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 Post subject: Marvel Avengers Assemble
PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:39 pm 
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So I went out and watched this yesterday. Anyone else seen it?

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PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2012 1:20 pm 
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Not me. How was it?


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PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2012 2:51 pm 
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It was good; enjoyable. It's directed by Joss Whedon and has some very funny moments in it.

The exposition bit is the wrong length. It's either too long or too short. It probably helps to have seen some of the other movies (Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America), I've only seen the Iron Man movies, but I found myself getting a little bored while the team worked out how to work as a team. The fighty bits were really cool.

I want to watch Thor and Captain America now to get a bit of background (not that interested in watching Hulk though).

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PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2012 12:08 pm 
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NO SPOILERS HERE

Comments on the specific movies:
Iron Man & Iron Man 2 - They got those so right I almost cried. I mean, totally kept the spirit of the comics for Tony, and they choose the right path for him to take as a transition to Movies. This is a perfect candidate for ongoing sequels. For a Comic Book movie I definitely give both of those movies 5 (out-of 5) Stars. As a movie in general they both get 4 stars.

Hulk (ignoring the Eric Bana Hulk movie because a) it was not set in this continuity, and b) is sucked compared to Norton's) - Norton played Bruce Banner perfectly as the loner on the Run. I do not think Ruffalo could have done that movie anywhere near as well. They did a great job including iconic Hulk characters, and set it up well for a sequel. To be honest, I would like to see Norton back for any sequels, but Ruffalo continue to play Bruce in the Ensemble movies. 4 1/2 Stars as a Comic Book movie, 4 Stars in General.

Thor - Great movie. Required watching prior to watching the Avengers (the only one that is required, btw). This is a great reworking of the Thor mythology to not only make it palatable to a mainstream audience as well as the Comic book fans, but also keep the heart of the original Asgardian lore intact. Sure, some will not like it in the extreme, but they are a small minority. They make you like Thor without removing his Arrogance. This is definitely a good Candidate for a single sequel, and if they actually found a good use for this as a Tie-In to other movies it would work a few times, but definitely not serial material. 4 Stars as a Comic Book movie (the romantic undertones felt too forced for a comic book movie), 4 1/2 Stars in General.

Captain America - Wow! They had a lot of leeway with this movie, since they didn't have to do much of anything to make it fit in with the greater Avengers storyline, and they totally delivered on an awesome telling of Captain America's origin. This was a story that deserved an old-fashioned treatment, and they did it even better than expected, IMO. I'm not sure sequels would be wise for Cap, but this would definitely make a good TV series if they were able to include cameos from other Avengers on a regular basis. 4 1/2 Stars as a Comic Book movie, 4 Stars in General.

Agents of SHIELD - Ok, not been made, and not in the works as far as I know, but this would be a great one-off movie giving us an origin story of Black Widow and Hawkeye, as well as some cool SHIELD eye-candy (sorry Fury). I would love to see this done Mission Impossible style (cinematography-wise).

Comments on Avengers:
This was by far better than any of the individual movies. I have to say this was the best Comic-Book movie I've ever seen. This makes me cry tears of sadness and pain when I think of Fantastic Four. Ruffalo was a great pick for Bruce Banner in this movie. I could not see Norton carrying his weight in an ensemble cast, just as I can not see Ruffalo carrying Banner in a Loner on-the-run movie like Hulk. Downey did a great job of stealing the show without being a scene hog, as most of his stuff was subtle enough to miss if you weren't listening for his banter. Both Chris's did a great job keeping their characters from too easily slipping into the background, which can be a real danger with those types of characters in an Ensemble. Johanson and Renner really played the diversity of their Characters well, and do a great job of getting the viewer invested in those characters. At the end of the movie they are the characters I want to know the most about. Hiddleston was outstanding as Loki, even better, I think, than in Thor. Clark Gregg did an awesome job as usual playing Agent Coulson, and Cobie (Yummy) Smulders also did a great job. Samuel continues to deliver and the rest of the Cast did a good job not feeling irrelevant in their minor nods.
The writing was the real star of this movie though. This movie have virtually no down time. A lot of exposition, in some cases yes, however it was all used as a tool. Not only was the exposition explaining stuff that in of itself wasn't critical but added to the story, they way it was being told actually told a seperate story in of itself. They used every one of those scenes to foreshadow, by the actions and behavior moreso that what was said, the latter parts of the movie. This is definitely a movie that will hold up to numerous sittings. This will definitely make for great sequels, and I have hopes that the Fantastic Four franchise gets back into Marvels complete control soon, as I can definitely see a great synergy there. If not there are definitely other ways they can go to bring an alternate Ensemble movie to screen in the same continuity. 5 Stars as a Comic Book movie, and 5 Stars in General.

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PostPosted: Fri May 11, 2012 6:22 pm 
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+1 to MGJ's review.

The Avengers is probably the best "comic book" movie ever made. The new Batman movies are still better, but they are much, much less "comic book" movies. They are dark, gritty drama.

Joss Whedon is rapidly earning himself whatever paycheck he wants from whomever he wants when it comes to visual media. After watching The Avengers, I've decided that I need to go check out Dollhouse and Buffy and see what I think. Whedon seems to really "get" the material/characters/plot/settings that he uses when he sets out to make a movie or TV. The writing on this movie may have been the very best writing of a screenplay we've seen in a long, long time.

All that being said, if "comic book" movies aren't your cup of tea, you probably won't agree. Fundamentally, this is a movie that strives for and really does capture the feel of a comic book, with a lot of really top-notch actors pulling off characters splendidly. It isn't going to win Best Picture awards, but that isn't what it is trying to do. What it does try to do, it does better than anything else out there.

This movie alone has made me really want to start reading comics (I never had much of an opportunity when I was younger, but I had a friend who collected with his dad, so I had some decent exposure). It has also made me want to re-watch all of the Marvel/Avengers movies, and made me appreciate them much more.

I agree that you really need to see Thor before seeing the Avengers, and it certainly helps to have seen Iron Man as well as he's such a big part of the group. Captain America makes that character make a lot more sense and feel more "right" in The Avengers, but again is not required. I would have a hard time with this movie if I hadn't previously seen Thor.

My favorite, though, was Ruffalo/the Hulk. Ruffalo I thought did the best job of all the actors, and really pulled things together more than anyone else. I also liked him as Banner much more than Ed Norton, and I would love to see Ruffalo do a solo Hulk movie much more than I'd rather see Norton again. Norton wasn't bad, but I didn't care for him all that much. Certainly better than Eric Bana, which was really too bad, 'cause I really like him and he's a fantastic character actor.

The Hulk they got just right. His facial expressions and body language were spot-on perfect. The "puny god" scene was such a needed whooping, and the hit on Thor with the grin and snuffle was great.

The best "shot" in the movie, and that really gets me jazzed up, is right in the middle of the big fight at the end with the camera going to each of them in turn, one after another, and includes Iron Man using Captain America's shield to bounce his hand blasters through an arc of enemies.

The dialog was full of one-liners and banter that was actually witty, funny, and very, very good. They didn't over-explain where they didn't need to. There were much fewer plot holes than most movies these days and less things that needed to be covered over or explained away. I wish the ending had been a little more dramatic and a little less predictable.

In short, Best Movie of the Summer. Must see, must own fare.



Last summer the best movie was Real Steel. Check that one out if you haven't yet, too.

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PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2012 12:51 am 
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+1000

One of the best comic book movies ever made. Perhaps second only to the new Batman movies. Tight writing and great acting. Plenty of funny moments, but none of them cheesy.

I have loved Whedon since Buffy and Angel. Then Firefly/Serenity. Dollhouse was a bit of a miss but Whedon pretty much "gets it" when it comes to storytelling and getting the best from actors.

See this movie, then see it again. Oh, and don't leave until all credits are done.

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PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2012 6:14 pm 
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In the States, at least, there are two additional scenes after the credits. The first plays after the early credits, and seems to introduce the next villian. The second plays after all the credits have rolled.

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PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2012 3:20 pm 
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Cetera wrote:
Last summer the best movie was Real Steel. Check that one out if you haven't yet, too.
That was a cool movie!

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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:40 pm 
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Dollhouse was one of the best series on TV. I wish it would have caught a bigger audience.

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