Marvel’s The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, has been coined “the superhero movie to end all superhero movies” by fans and critics alike. According to Yahoo.com, The Avengers has already made $200.3 million nationally, making it the highest-grossing movie opening of all time, breaking the record previously set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This movie is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action throughout, and a mild drug reference. It is a must-see for all ages, and anyone who doesn’t get to see it in theaters will be doing themselves a disservice.

For those who aren’t avid Marvel fans, The Avengers is about a team of “the Earth’s mightiest heroes” who must put aside their differences to protect the world from an alien invasion. Doesn’t that sound cliché? Surprisingly, it’s anything but.

To elaborate, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all must answer the call to action when Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, and his advisor Agent Phil Coulson initiate the Avengers Initiative to protect the world from Loki, Thor’s ruthless and dangerous step-brother who will stop at nothing to use the Cosmic Cube’s unlimited power and his army to rule the planet.

This production has a lot of star power. Bringing together these larger-than-life personalities (sometimes rather literally) must not have been an easy task, but Whedon pulls it off with such finesse that seems like his own super power. In making a super hero movie, a director always flits with the danger of there being too much action. However, The Avengers is stunning not only during its high moments, but during its lulls as well. While intense and gripping action does play a crucial role throughout the movie, self-effacing humor and character development shine just as brightly.

Big names like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth dutifully run true to their characters and, as usual, do not disappoint. However, it’s the new characters that truly come to life amidst the “avenging.” Mark Ruffalo, who is new to the Marvel team, does an incredible job creating the mild mannered (yet genius) Bruce Banner and, alternatively, his terrifying and sometimes humorous alter-ego, the Hulk. He plays a much more pivotal role in the movie than was shown in the trailers.

Another character that grounds the movie in its perfection is, surprisingly, the villain. For the Avengers to come together, there needs to be a pretty huge threat. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is maniacal, theatrical, powerful, and unpredictably complex. He gathered quite a number of fans from his work as a not- yet-insane version of Loki in Thor, and his work as the main baddie of The Avengers has earned him a place among my favorite villains of all time.

This film is a romp from start to finish, wonderfully produced, and totally worth 2 hours and 22 minutes of your Friday night.

P.S. Stay after the main credits are over to catch a sneak peak of Marvel’s next movie–Thor 2!