The Avengers (2012)

Hawkeye spends most of The Avengers brainwashed, and honestly the movie seems relieved it doesn’t have to write him a personality. That’s the vibe of the weak spots: the alien army is a faceless swarm on flying scooters, and the first hour is mostly heroes bickering on a flying boat. But oh, the bickering. Joss Whedon writes these people like a group project where every member thinks they’re the leader, and Robert Downey Jr. needles Chris Evans like he gets paid per eye roll. Mark Ruffalo walks in late and makes Bruce Banner the best part of a movie with a Norse god in it. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is smug in the most fun way possible. Then the Battle of New York finally puts the whole team in one swooping shot, and it still feels huge. $1.52 billion worldwide and an A+ CinemaScore, so everyone noticed. An 8.3 because it made a team-up look easy when it never was. $959 says you start assigning your friends Avengers roles and nobody wants to be Hawkeye.

What works: Whedon’s quick, funny banter makes a pile of giant egos feel like a real team, and the New York battle is still a blast.

What doesn’t: The alien army is a faceless swarm, Hawkeye barely gets a personality, and the first hour leans hard on bickering.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves a team-up, and anyone who has survived a group project with a teammate who wouldn’t stop talking.