Marvel Studio's Avengers Assemble [DVD]-(Cover may vary)

There is no question that Joss Whedon has delivered one of the years and perhaps the decades best films. It can easily stand side by side with Nolan's Batman trilogy and the other Marvel movies as being almost flawless. It would be pointless to give a detailed account of plot because almost everybody will know it already but here it is (in short) for those who don't know.Nick Fury assembles an elite group of heroes (Hulk aka Bruce Banner, Iron Man aka Tony Stark, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow) to oppose the impending threat of Loki who has been given command of an army from another world.Now, for a review of the film itself.Joss Whedon, who most associate with Buffy, Angel, Firefly has taken the helm of this demanding film and delivered an absolutely perfect job of it. Not only does he give each of the avengers ample and equal amount of time to develop and do their thing but he also makes sure that its not only about the action (which he does very well) but also about the relationship between the characters, and considering how disastrous the film could have been, he has proven that he is more than capable of and hopefully will, direct later, inevitable installments, in this chain of the Marvel world. The plot is great, engaging and not overly complicated that it detracts from the most important aspects: the avengers themselves. As ever, Downey Jr is dry and witty as Stark, Chris Hemsworth is great as Thor, likewise is Chris Evans as Captain America. But perhaps the best characters are Loki with Tom Hiddelston pitch perfect as the villian; Mark Ruffalo is the best Bruce Banner so far, surpassing Erica Bana and Edward Norton's efforts easily. Other brilliant additions to the cast are Nick Fury, who has popped up in nearly all the marvel films and here gets to flesh out his role which Samuel L Jackson does with his trademark wit and knack for one liners. Scarlett Johannsen and Jeremey Renner are too great additions as Black Widow and Hawkeye. But it is Whedon's script that allows the actors to show off their talent as it culminates everything that is great about these kind of movies: humour, action, emotion.All this culminates in a thrilling, action packed climax in New York that is truly one of the best directed, acted and written pieces of superhero cinema ever. The showdown never feels drawn out and will leave you awe inspired. The special effects are among the best i have ever seen in a film, in particular the hulk and iron man, industrial light and magic have outdone themselves here. There are thrilling set pieces at every turn, from a fight between Thor and Hulk (very cool) and some great comedy (a moment between Hulk and loki is a highlight). There really is something for everyone on offer in Avengers Assemble.As a director he is, as mentioned before, more than capable his eye for action and drawing viewers into the enthralling set pieces is outstanding and its impossible not to be caught up in this film. By the end of the film you'll be cheering for the next installment and heres hoping it will be as good, if not better. In the meantime there will be Thor 2, Captain America 2 and Iron Man 3 to keep us all sated.However, there is a negative side to this review and that is the woeful dvd release for those who don't want the blu ray or dont want to have to wait for the feature packed US edition. If you are looking for just the film then this is the perfect dvd, its a great price and delivers stunning picture and sound quality. On the other hand if you are a fan or are looking for in depth featurettes, interviews, commentaries etc then you will be sorely dissapointed. This release has a single, solitary featturette, that whilst interesting, should have legions of extras to go alongside it. Buy if you want just the film, if you want extras i'd wait until the ultimate, two disc, collectors etc etc edition is released. But please don't let the lack of extras put you off this film because it truly is one of the best ever made, i personally count it in my top ten films of all time!

I understand some people are upset at the lack of extras but the main point of this review is about the movie itself and not what could or should have been included.Being a Marvel fan from the mid 1960's onwards the recent spate of films leading up to The Avengers from the first Iron Man onwards was like a stairway to the ultimate comic movie heaven.The movies that led up to this featuring Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America dropped heavy hints as to what to expect with their SHIELD cameos, particularly Nick Fury and with the announcement that Hawkeye (my favourite of old) and Black Widow were also to appear it was a must see for me to see at the first showing on the first day of general release. Having Loki as the main villain was an extra bonus as it fittingly harks back to the first appearance of the Avengers.The movie itself is a fantastic success, yes it's an action movie with some superb set pieces including a couple of great battles between Iron Man and Thor and later Thor and Hulk before the movie gets into its stride but Joss Whedon's script and direction also brings many of the character traits we have loved from the team to life. Instead of the old Hawkeye/Captain America face-offs we have Cap and Iron Man, there's hints to the past of Hawkeye and Natasha, great interaction between Stark and Banner, Nick Fury's often cynical playing of the team to achieve his aims and some throwaway moments like Cap's allusion to the Wizard of Oz, The Hulk's thrashing of Loki and Stan Lee's obligatory cameo.There's also the SHIELD heli-carrier brilliantly re-imagined from the old massive bulk of early SHIELD days to a stream-lined futuristic base of operations.When Loki's allies, the alien Chitauri, explode onto the scene with their massive flying fighting beasts the action ratchets up a few more pegs leading to a superb finale and the mid-end credit appearance of hopefully the next villain.Yes it would have been nice to have a 2 disc version with lots of extras and there is no reason as to why it wasn't done. The US version isn't due out till next week and their single disc version has a commentary from Joss Whedon and an extra featurette and their 2 disc and 4 disc versions have a whole host of extras, deleted scenes and gag reels in comparison to the poor relation we have over here.Disney management have managed to disengage their brains en masse and missed a real trick here ensuring that for one of the most eagerly awaited releases of all time a very large section of fans will not buy this release by skimping on the extras. There's no commentary and just one actual extra - a brief 6 minute pseudo documentery, but don't let that monumental piece of corporate stupidity stop you from watching this excellent movie. It's inane decisions like this that play into the hands of pirates, for a blockbuster movie like this get your release right the first time at a reasonable price with all the extras you can muster.That said, after waiting almost 50 years to see The Avengers hit the big screen I'm not going to let some Mickey Mouse company's antics ruin the day as I will be playing this (and the movies leading up to it) time and time again.PS you also get a 2 for 1 voucher for Madame Tussaud's, London.