4.6 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13

Synopsis

An all-star lineup of superheroes -- including Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Captain America -- team up to save the world from certain doom. Working under the authority of S.H.I.E.L.D., can our heroes keep the planet at peace?

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany

Director:

Joss Whedon

Blu-ray Release Date:

September, 25, 2012

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:

Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 5.0 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

Subwoofer - 5.0 Stars

Dialog - 5.0 Stars

Surround Effects - 5.0 Stars

Dynamic Range - 5.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French: DTS-HD HR 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

When the movie is engaged in action the rumbles are almost constant, and it's glorious. Explosions are big and wide, Iron Man's afterburners rumble, Thor's thunder rolls, and Hulk's roars are full of deep anger. Surprisingly, even with all the sounds of crazy action, not a line of dialog was lost to the commotion. Surround speakers can always be heard with sounds of helicopters, jet planes, gunshots, whistling wind, alien lasers, Captain America's ricocheting shield, and Hawkeye's whizzing arrows.

Video 4.8 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

Color Accuracy - 5.0 Stars

Shadow detail - 4.5 Stars

Clarity - 4.5 Stars

Skin tones - 5.0 Stars

Compression - 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

From Black Widow's red hair to Captain America's red, white, and blue shield every superhero's costume and one big guy's green skin, pop with vibrant color. Some dark scenes loose details in the shadows, but for the most part the most of the movie is bright and colorful. The clarity is good enough to bring out the details on clothing textures, beard stubble, scratches on Iron Man's armor, and blood and bruises on our heroes' faces. Skin tones are natural looking and now compression issues were noticeable.

Bonus Features 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Commentary by Director / Writer Joss Whedon.

The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen Experience allows viewers to access a supposed S.H.I.E.L.D. database which includes information on the various characters and story elements via their Ipad, Iphone or laptop.

Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (HD; 11:20) is another direct to video release short which has a tangential tie in to the main feature.

Gag Reel (HD; 4:05)

Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD; 14:59) features eight scenes, including an alternate opening and ending.

Featurettes (HD; 14:37) include A Visual Journey and Assembling the Ultimate Team. Both feature Whedon and others in interviews discussing the aims for this new franchise.

Soundgarden Music Video "Live to Rise" (HD; 4:49). Who decided to offer this in Dolby Digital 2.0? I think the Hulk needs to visit them, whoever they are.

Movie - 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

This summer offered up a few amusing action flicks, however The Avengers was by far the most entertaining films of the year (and yes I know the year isn't over). I will try to write the review without having much of a slant, but it will be hard because I've been wanting to see this movie since I was a kid, and it didn't let me down. It's not a perfect movie, there are a few plot holes and some motivations can be questioned, but it's so fun to watch. It's almost 2 1/2 hours long and it doesn't drag. When there's no action on the screen, the development of the relationships are just as fun to watch. The scope of the story is huge and has so many larger than life characters it's amazing they were able to write a script that allowed each character to shine and strut their stuff. It's a funny, exciting, and big comic book movie that gives fans of comics and movies what they want.