This is probably the most eagerly anticipated action movie of the year. In fact I’m surprised the Marvel studio didn’t hold this back as the 2012 summer holiday blockbuster.

The slow build up to this instalment must have exploded a few ‘comic-book’ geek heads when it finally arrived. In 2008 we had Iron Man which shocked many people by casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark which actually turned out to be an inspired choice. Now cast your mind back to ‘The Incredible Hulk’(2008) when Tony Stark makes the obligatory Marvel post credit character appearance and utters the words “They’re putting a team together” Hmm! The sign of things to come? Then in 2011 we had a double whammy with Chris Hemsworth’s ‘Thor’ and my personal favourite ‘Captain America’.

What a huge anti-climax ‘Avengers Assemble’ could have been but thanks to the genius of director and writer Joss Whedon the film hits all the right buttons. There’s something here for everyone, it’s not just for superhero fans. What makes it stand out is the brilliantly witty script full of snappy one-liners (most of which come from Robert Downey Jr.) but with Whedon you always have to expect the unexpected. You think you know where this dialogue is leading but then it suddenly takes a sharp diversion and makes you laugh out loud.

Having said all that the storyline is quite a simple one. The totally bonkers megalomaniac Loki (Tom Hiddlestone) Thor’s adopted brother (as Thor himself is quick to point out) joins forces with a very nasty bunch of alien warriors and steals a powerful cube of energy called the Tesseract from under the noses of S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson who gets to kick ass in this movie) calls on the resources of the top secret Avengers Incentive.

It’s not a smooth transition by any means but the gang does eventually merge as one unstoppable force despite arguments and in-fighting along the way. Captain America (Chris Evans) emerges as the voice of justice and reason so falls into the role of a natural leader with his strategic thinking in the thick of battle. Tony Stark AKA Iron Man is the wise cracking boffin who likes to break the rules, plus his metal flying suit is pretty deadly. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has strength and valour but also has a personal involvement and Dr David Banner AKA The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is initially there as an expert on gamma radiation but as we all know he hides an uncontrollable Monster inside.

In fact The Hulk is the real revelation here. Rather than the previous incarnations of two different personas with the Doctor and the creature. In this movie you can see Banner’s presence within the Hulk’s appearance. This is thanks to the advanced motion capture technology. The Avengers are joined by two S.H.I.E.L.D agents Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who also rock.

The final climatic battle will have you on the edge of your seat and has by far some of the best choreographed action sequences than any recent adventure film outing. I hope you are paying attention Michael Bay, it’s not all WHAM BAM! and...well more WHAMMING and BAMMING.

It’s worth the money just to see Tony Stark prodding David Banner with a sharp instrument while working in the lab just to make him angry out of a wicked sense of curiosity.

It’s a massive 5 out of 5 from me.