review Avengers

Here's what you need to know: In spite of the ridiculous hype surrounding Marvel's The Avengers, it's good. Really good.

The culmination of four years' worth of Marvel's superhero movies finally arrives, with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) and The Hulk (new Hulk Mark Ruffalo) uniting on the big screen with Black Widow and Hawkeye (Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, respectively) for an all-out action fest.

Helmed by geek-favourite director Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), the action never lets up from the opening scene till the explosive final act where the heroes have their showdown with supervillain Loki (Tom Hiddleston), last seen in Thor, who's taken control of the Tesseract from Captain America and using it to welcome otherworldly invaders to Earth.

But this is no Bay-esque mindless action flick. Whedon balances the explosiveness with strong characterisation and an emotional centre that will have you rooting for all the heroes. The director - only his second time helming a feature film - has done the impossible by balancing a large cast of stars and giving each of them their time in the sun. The moment they rise from a tragic event to finally team up is especially stirring. No spoilers here, not to worry.

There are also laugh-out-loud moments throughout that cut the tension. Whether it's a snarky Tony Stark or a smashing Hulk (one of many memorable moments), The Avengers is very funny.

Sure, there are some imperfections. While not necessary, it does help to have watched the previous Marvel movies. The usually Machiavellian Loki, while generally menacing, also at times seems to lack conviction. But given all the positives, these quibbles just disappear. And don't expect the movie to be a treatise on the human condition - we have Batman for that.

All in all, this is a movie that works on many levels, from action to emotion. With the summer filled with superhero flicks like The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers sets the bar high, and even has the potential to be one of the best superhero movies of all time. It is definitely proof that you don't have to be dark and serious just to make a great comic-book movie - The Avengers is unadulterated fun.

As for the comic-book geek? Let's just say you won't be disappointed. ALVIN CHONG