In a world where Australia gets a movie a week and a half prior to the United States, it only makes sense that it could be a world where a movie so hyped could still surpass expectation, and then some.

The Avengers is, for me and in no uncertain terms, the best comic book movie I’ve seen.

I’ve read a lot of comics, and among them have been a lot of Avengers comics. I really enjoy reading The Avengers, because I like the team dynamic and the way in which they appear to be friends behind the shields and masks.

Watching The Avengers – directed by geek-superstar Joss Whedon – was like watching a comic play out in front of me. There was everything you could have hoped for as a fan; friendships, action, team dynamics, action, humour, and a bit more action.

There was a lot of concern over how this movie would end up blending together the storylines of four separate movie franchises without it turning into a mess. That’s where the 142 minutes this movie runs comes into play. There were two distinct portions of the movie where we saw a coming together of the franchises and their respective stars, before the movie merged into one seamless action scene that all but flashed the words “Avengers Assemble” up on the screen.

And that is not to say that the first portion of the movie wasn’t itself seamless, it was just a necessary blending of previous movies and personalities.

Those who were worried about the role that the two non-powered heroes – Hawkeye and Black Widow – would play should fret no longer. Both characters are used exactly as they should be and they compliment the rest of the team perfectly, completing tasks that the big-hitters simply would no have been able to.

It would be retreading ground to address the actors performances as their titular characters, as they’ve already had their own movies. But the introduction of Hawkeye (who really only had a small part to play in Thor), Maria Hill, and the return of Agent Phil Coulson fill out an already fantastic character sheet.

The “best comic book movie” descriptor is going to be thrown around a lot, and I don’t expect everyone to think the same way I do. But I do hope that it conveys just how much I enjoyed this movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop whatever you are doing and go! Trust me, you won’t regret it.