(L-R) “Iron Man” & “Captain America” (credit: Marvel Studios)

 
You can hear KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl’s movie reviews on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM Fridays at 8:53am & 4:53pm.

(CBS SF) – Super-humans are brought together to form The Avengers, trying to save Earth from destruction and, even more importantly, fight the power of the vengeful brother of Thor!

 
THE AVENGERS (PG-13)

What saves this movie from being just a comic book generic is some powerful actors. The most fun is Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. He has some smart, snappy dialogue that treats the audience as if we have enough going on to know references like Shakespeare in the Park and basic European history.

Mark Ruffalo is Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, Scarlett Johansson becoming a better, more natural actress (she showed this also in the earlier movie We Bought a Zoo), this time as Natasha, a.k.a. The Black Widow.

Good casting gives women and some men a character to swoon over. Definitely a comic book flick, but worthy of 3 hats.

 
PICK-A-SIDE: Who Is Your Favorite ‘Avenger’?

 
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (PG-13)

Get ready for a movie that actually leaves you felling better about the world, and the adventure of life at any age.

Cast of ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ (credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

 
We meet a group of interesting seniors – each one has a story and all are reaching that time in their lives when they are ready for a radically new adventure. Do they get one! A hotel in India is advertised as glamorous and modern yet seeped in history of the region. It lures them all there with exotic promises, yet the reality is quite different. The actors make it multidimensional; the director is John Madden from Shakespeare in Love and Her Majesty Mrs. Brown. The cast hits it out of the park. 4 hats.

 
See Right Now: Natural Selection, Monsieur Lazhar, Marley, Chimpanzee, Bully, The Lady, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, A Separation, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.”

Home Viewing/DVD: Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol, The Iron Lady, War Horse, We Bought a Zoo.

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