Avengers Assemble!!

So the Avengers Assemble is been released in the new few days so in preparation for this I give you another one of my special features!! Oh I am spoiling you aren't I!! Anyway there will be no reviews of the two previous Hulk films as I have not seen them which would make a review pretty hard would't it.

Iron Man (2008)

Director Jon Favreau

Possibly the success of this film is the reason that we have eventually reached the position of the Avengers Assemble. Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes) is perhaps the perfect actor for the role of Tony Stark managing to be arrogant rude and a bit of a prick really yet do it in a way that you can't help but like him. Like all the leads in the previous Marvel films he is at the centre of a film, which although not perfect is still a pretty good ride. The film is really a film of two halves and with the first half featuring the dark origins of Iron Man and the second half featuring his fight for power against the villainous Jeff Bridges (Tron Legacy, True Grit) but the problem is that he's not a memorable villain or even one that seems much of an adversary to Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en, Glee) is likeable enough but doesn't receive the screen time she deserves until the film sequel. Overall a solid start to the series of films but probably the least enjoyable of the instalments.

6 out of 10

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Director Jon Favreau

After a reasonably successful Hulk film starring Edward Norton, who was apparently asked back for the Avengers but turned it down because of scheduling issues, Marvel returned to the Iron Man series to build on the success of the first film and set things up for the now in motion movement for an Avengers film. Downey Jnr and Paltrow improve on their roles from the first film and the sequel also takes time out to introduce Samuel L Jackson's (Pulp Fiction, Star Wars) Nick Fury, briefly seen in one of Marvels famous post credit scenes for Iron Man, and Scarlett Johnansson (Lost in Translation, The Island) as Black Widow. The film is one of those rare superior sequel, with the first third suggesting that if it had kept up the pace it could have been THE comic book  movie. Where it really succeeds from the first film is in the casting of Mickey Rourke (Sin City, The Expendables) however unfortunately if will always be remembered as a film with lots of potential but just falls short.

7 out of 10

Thor (2011)

Director Kenneth Branagh

With The Avengers film clearly in site 2011 was the year for Marvel to introduce two of the teams major members and Thor got the spotlight first. The film has a pretty impressive cast but two of the major roles went to relative roles. Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek, Cabin In The Woods) picking up Thor's mighty hammer and Tom Hiddleston (Midnight In Paris, War Horse) as his villainous brother Loki, both of whom look set to play major roles in the new film. The story of the film is the most well thought out of the series, although it does leave you guess as to how the film will lead into Avengers Assemble. When watching the film in relevance to the Marvel Universe there's a blink and you miss it cameo for Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later, The Town) as Hawkeye, another Avenger, god there's a lot isn't there!! Whether its the fact that it doesn't souley take place on Earth or the fact that Kenneth Branagh was directing Thor is certainly proving the star of the series so far but there's a long way to go from here!

7 out of 10

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Director Joe Johnston

With less then a year to the release of the Avengers, as it was then called and is still called for the US market, it was time to introduce the final key member of the team. Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World) was no stranger to adaptations of Marvel comics when and is becoming another rising star of the Avengers Universe. Even though it is set before its predecessors there's still references cleverly inserted to the storyline, particularly the character portrayal of Tony Starks father, played by Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia, An Education) who doesn't quite get another time to prove himself as the true Dad of Iron Man. It's also nice to see Tommy Lee Jones (Volcano, Men In Black) and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings) return to having major roles in big blockbusters. Overall Captain America does not quite live up to Iron Man 2 and Thor but still manages to perfectly set up Avengers Assemble even placing Steve Rodgers right where he's needed.

6 out of 10

So that the past of Marvel's Avengers universe and Avengers Assemble is the present but with the film looking to become one of the highest grossing films of the year it seems that Marvel still has big plans for it's studios most high profile and lucrative franchise (It doesn't own the rights to the X-Men Series). So what is next ? Well officially the current schedule looks like this:

3rd May 2013: Iron Man 3

15th November 2013: Thor 2

4th April 2014: Captain America 2

Well that's the official time table but it has been said that all those films will most probably lead into the Avengers 2, with talk also flying around about Mark Ruffalo's (Shutter Island, Date Night) Hulk, Nick Fury, Hawkeye and Black Widow all receiving their own features and there has even been mention of Avengers 3. What ever you do i wouldn't make plans to say goodbye to this universe any time soon.