Marvel's The AvengersMovie Reviews

Go
Avg. Critic Score: 69 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 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

View more reviews for Marvel's The Avengers 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
  • message true3 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.
  • rolemodels true3 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 false4 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.
  • sex false1 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 false2 Language: A few uses of words including "ass," "hell, "damn," "bastard," "oh my God," and "son of a bitch."
  • consumerism false4 Consumerism: Tie-in to vast quantities of related merchandise. Signage for Acura, Citibank, and other brands can be seen.   
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some champagne toasts. One character mixes a drink for himself. A very brief reference to "weed."
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

"Oh, and Hulk? Smash." Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Marvel's The Avengers Movie Reviews + Ratings

Fans say

Must Go!
21,168 fan reviews

Critics say

Go See all critic reviews

Exclusive Features

Movie Guide The Avengers Movie Guide All the latest news, clips, galleries and more for Marvel's biggest movie ever! Exclusive Cast Interviews Chris Evans talks about Cap's relationship to Iron Man, Tom Hiddleston on Loki's darkness and Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson react to having their own character's cologne. Avengers Red Carpet World Premiere 10 Awesome Things We Learned During 'The Avengers' Set Visit