Having attended one of the European premieres tonight, I come with great news.
But first things first: I've been reading the Avengers comic books in the late 80s, early 90s. They were always my favorite super heroes, because they worked as a team despite of their egos, different back stories and characters. After the mostly excellent set-up films for all the single Marvel heroes from the team, the biggest challenge for this film had to be to do justice to no less than six of them all at once.

The great news is: They really pulled it off. Marvel delivers nothing less than the best super hero film to date, one of the best action movies in recent history and, to top it all, even the best comedy for years.

That huge accomplishment can be attributed to all departments involved in this prime example of what a popcorn movie can be. The creators of such soulless flicks like the recent Transformer films should watch this carefully. First and most importantly, the writing is perfect. It introduces each character with a significant, yet short scene and then pairs them in different situations, mostly confrontations, to finally form a team before you even realize it. Those scenes are so excellently written, funny and spot-on, it's a pleasure.

It says a lot about a film when you're looking forward to the next dialog as much as to the next action sequence. And the two major one in this are huge, fun and spectacular. Sure, there are a few minor plot holes and it's once again New York city that gets a beating, but not like anything you've seen before. The 3D is not always all that noticeable, but when it is, it delivers some of the most gorgeous scenes since Avatar.

All that may lead you to believe that the acting is somewhat unimportant in such a film, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Robert Downey Jr. once again has the best lines, but everyone else is top notch, as well. It also helps that Mark Ruffalo is the best Bruce Banner to date. Speaking of which, they finally got The Hulk right and give him a few of the most outrageously awesome scenes of the film.

As for director Joss Whedon, he gets to deliver some of his most prominent trademarks: fun banter between characters and tragic deaths. The film does not only impress you on a superficial action level, it makes you feel something's at stake and care for those characters. And before you know it the film is over, the 2 hours 20 feel like ninety minutes.

Germans do not really applaud at the movies. They did for several scenes of this, though.
Huge expectations met and exceeded. Do not think you can afford to miss this.

9.5 out of 10 Hulk Smashs.