I just saw it with the kids this afternoon and I thought it was great – probably the best super hero movie I’ve seen. I agree that perhaps the plot was a wee bit thin, but I also think that it’s just enough to hold everything together and that’s really all it needed. The big showdown at the end was very well done and better than Captain America, I thought, as Captain America seemed to build all this good stuff at the beginning and then kind of devolve into a CGI slugfest at the end (a minor nitpick on my part, I really liked Captain America). I thought it worked better in the Avengers and it fit with the story and all.
Everyone got something really cool to do and I thought that was well done. The Hulk really stood out and the parts where he and Thor took down the dragon and then his “discussion” with Loki shortly thereafter were brilliant and hillarious but also served the character.
[spoiler]I’m also disapointed about Agent Caulson and I wish that he could have survived, but I also see how that’s the one final punch to put everyone together. And do you expect anything less from Joss “The Fan Favorite Killin’ Bastich” Whedon?
I also appreciated the part where everyone in the lab on the helicarrier are arguing. It was obvious to me that Loki’s staff was influencing them, but it also seemed subtle and well played. [/spoiler]
My only two nitpicks are minor, the first is that New York got pretty much destroyed in the climactic battle at the end. Like I said, this is a minor nitpick, but with CGI, I think it’s a little too easy to raze a city for your story and it’s done so many times that it may have been more interesting if they found a different way to do it. That being said, I thought the fight itslef worked for the story and it was really the only way to prove that the invading aliens were that serious of a threat.
The second nitpick is that all the Chitari just fall over when Iron Man blew up the mothership. The Avengers were pretty much finished beating the forces on Earth at that point, having them all keel over didn’t do anything except wrap up the battle in a nice little bow so everyone can go get lunch. The could have had SHIELD round up the survivors or something else. Meh, again, that’s minor.
I’m suprised that just about everyone in the theater was gone by the time the first stinger hit the screen at the end. I knew about it from upthread, but I still nearly (figuratively) crapped my pants when I saw it. The second one at the very end was also great, very very funny.
Did anyone else think Bruce Banner kind of acted like Lenard from BBT a bit?