The culmination of Marvel's wildly ambitious movie-making strategy, throughout Phase 1 The Avengers had been quickly becoming one of the most anticipated releases in history. Only Joss Whedon's second theatrical effort behind the camera, the writer/director faced huge expectations and delivered in a big way. Not only did it provide 140 minutes of the highest-quality popcorn entertainment available, but as a box office monster The Avengers grossed more than the first Iron Man, Thor and Captain America movies combined. Given the way that The Avengers builds to a crescendo of city-destroying chaos, it's worth mentioning that the first act of the movie is a little slow to get moving. Filled with dreary exposition and second-tier MCU characters, things don't begin to pick up pace until the actual assembling begins. Once the team is gathered, the action just gets bigger and bigger; the assault on the Helicarrier looks positively miniscule compared to the spectacular third-act extravaganza that results in one of the most well-staged and crowd-pleasing action sequences in any blockbuster. However, The Avengers is more than just a visual feast; Whedon's talent as a writer and skill with ensemble casts means that no one member of the team is given preferential treatment, each character gets their moment to shine and the script is loaded with witty asides and one-liners. Although human exposition machine Nick Fury and Hawkeye don't have a great deal to do, The Avengers overcomes its minor problems to deliver escapist fun on a massive scale. After four years of post-credits scenes and references dotted across the MCU, anticipation was at fever pitch by the time The Avengers hit theaters. The movie would smash the domestic opening weekend record with a colossal $207.4m, and a worldwide total of over $1.5bn would see it become the biggest non-James Cameron movie in history. With shooting already underway on follow-up Age of Ultron, the expectations placed on the sequel are nothing short of massive.
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