Story
The Avengers begins with the Tesseract, which is an inactive alien artefact and a source of untold renewable power. For several decades it has been in the safekeeping of a covert national security agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Without warning, the Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a portal to a distant galaxy. Exiled god Loki (Tom Hiddleston) steps through the portal and steals the Tesseract, placing the Earth in dire peril. He plans to use the Tesseract to create a stable space portal that will allow an army of aliens to invade and conquer Earth.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. To stop Loki and the alien invasion, he forms the Avengers, a team of superheroes that includes Loki’s brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Bruce Banner/the incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson). The Avengers initially find it difficult to work together as a team but manage to sort out their differences. But then Loki uses the Tesseract to open a portal for the aliens to invade Earth.
Themes
Superheroes; alien invasion; world domination
Violence
The Avengers contains intense action violence with numerous deaths, but there is minimal blood and gore. For example:
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie shows some use of substances. For example:
- Characters drink socially at parties.
- Tony Stark asks Bruce Banner if his secret for staying stress free is a huge bag of weed.
Nudity and sexual activity
This movie has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Women wear low-cut tops and brief shorts.
- Black Widow wears a tight-fitting body suit.
- There is some kissing.
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
This movie has some coarse language and name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Avengers is an action adventure move that brings together some of Marvel’s most famous superhero characters. It’s targeted at adolescent boys and adult fans of Marvel comics. It contains violence and scary scenes, which makes it unsuitable for children and some younger teenagers.
The main message from this movie is that people who work together as a team can achieve far more than those working by themselves.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include cooperation and selflessness.