Friday, May 04, 2012

Escape To The Movies: "The Avengers"

Apologies for not putting this link up sooner - busy day of podcast recording.

In any case, the movie is as good as you've heard. Proceed to theater immediately.

If you HAVE seen it, and you stayed through the credits, and you want to know why half the theater was so excited, read this (spoiler-warning, obviously.)


Anonymous said...

hey bob, do your remember if cap or anyone actually said avengers assemble, i can't seem to recall it

Daniel R said...

Oh, I really hope that podcast you're talking about is over at the "Post Movie Podcast", I love your guest appearances there! ^_^

Lee Kalba said...

Deadpool is also in love with Death. I kinda took it as, since the two of them are essentially hetero, they see death as feminine, but others may see Death differently.

I actually made the special trip to see this. I was doubtful of what you said about Ruffalo's Hulk, but I have to agree.
That one part with Hulk and Loki, everyone was laughing so hard, I actually missed Hulk's line.

However, after going to the theater for the first time in months, no fucking wonder ticket sales are down. Some stupid berk brought in an infant. Not a small child, an infant in a stroller, so of course, after the opening scene, it was wailing its head off.
I got run over by blind assholes three times in a row, even after moving my legs up, some cum stain started playing with his phone, and it there were people constantly up and down, in front of me. Yeah, unless you can go early or late, when you don't have to deal with a lot of people, going to the theater sucks. If it wasn't Avengers, I would have just waited for DVD. It was NOT that bad at Thor, but all I can figure is that I was there at like 11 AM on a Saturday. Oh yeah, and the skidmark playing with his phone, wasn't even polite enough to hold it in his lap.

Anonymous said...

I checked, Justice League came before the Avengers. Wouldnt the Justice League possess similar level of innovation in cross series continuity and expanding the entire brand universe to the Avengers?

Anonymous said...

Cap was horrible for about the first 30 minutes. Everything he said was SO cringe worthy. It did get better with him but I never recovered.

Hawkeye made me want to punch someone in the face he was so stupid and pointless. Plot device arrows anyone?

Why the flying shit did they need a guy only ONE of them even knew to die get their shit together, and Fury had to lie to them to boot? Come the F*** on. Hundreds of people had been dying, yet someone three of them admited they didn't know made them want to fight? WHAT?

So many other fing stupid things in this movie... ugh. Don't even get me started on the films treatment of loki and what a joke that army of super aliens turned out to be.

All of that being said it was refreshing to see a not dark superhero adaptation that is funny as hell was refreshing and to see the team up film in many ways work was quite impressive. HOWEVER, that should not give a film a free pass, and the Avengers was RIDDLED with problems. I dont just mean those wtf plot hole! problems. IDC that much about plot holes to be honest. What I do care about is a "world threatening villain" who isnt taken seriously by anyone. A master trickster who gives one hell of an awesome baddy speach, only to have the whole thing ruined by scarlet johanson of all people saying "aha I tricked you." The Avengers ALWAYS know his plans even though he is supposed to be the trickster god. They always know them and yet... they work anyways for the most stupid and non sensical reasons. That really takes some of the payoff and dramatic tension away.

The Hulk (who I agree was awesome for the most part)goes from one scene being an uncontrollable beast who nearly kills scarlet johanson, to 15 minutes later being literally completely in control... Hmm, yeah I really get the hype. Instantaneous character transformations have ALWAYS been the sign of a well made movie.

Anonymous said...

the 1st bonus scene Scares me ... especially if they go the Route of the early 90's ... the budget would be 500+ Mill

Sam Robards, Comic Fan said...

I LOOOOOOOOOVE this movie. Easily my favorite film ever. I can't really say much more than that. It was just THAT good!

And that first bonus scene gave me goosebumps like you wouldn't believe. I ADORE that character, and the fact that they were able to bring him in makes me absolutely giddy.

When I see this film and look backward, it kinda makes me sad they haven't been able to make such a faithful adaptation of my favorite franchise, X-Men.

Don't get me wrong. I thought the first two movies were good (with X2 being the high water mark for the series), but they were clearly held back by the uncertainty surrounding what they could and couldn't get away with putting on screen.

First Class was just ok. Its script was flat-out lazy at times, and I think some of the circumstances in the film are a little disturbing, considering the franchise's theme.

Ideally, I'd like all the big properties that have gone to exterior studios (X-Men, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, mainly) to come back to Marvel Studios so they can get the treatment they deserve.

But yeah, I'd waited for a movie like The Avengers for as long as I can remember, and it totally delivered. Can't wait to see it again!

Deimos Masque said...

Yeah no Avengers Assemble line, the only thing that keeps it from being the perfect Avengers movie.

TheAlmightyNarf said...

I'd compare Avengers pretty closely to 300... they're both incredibly awesome and incredibly stupid at the same time.

I mean, do I really need to go through this? Why it was way out of character for Stark to pick a fight with Thor, and there really wasn't any reason for him to do so... how Hulk went from being completely out of control trying to kill Natasha to being completely in control for no apparent reason at all... why the "good guys" are absolutely good with no ambiguity, and the "bad guys" are evil with no ambiguity... and just all the stupid "because we said so" bad writing in general that really as no business existing outside of bad fan-fiction.

I get that many people wanted Avengers to stay as close to the comics as possible, but we really didn't need to take the bad with the good. I WANT to see larger than life heroes and villains. I WANT to see genre deifying team ups. I WANT awesome action seems.

But, comics can keep the stupid, cliched writing. We don't need that.

Anonymous said...

Almighty Narf: Couldn't agree with you more. I really enjoyed the movie, but the critical reception that has accompanied it has annoyed the hell out of me.

Once you get passed pure entertainment value there is little in this movie that makes sense or is worthy of the praise it has received.

Which is fine if you are just looking for a bit of fun. But this movie is not GOOD in the critical sense no matter how you look at it... And yet... here is Bob proclaiming its greatness along with every other "critic" on the planet. Isn't it their job to have the discriminating taste? Because lately it really doesnt feel that way. Which is humorous considering bobs anti transformerism.

TheAlmightyNarf said...

@ Anonymous

Exactly! It amazes me that it's the same Bob who wrote this review of The Avengers who also wrote his review of District 9.

Anonymous said...

Everybodys got to bitch about something.

Banner pointed out in the last Hulk movie that he couldn't control the Hulk but direct his rage. Since he transformed after an explosion while on the ship, the transformation was due to trauma. In the city he was lucid, and given the time space between the last hulk movie and the events of the Avengers it's very probable he's found a way to compromise with his other personality.

Plus since both Hawkeye and Natasha are professional killers and the Hulk has killed alot of soldiers who were just following orders, the good guys aren't spotless by any measure.

Can you guys enjoy anything without trying to find something to criticize? None of you can write a script that satisfies every little thing you're whining about, shut the fuck up.

nejiblue said...

So your review is the same shit you've been saying ever since this movie was annouced, proving that your mind was made up well in advance. And no, This movie is not, nor ever will be, the next star wars or raiders of the lost ark. Those were classics that stood on their own and truly endured the test of time. This disposable piece of crap will be forgetten about in a year.

TheAlmightyNarf said...

@ Anonymous

"Can you guys enjoy anything without trying to find something to criticize?"

I suppose I could, but why would I? What good does it do pretending something is perfect when it clearly isn't?

I suppose Extra Credits has changed my out look on all art and experiences, but I can't simply accept that I enjoy or don't enjoy something... I have to understand why I enjoy or don't enjoy something.

So, for me at least, criticizing an experience (both those created by others and especially those created by myself) is a critical part of my own self growth and should be a part of any creators growth. If Marvel and Wheadon are smart they won't spend to much time reading their praise, but reading their criticism so they can learn how to make a better movie next time.

O.T said...

Saw it. Loved it. Damn near perfect I imagine.

Any nit-picks I have are blown out of the water by everything they get soooooo right.

It's everything I love (and kinda hate) about comics, right up there on the big screen.

A real tour-de-force and yes, you can kick me in the balls for actually using that phrase in this day and age.

Nicholas said...

@ anonymous:

Yes, I can enjoy things without criticizing them and I do. But the Avengers had so many glaring problems that this was not one of them. When a film garners near universal praise it SHOULD be viewed through the lense of a microscope. That is what makes art so important. I can just say Romeo and Juliet is a masterpiece, a piece of Art. But if that is just where we leave it why does it matter? We NEED to criticize and analyze and understand it for it to even matter.

Same goes with the great movies. This happened to the Dark Knight. It went through tremendous scrutiny and was nitpicked to death. To a lesser movie this would have been unfair, something like a 300 is not meant to be scrutinized. It is just plain fun, nothing more, nothing less. Yet the Dark Knight was universally acclaimed and has become something more than just another summer blockbuster, so it earned the right to be nitpicked to death and scrutinized, and guess what? It passed. Yes problems existed, and they were pointed out. But the work as a whole has held up to 4 years of scrutiny and is still a gold standard of film making.

The Avengers has entered into this world of scrutiny, unfairly however. It is not great, it is not a masterpiece, it is not art. It is entertainment on a grand scale, which is great, but not what critics have advertised it as. Bob calls this film GREAT. If so it SHOULD stand up to the nitpicks and the plot holes. You should be glad we nitpick, if you too believe this. A great work is one that is analyzed and nitpicked over and over and over again. The Avengers will not be. It is a novelty. Novelties are forgotten the second they are no longer novel. In that way the Avengers is not all that disimilar to Avatar.

Don't complain about others nitpicking a movie you hold dear. If you believe it is great, then it should hold up on its own to all of those criticisms. Great works defend themselves. The Avengers needs us to say "but its never been tried before. But its so different. But its so much fun." Those "buts" should not be necessary.

Nicholas said...

by the way I was the other anonymous "nitpicking" the avengers before, I just wasn't logged in at the time and was feeling too lazy to do so.

Anonymous said...

SPOILERS: Loki's staff was creating an environment where everyone started arguing (That's the reason there was the shot on the staff where we see everything upside down, bros), so when the Hulk got angry, he got uncontrollably enraged. Nat also said something that he took as an insult. Later when he revealed how he keeps being Banner he wasn't in a tense and irrational environment. The Hulk can use cognitive reasoning, you know.

Why people were confused by this makes sense, but come on.

Thomas Cunningham said...

I haven't seen anyone discuss this particular point before:

Why didn't Loki's mind control work on Iron Man?

My theory is that Howard Stark had created the Arc Reactor technology after studying the Cube and that Tony's chest piece "cancelled" it's effect out by being so similar to the Sceptre's energy.

Anyone else think the same?

Daniel R said...


I just think that the spear needed direct contact with Tony's body to work. The reactor isn't a 'part' of him.

If Loki had moved the spear a few inches down, Tony would probably be his new personal flying monkey.

Anonymous said...

With all the praise this movie had going in I was expecting something to the level of The Dark Knight, but I left feeling not really disappointed, but the hype didn't match the movie I was being promised. Right now this is the same problem I have with Dark Knight Rises, I am making comparisons with The Dark Knight and I really doubt it will be at the same level.

Now my movie experience could have been ruined by the jackasses talking through the entire movie or the one person that seemed to be typing a full transcription of the movie on their cellphone. I should have stuck to my first assessment and left and asked for my money back before the 30min window expired and come back another day.

Aiddon said...

I have noticed this is something that happened with a lot of the Marvel films: they had HUGE plot holes and odd narrative flaws but everyone seemed to give them a free pass. I think it's because people believe that good/quotable dialogue = a good plot. Oddly enough, this is a habit that seems to plague all of Whedon's work (as well as the works of people who copy EVERY Western game developer)

O.T said...

This Marvel film has the least amount and least grievous plot-holes to date.

And it didn't need a fantastic, twisting screen-play. It wasn't that kind of movie.

"Set-up for giant super fight" has it's own story requirements.

Aiddon said...

If I want that kind of entertainment I can boot up Devil May Cry, Vanquish, Castle Crashers, or Blazblue (or just write my own considering my wild imagination). Spectacle is dime-a-dozen, it's nothing special.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Bob, just wanted to possibly get your opinion on something.

Now, I saw Avengers at midnight and the crowd was great. Young as ten, old as seventy. Diehards and casuals who happened to be friends with diehards. Everyone laughed at all the jokes, even the smaller ones. And of course all the appropriate shock and awe moments got their share of gasps and applause.

On my second viewing, I went today (Sunday) at around 3pm and NO ONE laughed, barely anyone applauded at the end (although that's not really an issue) and the crowd seemed to give more of a damn about their kids and cellphones than the film. Best example, all the classic jokes (like Cap "getting that reference") went to waste, but the hicks behind me DIED laughing when Tony Stark said "Damn" or "Son of a bitch".

I obviously don't go to as many movies as you, so I wanted to know if you think there's definitely some sort of scientific or social reasoning behind why this awesome movie elicited rounds of applause and laughter on Friday, but barely anything from a packed audience on a Sunday.

Keep up the good work, and here's hoping for a Hulk vs. Thanos matchup in the sequel.

Anonymous said...

dear bob,
your blog's aesthetic nightmare has cost too many good lives already. can you at least give your blog a facelift? maybe put up a header that doesn't look completely like shit? come up with a reasonable color scheme that's got some subtlety? pretty please?

-a fan who likes your blog but hates having to look at it.

p.s. apologies in advance for posting this same message on your next couple of posts.

THOOM said...

@Anonymous 10:53

The Hulk changed from trying to kill Black Widow to helping the team because, on the Helicarrier, he was under Loki's influence. It's the only reason he tried to kill BW and Thor.

Popcorn Dave said...

Great film; not quite a masterpiece but a damn good blockbuster and certainly the best Marvel film yet. I've got a bit of a love-hate relationship with Whedon but this script managed to showcase all his strengths (awesome dialogue, everyone gets to be a badass, funny without being stupid) while playing down his weaknesses (characters talking with the same "voice", everyone coming off as smug jerks). Looks like he really was a perfect choice for his project.

Wasn't too impressed with Loki, though. He got some good lines (everyone did) but I personally never found him a credible villain.

I'm also not that sure why we're supposed to be super excited by a teaser that suggests that the next film will be another alien invasion plot except with a Darkseid knock-off in place of Loki. But then I'm not a comics reader.

Joe said...

Moff's Law: I can't in all honesty quibble if people want to nitpick this movie. It's their right. But I can't really debate other commenters on whether The Avengers was a great movie, because no one is defining what their standard of "great" is.

I would say, if the original Star Wars and The Matrix are great movies, then The Avengers probably belongs in their league: a big-budget spectacle with quippy, quotable dialogue and in an established but stagnating genre, breathing new life into the enterprise by paradoxically embracing some fairly old ideas and dressing the whole thing with a veneer of deeper meaning. If those earlier films aren't "great" films, then The Avengers isn't either.

But I still had fun regardless.

Popcorn Dave said...

By the way Bob, after all your grumbling about how The Dark Knight Rises isn't going to use the word "Catwoman", it's a bit weak of you to not even mention how this film avoids the names "Iron Man", "Black Widow" and "Hawkeye" like the plague. I think they used them MAYBE once each (actually I don't remember hearing "Hawkeye" at all... Is he going to get an origin story later or what?).

C'mon Bob, don't tell me you didn't notice.

Anonymous said...

The difference is that these characters have already been introduced within the universe in their own movies. Whereas, in TDKR, catwoman has not been introduced, but EVERYONE knows Selina Kyle is Catwoman, and its annoying that the movie refuses (thus far) to recognize this. And they called him Hawkeye during the entire alien fight scene.