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Consider the wit, brawn and pulse-pounding balls of both Iron Man movies and the spectacular Thor. Now consider the flaws and failings of Captain America, Fury and two incredibly average Hulk flicks. What are you left with? A question: where exactly was in-form writer/director Joss Whedon's Avengers Assemble actually going to go? Down the pan? Or through the roof? Well, guess what? He's only gone and pulled it off.

Ever since that teasing Nick Fury advent at the end of the first Iron Man, fans and filmgoers alike have been seeing-out the end credits of all subsequent Marvel flicks in hope of something (anything). What they got was everything. All signs pointed to an assemble, all roads lead to an Avengers movie. 5 years in the making? Try 50 for any Marvel mogul worth their salt will tell you a film's been coming since the early 1960's.

And here it is: 4 big-buck franchises rolled into one: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk. Robert Downey-Junior, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and...Mark Ruffolo?! Ed Norton obviously didn't fancy this one but fear not, Hulk nuts, Ruffolo's twitchy turn makes for the best Banner yet. Anyway, throw these four in a room together and you're guaranteed two things; friction and fun. Our heroes square up, square off but in the end...well you can guess where it goes. The story? SHIELD head Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) enlists the fickle four along with Black Widow (Scarlet Johanson) to help save the world from Thor's bad brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Zero points for innovation, then. But if you thought Tony Stark suiting-up for the first-time was the coolest thing you've ever seen. Think again.

Skilled sci-fi pen-cum-director Joss Whedon has well and truly arrived with this dizzyingly brilliant blockbuster that's more than the sum of it's fluctuating parts. Believe the hype, Avengers Assemble is a cast-iron hit. It's incredible. It's thunderous. It's furious, beaming, biting and marvellous. But enough puns, let's get down to business.

Whedon has approached this four-way fusion in the right way: a strong and balanced emphasis on plot, dialogue and visuals, character development and chemistry. Too many cooks? Hell no. The big-name players work so well with one another it's actually surprising. The sheer sum and sense of one-liners and put-downs are just as memorable as the brutal, in-house beat-downs. Which is saying something when you consider scenes pitting Iron Man and Hulk against Thor are enough to send an entire generation of comic-book geeks into cardiac arrest.

Downey-Junior's effortlessly cool turn on the sarci' Stark was always going to be the main lure, here, but to say he outshines his peers would be wrong. It's not all about the billionaire ball-buster. Everyone gets their 15 minutes. Both Hemsworth and Ruffolo (in particular) are bang on. Even the out-of-touch Cap' chips in with a few big, cheesy shots and Hiddleston's creepy demigod makes for a sharp villain.

Granted, Whedon's tongue-in-cheek ethos and slapstick-like approach means the Avengers was never going to measure up to any of Nolan's Batman films. How many comic-book films (or films, in general) do!? Which is why there's not much point even trying to compare this breath-snatching Marvel muster to Nolan's Dark Knight rebirth. It's a kick-ass popcorn movie for young and old. Nothing more.

That said, this hulking 142 minute feature is a stimulating affair with a freehold on the brash and the flash and the down-right hilarious. It's an absolute blast. Wildly entertaining, ridiculously awesome, the Avengers' is everything it should be: over-the-top, funny, cool, funny, loud, exciting, electric and did I mention funny!?

Best comic book movie ever? No. Best Marvel production ever? Yeeeeee...no. X-Men: First Class still has that one tied-up but for such a question to prompt a pause for thought says an awful lot. Whedon's Assemble may not be the best superhero film out there but it is the funniest and probably the most entertaining. Definitely the coolest.

Sure, there may be a limit to how many times you can watch superheroes kick the crap out of one and all. But you won't mind too much. Popcorn cinema doesn't get much better than this. Joss Whedon and co. have kicked this year's comic-book-busters off with a bang. Expect sequels.

Usain Bolt and bobsleighs aside, when someone mentions Jamaica, you think of either Reggae, Rhastas or weed. In other words, you think of Bob Marley. The undisputed paragon of everything we associate with that "laid-back" corner of the Caribbean. But Bob was a little more than a nonchalant stoner who sung a few tunes, you know. As far as singer/songwriters go, they don't come much bigger than Bob Marley. His and The Wailers' universal songs of love, peace and hope rank amidst some of the finest and most recognizable ever given up to music. There are even those who would liken Bob to Ghandi. A bit O.T.T, sure, but the comparisons are there (sort of): an immortal advocate of peace and altruism; a liberal; a national treasure. And yet Bob Marley was not without fault and, 'till now, a fair share of unworthy documentaries.

Kevin Macdonald's (The Last King of Scotland) bio' doc' about Bob's life and legacy is a stylish and honest mediation on the man behind the myth that charts his physical and spiritual journey through the music world; his quest for success that would transform him from the rejected frontman of a budding ska band to the iconic, liberating arbitrator whose timeless tunes went beyond music and unified colours, creeds and a country in meltdown.

Made with the full cooperation of Bob's family and friends and told largely through their accounts, Marley is a potent and essential piece of documentary film-making. Kevin Macdonald's Bob doc' could've made the man out to be some kind of saint. But it doesn't. Macdonald's various interviews with those who knew Bob best in addition to a heap of archival stills and footage paint the pop-icon in a variety of ways; conflicted, poised, selfish, kind, wanton, loyal, driven, stubborn, free. Marley lays bare the heart and soul of the dreadlocked Rhasta in some style.

A distinct level of cohesion and humanity is well and truly found in the director's attention to detail regarding Bob's estranged personal life; from his impoverished roots and search for acceptance to his self-serving, self-sacrificing ways and stirring date with cancer.

Despite a muddled and stuttered opening, Marley boasts an absolving and deeply moving final third that ties the hefty, 146 minute bio doc' up in style (cheesy ending credits aside).

This is a fresh and thoughtful trip through the life of a music legend with scope and soul in spades; an intriguing and chic fusion of art, music and history. Marley is the quintessential portrait of Bob Marley's life. See it.

Bold, beautiful and utterly brilliant. Ang Lee's heartbreaking cowboy film is a vital meditation on love and longing, maleness and morality. A year on from the passing of its leading light, The Edge remembers one of the decade's most important films…

An eloquently tender slice of American cinema, Brokeback Mountain is a film I've held close to my heart now for quite some time. Among other things, this delicately spun picture brought to my attention the skills of an enticing young actor who was fast becoming recognised as one of the finest his generation had to offer. Heath Ledger. A dynamic talent whose Oscar Nominated turn in Ang Lee's epic love parable proved he was, in fact, the real deal. Okay, he didn't win the award and Brokeback was erroneously pipped to the best picture prize by the pretentious Crash. But in 10, 15, 20 years time, Lee's spacious adap of Annie Prolux's short story will no doubt be remembered as the film of 2006. Perhaps even the noughties. And while Ledger's show-stopping spin on Lee Bermejo's retooled Joker maybe the role forever coupled with his name, I will always remember him as the man who played a prominent part in the conception of, quite possibly, the greatest love story of our time.

Set against the sweeping mountain vistas of Wymoing, Brokeback Mountain tells the tearful tale of Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal). Two twenty something ranch-hands who inadvertently forge a secret love affair in the summer of 1963 that, for all its twists and turns, snags, wrongs and rights, endures: emerging a subversive yet authentic testament to the power of love.

Spanning three arduous decades, Ennis and Jack's covert allegory is one awash with danger, deceit, thought, feeling, density and doubt that bobs and weaves from start to finish. In spite of their mutual affection, Ennis's repressed spirit and alpha-male tendencies obscure the two men's hopes of a happy life together. Jack is the beta and more in-touch half of the bond who, in time, comes to terms with who and what he is. But for Ennis, things aren't so easy. He's a cagey, conflicted and near- inaudible entity who's always quick to remind Jack that their country and culture has a "heterosexual or highway" policy that cannot be inverted.

Considered "alien" even now, homosexuality is outlawed in and around certain pockets of the U.S which is why controversy surrounded and continues to prod the picture three years on from its release. Given the underground credentials of art house autuers' Pedro Almodovar and Wong Kar Wai.Ang, Lee wasn't the first to tackle the theme head-on, but under the stuborn eye of the Hollywood mainstream's- he was. "The first time I read the script for Brokeback, I rejected it," he confessed. "The second time I read it I decided to do it for the exact same reason I'd rejected it before: no one was going to see it." Lee was right to some extent: the percentage of insular homophobes occupying the mainstream of the movie going world was and is, no doubt, large. But Brokeback is too good a film to take on board the criticism dished out by the obtuse. Wake up, smell the coffee. This film is a flat out triumph. A gracefully spun tear jerker with hope, pride and splendour to spare. Brokeback Mountain is one of the most important films to come out of America in living memory. One that compels, captivates, moves and inspires: it stuck with me for months after viewing it.

Much more than just a gay love yarn about two cowboys, Brokeback Mountain is a spectacle. A heart-wrenching morality play that has the power to reshape the notions and ideals of those who discard diversity. This is a film about love. Love that transcends gender, reason and the so-called "norms" laid down by a heterosexual world. Brokeback doesn't ask you to embrace homosexuality, but to understand it, to accept it. Discard it as an "issue", even, for love is an inescapable force that knows no bounds.

Ennis and Jack's same-sex relationship even defies relevance as the film flows towards a melancholic finale, paving the way for a full fledged romantic melodrama that has an unmistakable air of Romeo and Juliet about it. Gylenhall is fantastic, Ledger is a revelation. The late chameleon's pitch-perfect portrayal of a troubled father and husband torn between what he feels and what he thinks he should feel is as true, as touching and as potent as anything you're likely to see in cinema. Much like the film's breathtaking backdrop and photography. Brokeback looks magnificent. The jagged peaks, land; lake and sky-scapes together with the deftly plucked and strummed strings of Gustavoa Santliano's acoustic guitar mount towards one effortlessly potent motif: reminding the viewer time and time again of the men's rocky liaison; of the struggle, pain and care they both share. Brokeback Mountain is an emotive masterpiece. A truly special film that has the dexterity to stir, touch and even transform.