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.
_________________ "Loose with Dignity" Robert Second President, Avian Gamers
DDO - Cannith - AlistairItor - Rogue/Ranger (5/3) - Main DDO - Cannith - Guijanitor - Paladin/Rogue (4/1) DDO - Cannith - RicochetItor - Rogue (5)
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