Has the global situation grown so bleak that the populace has regressed to comic books for escapism entertainment? Judging by the enormous popularity of everything cinematic based on superheroes and sci-fi extravaganzas I suppose the answer is 'Yes!' To sit in one place for an excess of 2 ½ hours and witness the destruction derby that is the apocalyptic bad guys (in the form of a light spear carrying Loki (Tom Hiddleston) against Samuel L. Jackson's SHIELD cast of make-believe folks - Robert Downey, Jr in armor, Chris Evans in his Captain America Halloween costume, Mark Ruffalo unconvincingly transforming into the Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as hammer wielding Thor, Scarlett Johansson as a pretty Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye all out to make life sustainable for the leasers like Stellan Skarsgård, Clark Gregg, and Colbie Smulders - is a feat in itself.

For movies of this type this one has more color and imaginative loco devices that most and therefore I suppose it remains at the top of the heap. When will these characters run out of tales? The answer likely is 'When the movie public stops ling up for these epics.'

Grady Harp