LOW BROW HELD HIGH of "The Avengers"

Part of the reason Whedon wins so much love from fanboys and fangirls is that he not only shows a clear passion for the genres he takes on, but also earns them a new respect through his signature witty, rapid-fire banter and masterfully crafted character-driven drama. The praise his projects garner often spurs new interest in formerly sneered at genres, causing spirited and rewarding revivals. He's done it with vampire-fantasy, sci-fi, horror and with now superhero movies. The Avengers is drawing widespread praise, huge box office projections, and so may well revitalize the superhero genre that seemed on its way out because of too many ill-conceived adaptations.

Comic books are notoriously hard to adapt with their complicated backstories, and so their movie are sometimes laid low by unwieldy and convoluted plots (Green Lantern). However, Whedon keeps everything in The Avengers rolling by focusing on the characters. Even when I didn't follow a particular lingo-heavy line or backstory reference—or couldn't hear it over the roar of the enthralled audience—I never felt lost in the journey because of how firmly established the characters and their motivations are. It made The Avengers accessible in a way few thought possible, and in doing so opened the glory of this assembly up to a wide and wildly appreciative audience.