What do you get when you combine the leading cast of Marvel’s most recent comic-based actions films, a fresh new story, and a special effects extravaganza? The product is The Avengers, the biggest blockbuster start to this summer. Amassing a colossal domestic total of $1 billion in its first two weeks, Avengers is a standout record-breaker for 2012. But just what is it that makes it so successful?

The Avengers brings together an ensemble of the lead heroes of several recent successful films. Six superheroes — Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) — are called together by S.H.I.E.L.D. agency director Nick Fury (Pulp Fiction’s Samuel L. Jackson) to defeat Loki, the God of Mischief (War Horse’s Tom Hiddleston), who plans to conquer Earth with an alien army.

But that’s just the gist of the storyline. Moviegoers unfamiliar with the characters will be able to quickly make sense of the plot. These heroes, who have been thrown from their own stories into this one, have been isolated from society by their abilities, and their clashing mix of personalities proves volatile, serving as the cue for the comedic atmosphere. Audience members will be able to relate to each of the characters’ differing egos, depicting the cast as a dysfunctional family rather than a superhero team.

With six heroes sharing the screen, the task of evenly distributing screen time goes to director and co-writer Joss Whedon. Whedon adds an effective mix of the action that he implemented in The Cabin in the Woods with comedy played by heartfelt characters. The result is that each hero gets his or her day in the sun without one having to do too much heavy lifting.

Each member of the super-star cast reprises his or her role from the previous Marvel films, with the exception of Renner (The Hurt Locker) and Ruffalo (Shutter Island), who each deliver welcome performances. Ruffalo, however, continues the unintentional tradition of finding a new actor to play the character of Bruce Banner/Hulk since the 2003 film. Since then, an uneven balance between not-so-good actor and good movie has plagued the Hulk films, now leveled out by this surprisingly impressive actor in this exceptional movie. Ruffalo’s accurate portrayal of the humble character is possibly the best since Bill Bixby’s original Banner, and who can forget the humorous Hulk action scenes?

But these larger-than-life characters, with even bigger personalities and egos, wouldn’t be able to dominate the screen without the special effects. Extensive makeup, art, and specific special effects crews provide the visually appealing backbone behind this SFX epic.

For fans of superhero, action, or comedy movies, The Avengers is sure to impress.