Walking into a packed theater I saw each gum-covered seat filled with Marvel comic fan boys sporting “Incredible Hulk” t-shirts, eager grins, and buckets of popcorn drowning in butter and excitement. I found myself wondering what movie could have possibly sparked such a massive crowd.

In the action-packed movie “The Avengers” a team of six of the most infamous super heroes to grace the pages of Marvel comics must work together to, you guessed it, save the world.

However, “The Avengers” provided more for its audience than the typical action movie by dodging boring clichés and predictable plot lines like Loki dodged Hawk Eye’s arrows.

The heroes are equipped with their own special skills and weapons. Iron man destroyed his enemies with his high tech suit that left every robotics team member jealous. Thor swung his mighty, intergalactic hammer. Hawk Eye channeled his inner Katniss Everdeen with his archery abilities. The Black Widow shined as the lone female cast member, utilizing her assassin abilities-without smudging a dash of eye liner. Captain America defended the world and his flawless hair with his patriotically painted shield. And The Hulk lost his temper.

The heroes’ superpowers added to the cinematic glitter, as the special effects were as abundant as Captain America’s hair spray. Crowds cheered as they watched actor Mark Ruffalo transform into the Incredible Hulk and fight hand to hand (more giant green fist to hand) against Loki. Black Widow attacked the possessed Hawk Eye with her extraordinary combat skills and made the audience jump in their seats as each punch and kick added to the excitement. Anticipation ran through their frozen hearts as Thor fell through the portal separating Earth from another dimension. The wild action scenes did more than leave the audience dazzled, it allowed viewers to feel involved in the movie, as if they were fighting alongside The Avengers.

Between the action scenes, the superheroes’ intriguing back stories were revealed and allowed those less dazzled by the Hulk-smashing and explosions to connect with the film as well. The Hulk’s struggle to control his powerful alter-ego showed a softer, less green side of the man behind the super-human strength. The subtle love story between Hawk Eye and Black Widow sprinkled in a touch of romance necessary to keep even the preadolescent Twilight fans intrigued.

Overall, “The Avengers” left viewers with a connection to the characters, through incredible battle scenes, intriguing back stories or even the simple novelty of watching a Marvel comic come to life on screen.