The Avengers

NOT only is The Avengers the superhero movie we had to have, it is the superhero movie you have to see.

The long awaited second trailer for The Avengers is here.

This truly epic action picture positively pulses with panache, wit and excitement throughout.

Upcoming US summer blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man had better be at the peak of their powers to match the absolute blast that is The Avengers.

This new movie marks the culmination of a long-range plan by Marvel Entertainment to transform their elite stable of comic-book crimefighters into box-office superstars.

After achieving massive success with movies devoted to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans), the time has come to get these big guns firing as one.

That’s right - the explosive bang-for-buck factor of The Avengers is detonated by bringing together three top-flight superheroes in the one movie.

Better still, The Avengers restores the reputation of one of Marvel’s fallen stars by unleashing The Hulk (now played by Mark Ruffalo) into the frenzied fray as well.

As an added bonus, peripheral players from earlier Marvel productions such as Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are finally given some hell to raise.

Without giving too much away - the inspired manner in which writer-director Joss Whedon springs the element of surprise is the trump card of the picture - the all-star ensemble must thwart a possible world-ending scheme devised by Thor’s villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

In bringing their blood feud to Earth, the warring sibling gods have left open a mystical door that puts the entire mortal world in danger.

The plot might sound a trifle silly, but it makes perfectly compelling sense when placed in the assured hands of a crack cast.

In particular, Downey Jr is back in ripping form after a lack-lustre display in Iron Man 2. He supplies an infectious comic spark that lights up plenty of enjoyably fiery interplay between the egocentric major players.

The welcome inclusion of Jeremy Renner as rogue marksman Hawkeye also prevents the movie from ever slipping into a rut.

It is not often you can say this, but The Avengers is one $200 million-plus event flick where not a single cent has been wasted.

The special-effects work is spectacular, especially during two truly awesome set-piece battle sequences.

The first, aboard an airborne weapons carrier, is brilliant enough. The second, an all-stops-out skirmish on the streets of a busy city, will leave viewers gasping for breath by the end.

Overall, The Avengers is a fist-pumping cause for celebration for comic-book hard-liners and action fans alike.

THE AVENGERS opens next Wednesday.