The Avengers -- Spoiler-Free Review

Tonight was an extremely rare event -- the 'dorf got a Hollywood blockbuster, not just in English, but in 3D AND before it came out in the States! Of course, since I'm basically a 12-year-old boy with a steady income, I had to rush out and see the first showing. Here're my spoiler-free thoughts:

• It was my favorite of the recent Marvel movies*
• It was funny, really funny at parts.  But not so much that I thought it was slapstick (a la Spiderman 3), but various characters had good lines, mostly within character.  Thor's big laugh didn't seem like something he'd say, but it WAS hilarious, so I give it a pass
• I was worried all the cool stuff was in the trailers.  This was not a problem.  And some of the trailer stuff popped up in places I didn't expect. And it's less cheesy
• The Chrysler Building is basically the 7th Avenger.  It gets as much screen time as Hawkeye.  It doesn't come alive or have super powers, other than its real-life superpower of being the coolest skyscraper on the planet.
• Speaking of which, he gets the short end of the screentime stick.  He's basically just a hardass, which is cool.  For a guy with a bow and arrow in a movie, being a hardass is punching wayyyy above his weight.  Now, for being a guy with a bow and arrow in an epic poem form the oral tradition, being a hardass is pretty par for the course
• The Black Widow is way cooler than in Iron Man 2.  There, she was just eye candy.  Here she's a surprisingly valuable member of the team.  Note to Jon Favreau: hot women are not just there for latex placement.
• Nick Fury is cool, but is shadier than previous flicks, which is good.  The chief spy shouldn't be trustworthy**
• I didn't see many easter eggs, which is a blow to my nerd ego. I would guess there are some, but I couldn't pick any out
• Stan Lee has a good cameo
• The post-credits scene IS pretty blatant sequel material, as well as proving that director Joss Whedon is also a fan of 80s Marvel Comics. Hint: it's not Dazzler.
• OK, fine.  If you want to know, follow the LINK for the identity of the spoiler.  I have to admit, the line that precedes him is a perfect summation of his character. I also have to admit that I don't think he'll be a good sequel villain
• So, it was worth my "hard-earned" money.  I highly recommend it and give it a solid 8 out of 10.  I'd go higher, but I was hoping to see Spidey, the FF or Wolverine somewhere in the background
• Finally, the trailer, in case you haven't seen it:

 * Previously I ranked these: Iron Man, X-Men: First Class, Thor, Iron Man 2, Hulk (the newer one), Captain America
** Or, if you ask George Tenet, competent