Thor Leaves Critics (Mostly) Thunderstruck

Joss Whedon directs Robert Downey Jr. in superhero blowout

(NEWSER) - Sure, it's an effective moneymaking scheme: release movies about individual superheroes, then one about all of them. But with Joss Whedon at the helm, The Avengers really works. What critics are saying:

• "Even if you don't particularly like comic-book adaptations, this film just might make a believer of you," writes Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times . "Whedon is the key reason why this $220 million behemoth of a movie is smartly thought out and executed with verve and precision."

'Brazenly funny bloodbath' wows critics

(NEWSER) - Teen superhero movie Kick-Ass is an over-the-top violent, funny, and subversive take on the genre that more than lives up to its name, say critics, many of whom make Tarantino comparisons.

• Director Matthew Vaughn's movie "soars on its central idea of matching a superhero's exploits with the grinding reality of urban teen life," writes Richard Corliss at Time.

Critics love Downey as avenger in superhero turn

(NEWSER) - Iron Man rockets into theaters tomorrow, and it’s so good it “practically dares the competition to measure up,” Peter Travers writes in Rolling Stone. Critics are nearly unanimous in praising the latest superhero flick, admiring its “raw vitality” and “pitch-perfect casting.” Robert Downey Jr., in particular, “brings so much creative juice to the party that Iron Man achieves instant liftoff.” More»

Comics company responds to mom's email

(NEWSER) - A 4-year-old boy was sick of wearing his hearing aid because, he told his mother, superheroes don't wear them. So she sent Marvel Comics an email asking about deaf characters—and the company designed a hero just for young Anthony Smith. First, Marvel sent Anthony a picture of Hawkeye, an existing hero who wears hearing aids. After that, they sent him a picture of all-new hero Blue Ear, who's based on Anthony and named after the boy's nickname for his hearing aid. Now Anthony's happy to wear it, Gizmodo reports. Click through for MyFox Boston's touching video . More»

But Nicolas Cage seems to get it: critics

(NEWSER) - Critics agree: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is ridiculous. But they're divided over whether the silliness of the sequel, once again starring Nicolas Cage as the devilish superhero, is funny or just bad.

• In the Merced Sun-Star , Roger Moore calls the movie "a profoundly silly mash-up of comic book and quasi-religious 'prophecy' about a motorcyclist who sold his soul to the devil." It beats the original: "This time around, Cage and everybody else on board are in on the joke," and that makes it "almost a great bad movie."