TAGGED AS: Certified Fresh, Marvel, Superheroes
The summer blockbuster season starts this weekend, as Marvel’s The Avengers, the hotly-anticipated superhero-fest starring Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson , hits theaters. What do the critics have to say?
Over the past decade, Marvel Comics heroes like the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America have each starred in their own films. And each individual installment offered tantalizing hints of a monumental big screen superhero gathering. Well, comic book fans, the wait is over, and it was worth it: critics say Marvel’s The Avengers is terrific entertainment, a giant-sized helping of thrilling action set pieces with enough humor and character development to please non-Marvel fanatics. When Thor’s brother Loki steals the tesseract (the mysterious power source used by Red Skull in Captain America) espionage ace Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles a team of superheroes to retrieve it. Dubbed the Avengers, the newly-formed group — comprised of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth ), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson ) — must battle a mysterious extraterrestrial force in order to save humanity. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Avengers does a commendable job of letting all the characters share the spotlight, delivering on its promise of spectacular action, and whetting the appetite for the inevitable sequels.
Death of a Superhero, a drama about a teenage artist who delves deep into fantastical realms after being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, is at 100 percent.
First Position, a documentary about a prestigious youth ballet competition, is at 88 percent.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in a dramedy about a group of British retirees who decamp to a run-down hotel in India, is at 76 percent.
Last Call at the Oasis, a doc about global water shortages, is at 73 percent.
The Perfect Family, starring Kathleen Turner and Emily Deschanel in a comedy about a devout Catholic woman whose less pios family members may prevent her from winning an award for her charitable works, is at 47 percent (check out Turner’s Five Favorite Films here).
Mother’s Day, starring Jaime King and Rebecca De Mornay in a horror film about a pair of bank-robbing brothers who terrorize the new residents of their childhood home, is at 47 percent.
Jesus Henry Christ, starring Toni Collette and Michael Sheen in a comedy about a two families drawn together because of their precocious children, is at 36 percent.
A Little Bit Of Heaven, starring Kate Hudson and Gael García Bernal in a romantic dramedy about a woman who finds love in the midst of a health crisis, is at five percent.
