I don’t care what the calendar says: I’m drinking an iced tea and I just saw ‘The Avengers,’ so summer has officially begun.

‘The Avengers’ is a superhero ensemble film that Marvel’s been leading up to since the release of 2008’s ‘Iron Man.’ Loki, the god of mischief, steals an artifact from the S.H.I.E.L.D organization that’s capable of infinite power, and it’s up to Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow to stop him. But can they learn to work as a team before it’s too late?

The first half of the film focuses on the friction between the characters. Seeing as they all have very different personalities and backgrounds, there’s bound to be conflict. I thought this was handled really well. And being a Joss Whedon film, the dialog is very quick and snappy. The movie has a lot of rewatch value, not just for the set pieces, but to catch all the jokes.

The action scenes in this movie are fantastic. They’re thrilling, expansive, and joyously cartoonish, but you always know what’s going on, and there’s some time to cool down between the big set pieces. It’s not just a three-hour clusterfuck of lights, jitter cam, and noise. The 3D was surprisingly decent for post-converted: the picture’s not too dark or blurry, and it actually looks pretty cool at times. It’s not necessary to fully enjoy the movie, but it’s not a waste of money either.

But the most amazing part of the film was it’s balance. It’s not ‘Iron Man 3:’ there’s just enough of each character, and they’re all well-developed and given something to do. Iron Man has all the great one-liners, Thor has all the family drama, Hulk has all the… smashing shit. In fact, The Hulk has the single best scene in the movie. I won’t spoil it.

Loki was a great villain, even more so than in ‘Thor.’ He’s very sinister and manipulative, and knows how to get under each of the hero’s skin. He also thinks of himself as a king, but turns into a whiny kid when he’s in hot water. That made him a really fun character to watch.

February’s ‘Chronicle’ set the bar high for me when it came to upcoming superhero flicks, and thanks to ‘The Avengers,’ that bar has been raised a little higher. It might not be the greatest thing to ever happen to film, but as a summer movie and a superhero movie, you couldn’t ask for anything more. ‘The Avengers’ is one of the most wholly, completely satisfying blockbusters I’ve seen in a long time.

Spill Rating: Better Than Sex!