Avengers assemble in Maltese cinemas this week

The long-awaited superhero blockbuster Avengers Assemble will premiere in Maltese cinemas today.

There will be shows at Eden Cinemas, St Julian's at 14:30, 17:45 and 20:00; Embassy Cinemas, Valletta at 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 21:00 and Empire Cinemas, Bugibba at 13:55, 17:50 and 20:45.

The big-budget bonanza will bring together a superhero dream team to defend the earth from an extraterrestrial threat.

As the Norse arch-villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) breaks out of the celestial prison he's been placed into by his brother, the thunder god Thor (Chris Hemsworth), he begins to formulate a cataclysmic revenge on mankind.

Stepping in to intervene, Nick Fury of defence agency SHIELD (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits a team of superheroes to battle this unprecedented  threat.

Forming an unlikely alliance are Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) the film is a culminating project for Marvel, who have introduced the lead characters in previous standalone films, with the Loki storyline following directly from 2011's Thor.

The Studios (an extension of Marvel's comic book empire) have been hinting at the film for quite some time in after-credits sequences - starting with 2008's Iron Man, where Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury informs the titual hero's alter ego Tony Stark about "the Avengers initiative".

Read the full review in this Sunday's edition of MaltaToday.