Marvel's The Avengers 3DMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Marvel's The Avengers 3D."

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Avg. Critic Score: 69 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 13+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

100

San Francisco Chronicle | Amy Biancolli
There are moments of genuine pathos, genuine humor, genuine surprise. As much as the film adheres to the strictures of the standard comic-book movie, it also pops with a knowing, loving, Whedon-world jokiness that keeps everything barreling along. Read full review
100

New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier
Most impressive of all, The Avengers makes superhero movies new again - a colossal task indeed. Read full review
88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
The Avengers has it all. And then some. Six superheroes for the price of one ticket... It's also the blockbuster I saw in my head when I imagined a movie that brought together the idols of the Marvel world in one, shiny, stupendously exciting package. It's "Transformers" with a brain, a heart and working sense of humor. Suck on that, Michael Bay. [10 May 2012, p.74] Read full review
83

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
In terms of storytelling, The Avengers is for the most part a highly functional, banged-together vehicle that runs on synthetic franchise fuel. Yet the grand finale of CGI action, set in the streets of New York, is - in every sense - smashing. Read full review
80

The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy
Whedon and his cohorts have managed to stir all the personalities and ingredients together so that the resulting dish, however familiar, is irresistibly tasty again. Read full review
75

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
You don't need to be a "comic-book person" to find the set pieces exhilarating. But if you are such a person, or a fan of the movies that comic books turn into, The Avengers feels like the moment you've been waiting for. Read full review
75

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Whedon weaves a story that allows each of the heroes to do what they do best. And while they may not have exactly equal time, audiences get enough of each to feel satisfied, but not sated. Clever work, indeed. Read full review
63

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
The chaos and carnage here is just a pumped-up take on a tradition that harks back to Godzilla, and harks back, of course, to the Marvel comics from which all these heros originally sprang. Read full review
60

Movieline | Stephanie Zacharek
The picture is broken down into narrative chunks that ultimately don't tell much of a story – what you get instead is a series of mini-climaxes held together by banter between characters. Read full review
40

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
A slow start, a single star performance surrounded by indifferent acting and an onslaught of computer effects that range from seen-it-all-in-"Transformers" to a whole sky full of spectacular stuff in the midtown Manhattan climax. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Marvel's The Avengers 3D on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Heroes work together in explosive comic book adventure.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Avengers is a highly anticipated superhero adventure in which many of Marvel's major superheroes -- including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) -- come together to battle an otherworldly enemy in a war to the end. From the first scene on, there's virtually nonstop comic book mayhem, including advanced weapons, epic-scale battle scenes, and thousands of casualties. Some of the fights are deeply personal as relatives face off, and some people do die, including characters the audience will care about. The heroes sometimes discuss their motivations for fighting crime, and the discussions can be intense, though it also leads to a good deal of camaraderie and cooperation. Expect some swearing ("ass," "son of a bitch," etc.), plenty of snarky quips from Iron Man, an off-hand joke about adoption that could upset some families, and intense 3-D action.

Families can talk about The Avengers' violence. How does the fact that much of it is larger than life affect its impact? How is it different watching invading aliens get hurt than human characters?
How does this film compare to other superhero stories? Do you prefer hero movies with just one star, or do you think this collaboration style is better?
Are the Avengers role models? Are some of them "worthier" than others? Why or why not?
Why is Loki so bent on dominating the world? Who is he trying to impress? Is this all just a family feud?

The good stuff

Positive messages: It's clear: Teamwork matters. The Avengers are best when they're working toward the same goal instead of letting others tear them apart. And the movie makes it very clear that you can step up and be a hero no matter what mistakes you might have made in the past. That said, not everyone in the "good guys" camp is always entirely on the up and up, and the heroes do have their share of conflicts before they come together.
Positive role models: Though they have their quirks and frailties, ultimately the Avengers work to overcome their individual challenges so they can accomplish their greater mission. They're not always successful, but when it counts, they come through. Within the group, there are many brands of heroism -- Steve Rogers (Captain America) is always upstanding and squeaky clean; Tony Stark (Iron Man) is snarky and selfish until matters come to a head; Bruce Banner (Hulk) fights his inner demons by trying to help others and avoiding conflict; Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Clint Barton (Hawkeye) have very checkered pasts but do the right thing when it matters; and Thor tends to act first and ask questions later but has a strong sense of honor and duty. Although Loki is Thor's brother, he shows no loyalty to him; Thor doesn't feel the same way.

What to watch for

Violence: Hugely explosive, destructive mayhem throughout most of the movie. There's not much in the way of gore/blood, but cars are flung from overpasses, a giant monster tosses people around like rag dolls, entire armies are decimated by lasers, massive explosions and mega aliens destroy buildings, etc. Casualties aren't lingered on, but they're presumably in the thousands; use of nuclear weapons is discussed. In one startling scene, an important supporting character is killed; other characters are injured. Lots of weapons (guns, hammers, shields, arrows, hands, bombs, and more) and fighting. The bad-guy aliens are pretty creepy looking.
Sexy stuff: Some flirty banter and form-fitting outfits. Bruce Banner is briefly shown naked, but no sensitive body parts are shown, and it's not sexual in any way.
Language: A few uses of words including "ass," "hell, "damn," "bastard," "oh my God," and "son of a bitch."
Consumerism: Tie-in to vast quantities of related merchandise. Signage for Acura, Citibank, and other brands can be seen.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some champagne toasts. One character mixes a drink for himself. A very brief reference to "weed."

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