Hero movie draws crowd

Checking showtimes for Marvel Comics’ “The Avengers” on opening weekend was a lost cause for those who wanted to enjoy the film at AMC theaters in Imax 3-D.

But if a seat could be secured, the feature film gracing the screen and the subsequent two hours and 23 minutes are worth every obstacle in the way of seeing director Joss Whedon’s latest masterpiece.

The four main heroes — Ironman, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America — are all involved in excellent action scenes that display each individual’s abilities and skills.

Captain America is just that — the captain. Played by Chris Evans, in the final action scene, which overshadows the rest of the movie, he directs the team of heroes into strategic positions.

The battle concludes after his one explicit instruction to the Hulk: smash.

Climbing buildings, jumping through the air and crushing everything in sight, the computer-generated green demolition man lives up to his destructive temperament.

Hulk jumps off buildings onto the flying ship-creature and pummels the monsters until they crashed into buildings or onto the pavement.

Fight coordinator Jonathan Eusebio, who worked on such films as “300,” “Ironman 2,” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” once again mesmerizes audiences with innovative, imaginative combat.

With fighting scenes that consist of battles between the Hulk and Thor, Ironman and Thor and a brief scuffle between Loki and Captain America, overshadowing the action scenes in this movie is no easy task.

Superhero movies are loaded with visual and special effects. Poor effects take away from one of the most important elements of these fantasy flicks: realism.

Fans come to see their favorite heroes display their awesome powers in a believable way for just a couple of hours and this movie delivers.

The realism of Bruce Banner’s alter ego is superior to any other “Hulk” movie.

Contracting and expanding abdominal muscles while the massive creature takes a breath, coupled with the facial structure that truly resembles Mark Ruffalo make the fictional character almost believable.

The smoothness in which he grabs or interacts with the other characters makes one almost forget that the green guy is completely computer-generated, especially when he struggles attempting to pick up Thor’s hammer.

The nicely directed action sequences entice the applauding audience during every fight. However, crushed heads and cosmic energy blasts are only a fraction of the film’s drawing power.