Pun Salad

As I type, IMDB has The Avengers as number 32 of the best movies of all time. I don't know about that, but … oh, wait, yes I do know about that: it's not. But it's very good. Consumer note: you might not want to bother shelling out extra money for the 3-D version.

Consumer note 2: if you're a true fan, you'll want to hang around through the entire credits for a sweet little post-credit scene.

It's the movie we've been waiting for since Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, showed up at the end of Iron Man back in 2008. His brilliant idea: assemble a group of heroes, some with unusual powers (Thor, Hulk, Captain America), some just extremely talented (Hawkeye, Black Widow); and throw in one with access to amazing gadgetry (Iron Man). Any of these folks can handle normal existential crises on their own, of course. But when a supernatural Asgardian miscreant (Loki) teams up with a nasty alien race (the Chitauri), it pretty much takes everyone to eke out a victory.

Sorry, that was a spoiler. The good guys win.

But along the way, there's plenty of action, internal bickering, and humor. There should be, I think, an Oscar category for actors speaking totally ludicrous lines with a straight face. Robert Downey Jr. would win this year, but face fierce competition from everyone else in this movie.

I see at the IMDB that the DVD will have about 30 minutes of deleted scenes.