

While Alien put Weaver on the map, it was Aliens that really cemented her as the action heroine of the decade.  The first movie had Ripley trying to survive, Aliens has her going on the war-path and it works very well.  The character’s relationship with Newt is initially one of kinship, as both are orphans and survivors in a way.  But their relationship gets stronger as events continue to spiral out of control.  Mrs. Weaver was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for her portrayal of Ripley in Aliens.  Getting nominated for a science fiction movie is extraordinarily rare when it comes to the Academy.  But it’s easy to see why Sigourney was nominated.  Her performance anchors the whole film, and while her character is beaten down by tragedy, her relationship with Newt gives her new reason to keep going.

The differences between this movie and its predecessor are night and day.  As I said before, this is an action movie and the action is absolutely intense.  From the marines first encounter with the xenomorphs in the atmosphere processor to the final battle on the Sulaco, the tension and the excitement ramp up with each encounter.  The movie gives us some very iconic sci-fi weaponry: The M41A pulse rifle with a pump-action grenade launcher(I SOOOOOO want one.), the smartgun, which automatically goes after moving targets, and the flamethrower.

Like the previous film, Aliens has many iconic elements.  One of which is important in a movie like this: The music.  Composed by James Horner, the music of Aliens goes from the quiet emotional moments to the highly action-packed militaristic pieces that really amp up the film.  The sequence in which Ripley rescues the marines has you on the edge of your seat.  The music during that sequence really pulls you in.  During production, James Horner’s relationship with James Cameron became pretty rough, because Cameron was demanding Horner do some things in a specific time frame which Horner wasn’t particularly keen on.  I have the soundtrack to the film, and a lot of what you hear on the soundtrack isn’t in the movie itself.  What is in the movie is incredible.  In fact, one of the pieces became so iconic that it was used in action movie trailers after Aliens was released.

Like the original, there really isn’t a whole lot wrong with Aliens.  In fact, this possibly one the best examples of how to make a good sequel: Acknowledge what came before, while giving the audience something new.  There is a reason why James Cameron is a damn good filmmaker, and Aliens is one of the prime examples why.  He gets compelling performances out of his lead actors and gives the audience one hell of an action movie.  Aliens was released to really great reviews back in 1986.  4 years later, James Cameron reintroduced 15 minutes of new footage into the film and re-released the film on home video as a Special Edition.  A lot of that new footage actually fleshes out characters a bit more, especially Ripley.  We find out in the extended version that Ripley was a mother, and that her daughter died while Ripley was still floating around out there somewhere.  That actually gives Ripley’s relationship to Newt more emotional depth and cements the bond between the two.  We also get more of Hudson’s goofiness during the drop.  While there are extended cuts, there are several that truly stand out.  After Ripley’s hearing, the film actually cuts to the colony on LV-426 before it was overrun.  We also get to see the ship from the first movie.  But this also shows where everything starts going to hell in a hand-basket.  The other memorable sequence involves robot sentries, which are automated machine guns.  Which version is better?  I prefer the extended version as it feels like a more complete experience.  Overall, I consider Aliens to be one of the best science fiction movies out there.  As a sequel, it is definitely a cut above the rest.  It’s just as compelling as the original film, but it has more action.  Whether you choose the theatrical version or the Special Edition, Aliens gets a 10/10.

Release Date: June 12, 1981

Movie Trailer

CAST:

Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones

Karen Allen: Marion Ravenwood

Paul Freeman: Belloq

John Rhys-Davies: Sallah

Okay, raise your hands: How many of you have not seen this movie?  If you haven’t, you need to turn in your movie fan card right now.  Seriously.  Hand them forward.  Between the release of Star Wars in 1977 and the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had an idea for a movie that recalled the early days of cinema and the 1930 serials.  They wanted to do a James Bond movie set in the 1930’s, so they came up with the idea of a movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark.  The main character was to be called Indiana Smith, but the name wasn’t catchy enough, so Spielberg changed it to Indiana Jones with Tom Selleck in the lead.  Unfortunately, Tom Selleck was cast in the television series, Magnum P.I, so they went with Harrison Ford.  The rest, as they say, is history.

In the jungles of South America, an expedition is underway to find a lost idol.  Lead by archaeologist Indiana Jones(Harrison Ford), the group finds their way to the cave where the idol is located.  After finding the idol and escaping the tomb’s traps, Jones finds himself face-to-face with his arch-nemesis, Belloq(Paul Freeman).  Escaping with only his life and the clothes on his back, Indiana Jones makes his way back home to his university where he is teaching a class on archaeology.  After the class ends, Indy talks to his friend, Marcus Brody(Denholm Elliot), where he’s told that government people want to see him.  They tell him that the Nazis have discovered the city where the fabled Ark of the Covenant may be hidden, so they want him to recover it before they do.  On the way, Indy meets up with his old flame, Marion Ravenwood(Karen Allen)and friend Sallah(JohnRhys-Davies).

I could probably write a college thesis on how amazing this movie is.  Honestly, I could go on forever and ever about this movie.  But I won’t do that, because this is not the place for it.  I literally can’t remember the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark.  I also can’t count how many times I’ve seen it.  It never gets old, and it never gets boring.  Almost every single moment in the film is memorable.  From the opening scene in the tomb to the opening of the Ark, the movie is packed to the hilt with adventure.  Indiana Jones travels from South America to Nepal and Egypt in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant.  The funny thing about the character is how often he ends up in a life-threatening predicament.  He doesn’t always emerge unscathed, but he always comes out on top as heroes do.  Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones.  No one else can do it.  Sure, Sean Patrick Flannery played Young Indiana Jones in the TV series,  but when it comes to wearing the iconic fedora, leather jacket and whip, no one else pulls it off the way Ford can.

While the main character’s introduction is awesome, Marion’s introduction is by far my favorite of the bunch.  Jones walks into her bar, asking for a medallion, and she socks him right in the jaw.  Karen Allen is simply fantastic.  She gives the character such fire and wit, that Marion is clearly a match for Jones.  She’s tough, beautiful and she has a sense of humor.  That’s a winning combination if there ever was one.  John Rhys-Davies is great as Sallah.  The character is clearly a loyal friend of Indy’s and is always there for Indy, even if it means he ends up dealing with asps.

What is a hero without a suitable villain?  According to Steven Spielberg, there are two kinds of villains in the Indiana Jones films: The champagne villain, which is the guy who is the brains of the bunch and doesn’t get his hands dirty, and the henchman who’s more than willing to do the dirty work.  The henchmen are particularly vile and evil.  In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the champagne villain is Belloq, who is played the ever-reliable Paul Freeman.  He gives the French archaeologist an interesting stature.  The guy is rich and it shows, but he’s also very smart and cunning.  The late Ronald Lacey plays Toht, the henchman.  Lacey is great at playing total scumbags, and Toht is no exception.

The action sequences in this film are second-to-none.  Indiana Jones punches, whips and shoots his way to victory.  The best thing about these action sequences is the amount of humor that’s put into them.  Yes, they are exciting and spectacular with awesome fist fights and explosions, but they are peppered with a great sense of humor which makes them so memorable.  The bar fight is simply brilliant when one of the Sherpas interrupts the shooting and starts beating the living daylights out of Jones.  Stuff like that is brilliantly unpredictable and just adds to the flavor of the film.  The desert chase scene is quite possibly one of the most intense chase scenes I have ever seen.  While Indy’s fight with the German engineer on the plane is fantastic, the greatest fight scene in all of cinema doesn’t actually last very long.

The actual visual effects of the film don’t come into play until the opening of the Ark.  That is an incredibly spectacular sequence.  But it is gruesome, so you may want to cover little Timmy’s eyes for that.  All the effects in Raiders of the Lost Ark are pretty much done practically, with the exception of some of the lightening effects in the film.  The effects in the first three Indiana Jones movies are some of the biggest reasons why these movies have really stood up.  I mentioned the human characters above, but one of the biggest characters of the series is the music by the legendary John Williams.  Besides Star Wars, the main theme in the Indiana Jones films is among the most recognizable and iconic themes in cinema history.  It gives the viewers that sense of adventure that permeates the movie.  It’s thrilling, epic and absolutely perfect.  It’s not just the main theme that’s memorable, but also the music during the desert chase sequence.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the perfect example of the action-adventure film.  Harrison Ford has two legendary film franchises under his belt.  Star Wars and Indiana Jones are the two biggest reasons for Mr. Ford becoming the star that he is.  Say what you will about the Indiana Jones sequels, but Raiders of the Lost Ark, as far as I’m concerned, is one of the rare movies that is above reproach.  It’s perfect in nearly every way.  George Lucas and Steven Spielberg did an astounding job here.  With great acting, stunts, and visual effects, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the greatest adventure films of all time.  If you don’t have this one in your collection, why not?  It’s a roller-coaster ride and I simply can’t recommend it enough.  10/10.  Go buy it.  It’s rated PG and available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Released: 1979

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Movie Trailer

Cast:

Sigourney Weaver: Ripley

Tom Skerritt: Captain Dallas

Ian Holm: Ash

Harry Dean Stanton: Brett

John Hurt: Kane

Yaphet Kotto: Parker

Veronica Cartwright: Lambert

In 1977, movie production was turned on its head by a little movie called Star Wars.  Directed by George Lucas, Star Wars changed the way we look at movies in terms of design, camera work, special effects, and story-telling.  Star Wars inspired a generation of film-makers to take risks and create something special.  Star Wars, however, was also the inspiration for many knock-offs, such as Saturn 3, The Black Hole, and Battle Beyond the Stars.  Star Wars was often imitated but never duplicated.  One up-and-coming director, Ridley Scott, decided to take the space-faring genre into a different direction.  Whereas George Lucas wanted to fill his movies with a sense of adventure and wonder, Scott chose to infuse his science fiction feature with terror.  In 1979, Ridley Scott released Alien, one of the most terrifying science fiction movies ever.

Alien begins as the starship Nostromo is on it’s way home to Earth towing a refinery.  The crew of the Nostromo is woken up by the ship’s computer to investigate a mysterious signal that’s originating from a nearby planet.  Leaving their cargo in orbit, the crew of the Nostromo, lead by Captain Dallas(Tom Skerritt)and Second Officer Kane(John Hurt), they descend to the planet below to investigate.  They discover an alien ship that had crashed on the planet a very long time ago.  While investigating the derelict ship, Kane is attacked by an unknown life-form and left unconscious.  Arriving back on the ship with their fallen comrade, they discover the creature has acid for blood as one of it’s defense mechanisms.  Later, the creature turns up dead and Kane is awake.  They decide to have dinner before going back to their cryotubes.  Kane begins to convulse and soon his chest explodes revealing a nasty monster that takes off.  The other crew members, Ripley(Sigourney Weaver), Ash(Ian Holm), Parker(Yaphet Kotto), Brett(Harry Dean Stanton), Lambert(Veronica Cartwright), and Dallas are soon thrust into a battle for survival against a monstrous being that’s stalking them one by one.

When Alien was released in 1979, it became a world-wide phenomenon.  People had lined up down the streets to see this film.  It’s been reported that people had fainted because of how intense the movie was.  It wasn’t just because it was gory, it was, but you had no way of knowing where the creature was or where it would jump out.  Sometimes, the scariest thing is not what you see, but rather, what you DON’T see.  When three of the crew are attempting to catch the alien in a net, what pops out isn’t the creature, it’s a cat.  Yet, the tension leading up to that moment was very palpable and had you on the edge of your seat.  I know that sounds cliche, but it is also absolutely true.  When Jaws was released earlier that decade, you didn’t really see the monster very much, but you KNEW it was there.  You can create a lot of tension and fear by not showing the creature very much, and this philosophy is really apparent in Alien.

The creature itself is the stuff of nightmares, not just in the way it was born, but the way it looks, its size, and its hostility.  Designed by the late H.R. Giger, the creature became one of the most iconic movie monsters.  Giger’s artwork was very much bio-mechanical and somewhat erotic in nature, and the influence is shown in the film’s villain.  In fact, some of the themes are of a sexual nature including sexual domination and rape, as evidenced by what happened to John Hurt’s character.  So, this movie scared the living hell out of women who were pregnant, and it freaked guys out too, because the whole idea of being raped was very unusual for most guys.  Spoiler alert: What happens to Lambert is mostly implied because you don’t see her death on screen but you hear it, and when you see her body, she has no clothes on.  Also, look at how the alien kills its prey, with a secondary mouth that penetrates their skull.  There are also a few twists and turns that you don’t see coming.  There is a revelation about the science officer, Ash, that comes out of left field. There are a lot of scares to be had in this movie, and while some of them are jump-scares, the rest of it is simple tension. It’s extremely effective though.  Here’s an interesting anecdote:  During the dinner scene when Kane dies, the rest of the cast had no idea what was going to happen, so the reaction you see on their faces is their actual reaction.  They weren’t expecting Kane’s death to be so bloody and violent.

The performances by all the actors are fantastic.  Tom Skerritt takes the lead as Captain Dallas, but we also have a secondary leader in John Hurt’s character.  Parker and Brett, played by Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton respectively are appropriately quirky, and somewhat downtrodden because they don’t as much money as the rest of the crew.  The real star of this movie, however, is Sigourney Weaver as Ripley.  This is the movie that made her a star.  It also proved that a woman could handle being the lead and the hero in a movie, and when Sigourney takes the reins, she becomes a tough gal who does what it takes to survive.  This opened up the doors for other women in movies to take the lead.  All of what’s happening on-screen is enhanced by the musical score by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith.  Most of it is subdued with mostly string instruments, it becomes a little bit more bombastic when the monster shows up.  The music is both haunting and beautiful.

Many critics described this film as Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Space, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment.  This movie has all the elements of a slasher movie, except the villain doing the killing isn’t human at all.  This is a movie where the unknown is terrifying.  We don’t know what we’ll find when we reach beyond our solar system.  I would certainly hope that we don’t run into a species as violent as the creature in Alien.  This film is one of the most atmospheric and intense science fiction/horror films ever produced.  It was a huge hit.  It made enough money that Fox Studios wanted a sequel, but they wanted to take the series in a different direction, so they brought on James Cameron to helm the first sequel to Alien.  I’ll review Aliens later, but it’s just as compelling a movie as the first movie was, even though it was more of an action movie.  Two more sequels followed by two spin-offs, and yet none of them came even close to matching the intensity and originality of the first two Alien movies.

I’m trying to think of some downsides to this movie, but I’m honestly coming up short.  Alien is one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made and created a universe that is both compelling and terrifying.  Look at all the books, comics and video games made over the years.  Ridley Scott himself actually returned to the universe in the movie, Prometheus.  So, what we’ve got here is a movie that is drenched in tension and atmosphere.  Not many movies can come close to achieving what Alien had achieved.  This is the movie that put Ridley Scott on the map as a director and it’s the one he’s most famous for.  Alien is also responsible for launching the career of Sigourney Weaver, who would reprise the role for three sequels.  But she’s also been in many other movies including Ghostbusters, Gorillas in the Mist, Dave, and James Cameron’s Avatar.  Overall, Alien gets a perfect 10/10.  This is an incredibly intense movie.

In 1978, one of the first and greatest comic book movies was released and kick-started a genre that has spanned hundreds of movies over the past 30 years.  Superman: The Movie was released at a time when science fiction got a major boost from Star Wars.  As a result, people were more likely to go see a science fiction film than ever before.  Superman was the first big comic book movie to come out and it was a monumental success.  No one had ever seen anything quite like it.  Over the years, we’ve seen movies about Superman, Batman, X-Men, and Spider-Man.  When Iron Man came out in 2008 by Marvel and Paramount Studios, it was the first movie to lead into a possible Avengers film.  Iron Man was a major hit with audiences around the world, so Marvel decided to make movies about Thor and Captain America.  The Hulk already had two movies, a sub-par movie in 2003 and another in 2008.  Marvel had definitely started taking steps towards a kind of movie that nobody had done before.  After multiple successful movies, production finally began on The Avengers.  In 2012, The Avengers had finally assembled.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon, The Avengers opens on a remote military installation where scientist Dr. Selvig(Stellan Skarsgaard)is researching a mysterious alien artifact known as the Tesseract.  Losing control of the cube, a portal opens and Loki(Tom Hiddleston)appears.  Loki is the adopted brother of Thor(Chris Hemsworth),and had attempted to seize control of Asgard.  Confronted by Colonel Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Clint Barton/Hawkeye(Jeremy Renner), Loki casts a spell on Hawkeye and Selvig.  He proceeds to steal the Tesseract leaving the installation in ruins.  At this point, Fury gets Agent Coulson(Clark Gregg) to recruit Tony Stark/Iron Man(Robert Downey Jr), Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk(Mark Ruffalo), Steve Rogers/Captain America(Chris Evans), and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  This picture of the titular group in action is why this movie exists.  No one had ever brought together a group of heroes into a movie like this before.  While movies are inherently risky, The Avengers is a movie that could have easily gone horribly wrong.  Thankfully, due to the brilliant casting and direction by Joss Whedon, The Avengers is one of the most spectacular and successful comic book movies ever made.  Why does it work so well?  Oddly enough, it is the cast of characters that really make this movie as good as it is.  Each of the heroes have had their own comics.  The heavy hitters(Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Captain America)had already been established in previous films.  Robert Downey Jr simply owns the role as Tony Stark.  Downey infuses the character with the trademark sarcasm and humor that defines Iron Man.  Chris Hemsworth brings the hammer down on his role as Thor(see what I did there?), the only other-worldly superhero of the group.  Chris Evans is fantastic as the patriotic and selfless star-spangled hero from the past.  He gives the character the leadership quality that the group needs to succeed and really knocks it out of the park.  The real interesting “hero” of the bunch is The Hulk.  Mark Ruffalo is the third actor to play Bruce Banner in 11 years, yet he seems to be the perfect fit for not just the monster, but the man who hides the monster.  Ruffalo allows the character a level of skepticism and intelligence that wouldn’t have worked with Edward Norton or Eric Bana.  As a result, Mark Ruffalo is the best Hulk yet, hands down.

The two weak links on the hero side of things, unfortunately, are Black Widow and Hawkeye.  Scarlett Johansson does a good job with the character, she’s not really given a chance to show how she can play the Russian spy.  Her introduction in the film is fantastic, though.  Jeremy Renner’s character really gets the short end of the stick, however.  Right from the get-go he’s brainwashed into fighting for Loki.  So, he’s basically a bad guy for most of the movie.  Hawkeye has always been an interesting character, because he is deadly accurate with a bow and arrow.  While that is definitely a big part of the character in the film, the way the character was treated seemed very underhanded.  He gets to show off big time in New York, though.  For the villain, we have Loki.  The character is surprisingly fleshed out.  He had lived in the shadow of his brother, Thor in the film…Thor.  He was sympathetic in Thor, because when he found out about his heritage, he basically went nuts.  In The Avengers he’s gone all out bad.  Yet, he’s fun to watch because of Tom Hiddleston’s performance.  Charismatic, yet cunning, manipulative, and ruthless, Loki is probably one of the most under-stated and undervalued comic book villains.  The supporting characters are quite interesting as well.  We have Agent Phil Coulson who’s played with a straight face by Clark Gregg.  He’s probably one of the most interesting characters in Marvel’s films.  He’s such an interesting character, that he even got the lead role on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tv show.  Samuel L. Jackson is great as Nick Fury.  Sam Jackson is…..Sam Jackson.  What else can I say?

For a movie of this scope, one would hope that the action is spectacular.  Oh, yes.  It delivers in spades. The movie starts off with a bang on S.H.I.E.L.D’s base when Loki first shows up.  Black Widow’s introduction when she’s being interrogated by a Russian military officer gives us a glimpse at what she’s capable of.  One of the coolest scenes is when Iron Man goes up against Thor in the middle of a forest:

As you can see, this is not a movie that takes itself seriously.  Some of the bigger action sequences are epic in scale, but there’s definitely a lot humor involved here.  Yes, the destruction and the explosions are extremely impressive.  What really sells the action are the interactions between the characters.  Hulk and Thor going at it?  The way that ends is pretty damn funny.  Also, this:

The Avengers is one of those movies that is more than just entertainment.  It’s an experience.  There has never been a superhero ensemble movie before.  DC Comics is finally going to be doing Justice League, but honestly, they’ve been beaten to the punch.  Marvel is releasing The Avengers: The Age of Ultron next year, so Warner Bros. has got a lot of catching up to do.  The real big draw to Marvel’s universe is that all of these movies involving Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and The Hulk are all connected.  Some are sequels, but they are all directly connected with each other.  Marvel’s television show is also connected in many ways.  This is a very unique set of comic book movies.  Never before have so many movies been so interconnected.  The Avengers is one of those movies that could have ruined the whole thing.  Thanks to Joss Whedon and the cast of the film, that is not the case.  This is one of the most impressive superhero movies ever made.  If you like action movies, comic books or both, you owe it yourself to see this movie, if you haven’t already.  Two years after it’s release, The Avengers is still one of my all-time favorite movies.  Unfortunately, Black Widow and Hawkeye don’t really get the attention they deserve here.  Black Widow is getting her own movie, but I hope that for the next Avengers film, Clint Barton gets a better role.  My final assessment for The Avengers: 9.5/10.