I'm back, now bring on the films!

I doubt anyone has missed me, but I must apologise for already failing in my target of 1 review a week as I've spent much of the last month lying flat on my back - and not in a good way...slipped discs are not fun!

Anyway, I'm back and to prove it I'm here, and I bring you my thoughts on the latest comic-book caper; Avengers Assemble:

Firstly, let me say that this is very much a case of you get what you pay for - I doubt anyone would go into this film expecting plot twists and character development. This is very much meant to be a fun, sometimes silly, action film, and, thanks to the writing and direction of Joss Whedon that's exactly what you get.

It does amaze me how often critics review a film like this but try to grade it against a curve that includes the classics. Just this morning I read a Yahoo! article talking about Samuel L Jackson taking to twitter to complain about the NY Times reviewer, AO Scott, who said, and I quote;

“The light, amusing bits cannot overcome the grinding, hectic emptiness, the bloated cynicism that is less a shortcoming of this particular film than a feature of the genre.”

Oh dear! Well Mr Scott, you're watching a film which features Chris Evans wearing what can only be described as a unitard carved from an American flag, for the majority of the film, were you really expecting Shakespeare? I admit that over the last decade I've quietly groaned every time a new Marvel superhero film has been announced, but for the most part they're inoffensive and fun. Surely that's something we all go to the cinema for? Entertainment?

If you're expecting ground-breaking cinematic magic, this film probably isn't for you, but for a rainy bank-holiday-weekend amusement you can do far worse! The story develops at a good pace, which is no mean feat when you consider the amount of characters they had to bring together. The action sequences are entertaining and at points had the whole audience roaring with laughter. Good ol' Whedon keeps the humour PG but without losing his creative flare...(the "muling quim" comment still makes me chuckle)...All-in-all well worth a watch!

UK rating: 12a

Year of release: 2012

Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Director: Joss Whedon

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L Jackson, Chris Hemsworth

Rating: 3.5 / 5