The day is finally here. Four years after Nick Fury made an appearance in Iron Man The Avengers have finally assembled.

No one dared to go up against this behemoth of a film, so it’s an extended review roundup this week. But really, you were probably going to go watch it anyway.

Christopher Orr of The Atlantic says:

But ultimately it all comes back to Whedon: his clear vision for each character and how they might be profitably intermingled; his unexpected knack for action choreography; his funny, tender, immaculately constructed script (from a story he co-wrote with Zak Penn).

Amy Biancolli of the San Francisco Chronicle says:

A 3-D movie featuring not one, not two, but six brilliant and/or ludicrously muscled protagonists fighting to defend Planet Earth from a Nordic god in a snit has no right to be anything but confusing, ridiculous and generally devoid of simple human affect. And yet it’s none of those things.

Claudia Puig of USA Today says:

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.

Roger Ebert of RogerEbert.com says:

“The Avengers” is done well by Joss Whedon, with style and energy. It provides its fans with exactly what they desire. Whether it is exactly what they deserve is arguable.

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times says:

But what really makes the difference in “The Avengers” is the emphasis on character as the film’s storytelling core.

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