The glorified emo Loki has emerged through a time portal, broken into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cavernous lair, and taken possession of a cube that could decimate the earth. Now, the grandiose and disparate throng of superheros from the previous lackluster movies (exception the first Iron Man) must band together and blow a bunch of shit up before saving the world etc. etc. etc. "The Avengers" storms into theaters with a lot of flash, thunder, and fury, but not enough to cover its barely veiled and borderline contempt for anything resembling plot or character development. Too many undeveloped characters are thrown into the mix with the only objective being, to the delight of many I'm sure, a non-stop action assault on the senses. Director Joss Whedon stages these sequences well, but the way I see it, watching a handful of indestructible beings do battle holds about as much interest as does the Mac/Neil Lehrer Hour. There must be something at stake regarding the principle's vulnerability! "The Avengers" is a film that is guaranteed to please action fans, a genuine banquet for the eye and a numbing paucity for the mind.
sidenote: In case I forgot to comment the last time around, Captain America has got to be the blandest action hero to ever grace the silver screen. I think even Monty Python's Bicycle Repairman had more charisma and vitality.
