The Avengers…

Most of the early reviews/word of the film were very positive (it is scoring, as of today, an impressive 93% approval on Rottentomatoes.com among critics).

However…

It appears not everyone is falling for the movie.  Two reviews, in particular, point to something I worry may be occurring with the whole superhero genre in movies:  Superhero fatigue.

First, a review posted on Slate Magazine by Dana Stevens:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2012/05/the_avengers_directed_by_joss_whedon_reviewed_.html

Next, Andrew O’Hehir of Salon.com offers a review that, thematically, runs very similar:

http://www.salon.com/2012/05/02/the_avengers_will_superhero_movies_never_end/

A few days back (you can read it here) I noted which summer movies most intrigued me.  Among the ones I was curious about, but figured would most likely see when they were released on video, was The Avengers.  While I’m a fan of director/writer Joss Whedon, quite honestly, the above two reviews are part of the reason why the movie isn’t on my “must watch” list.  That list remains, at least for now, at two films: Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises.

The fact is that even though I have the latest Batman film on my “must watch” list, I’m growing very, very tired of superhero films.  It’s a very tough admission to make, given my general love of the genre -and comic books as well!-, but in the last few years there have been so many comic book films that its getting tiresome.

The Dark Knight Rises is on my list only because I enjoyed the first two Batman films and the works of director Christopher Nolan and I’m curious to see where he’s taking this film, which has been characterized as the last of his Batman “trilogy”.  As with the Spider-Man films, I suspect there will be a “new” version of Batman coming soon afterwards, sans Christopher Nolan’s input, and I’m just as weary of that as I am of the new Spider-Man release.

Like many things, I appear to be in a minority.  It looks like The Avengers is set to break box office records and become a huge hit for the studios and the talent involved.

But I have to admit, the more I hear about it, the more weary I become.