Thoughts on the Avengers

[annwfyn]

• I liked it. I didn't come out of it floating on air, as I think some people did, and my heart rate stayed mostly the same throughout, but I was never bored, I laughed at a lot of the lines, I enjoyed the climax and I was reminded again how very very good Joss Whedon is with ensemble pieces. It would be really easy to either have that film bogged down in one character, or to let it just get confusing and unwieldy, and it did neither. Instead, every character had their moment, they were all well defined, important to the story, and felt like real people. In an all powerful superhero way, of course.



• I didn't find Black Widow annoying! It is a character I normally dislike, played by an actress I always dislike, and I actually quite liked her. I think a lot of that comes from her 'it's complicated' status with Hawkeye, which was beautifully done and reminded me how good Joss Whedon is at making couples seem interesting. We didn't see much of that relationship, but there was enough of it around the edges to really drive the plot forward and overwhelmingly leave me wanting more. It also totally stopped me from developing a crush on Hawkeye because, well, he was taken, wasn't he?



• I also found myself, bizarrely, liking Tony Stark, despite loathing him in Iron Man 2. In this case, I maintain it's that Pepper has clearly been really good for him, and, once again, I loved what Joss Whedon did with their relationship. It was understated, comfortable, but had an awesome chemistry and a really good sense of balance between them. Plus he somehow got the Tony Stark wisecracking down to reasonable levels, made him smart enough that I'd put up with a lot from him, and also gave him a sense of morality which he'd been shown developing at the end of the first film but seemed to have lost for Iron Man 2. Generally, an awesome character. And I did actually get a little tense when I thought he was sacrificing himself.



• I am in love with Captain America and always will be. I'm sorry. It turns out I just can't resist a big damn hero and goddamnit, Chris Evans plays him well. Not many people can be that straight down the line white hat and still be that loveable. Captain America has been my favourite film so far and I really liked seeing Cap continuing to glow in this film.



• Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk was incredible. I've always liked the Hulk. I think I may identify with him on some level. I am also the only person I know who genuinely liked both Eric Bana and Edward Norton as the Hulk, but now I see that I was a fool. What I liked was the faint ghostly foreshadowing of the real perfection that was Mark Ruffalo. He was...amazing. He mixed sweetness, intelligence and then that terrifying and out of control rage. I kinda wish Hulk wasn't _quite_ so controlled in the final fight - I think there should be more of a risk to letting Hulk off the leash - but I was willing to forgive that as generally he was so good.



• Thor was...Thor like? I am apparently alone in not really caring hugely about Thor. He's a god. He was godlike. I kinda liked the relationship between him and Loki, but really, even there, he didn't hold my attention for that long. I mean, he was OK. I didn't dislike him, But I found I cared about him less than the rest. Maybe this will change in Thor 2.



• Nick Fury was awesome. Samuel L Jackson played him note perfect again, and I suspect might actually be Nick Fury in disguise. Also, I did kinda want to cry when Agent Coulson died.



• I am not in love with Loki, but only because Captain America was on screen and it just felt wrong to cheat on Cap, even in my heart. But overall, Loki was awesome. Also, I am very excited at the prospect of the Red Skull coming back for the next film.



• Joss Whedon should really be given more Marvel films to direct. I think he's a really really good match for Marvel. I hear that the next Avengers film may well be him too. I really really hope it is.

So, that's me.

How about you?

Comments

[adze.livejournal.com]

It was Perfect.

Everyone got to shine, everyone got their moment. Tony Stark came off brilliantly, with all the sides of his personality shown off. If anything, Thor got the worst deal over the movie, as nothing he did really stood out for me. On the other hand, Black Widow may have had the finest moment out of the whole thing, but it's really hard to say.

The build up was fantastic, and it followed all the comic book rules for team-ups, which made me smile.

And that last action sequence... When talking about Avengers or JLA movies in the past, I've always said they could be done well, as the big draw in a comic action sequence is having multiple pieces of action going on in the same panel. Joss Whedon pulled it off, and made it look awesome.

Part of me feels like it's a dream, and the real movie hasn't come out yet, and I'll wake up to something so much worse.

[nadriel.livejournal.com]

This.

Also the post-credit stinger- makes me look forward to more.

Also, personal favourite moment: The Hulk demonstrating the best way to deal with Loki. Best Shut Up, Hannibal (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ShutUpHannibal) moment ever...

[becky-spence.livejournal.com]

Rumour says Joss has the option to direct Avengers 2, should/when it comes to pass. I pray in this instance that Wikipedia is not wrong!

Agent Coulsen _did_ make me cry. The Hulk, as you say, was just perfect, and as an ensemble piece the whole thing just really _worked_

I was pleased :)

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

I really loved it. I see its flaws and move past them. Many years ago I asked the universe that one day there should be a film like this and here it is.

I like heroic action. It is my favourite thing ever. I like stories where the heroes take time to get their shit together but then absolutely kick arse. I like movies where there is some comic dialogue without being silly. I like comic book movies that don't expect the audience to be idiots. I like bad guys who can have a face-off with the heroes and mock them, and be a bit loveable at the same time.

The movie was made to my requirements, so it would be rude of me not to love it.

[yodathedark.livejournal.com]

Samuel L Jackson isn't Nick Fury in disguise.

Nick Fury is Samuel L Jackson in disguise.

[gothmoomin.livejournal.com]

Saw it tonight. Loved it! Joss Whedon made a brilliantly balanced film considering he had so many big personalities to contend with.

[colonel-maxim.livejournal.com]

Loathe though I am to go with the flow, I found it excellent. Actually, having mused on this, you have pretty much made every point that I want to make from the ensemble cast, Scarlett Johannsen to the Cap so I will shut up and just nod along sagely.
A teensy weensy little point which I did muse on was why did the nuclear bomb not explode when it reached Manhatten?

[wyldcard.livejournal.com]

Red Skull is returning? You're not getting confused with Thanos, who made an appearance in the credits, are you?

Thor didn't do a lot in this film, although I did love his line when confronted by Black Widow who says "your brother just killed 80 people!". "He's adopted?"

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

"I was reminded again how very very good Joss Whedon is with ensemble pieces"

This sums up my opinion also. The plot was very mediocre, but it was redemmed by excellent ensemble writing and dialogue. It felt like a game where *everything goes right*.

Was Whedon a gamer? I don't know.

Also: That was Thanos in the credits scene, not Red Skull.

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I've now been corrected by about five people. I am sad Red Skull isn't coming back, and not entirely sure about Thanos, but I think that's just because I don't know much about him. Is he Thor-verse?

[lslaw.livejournal.com]

Thanos is the guy who is love with the feminine personification of Death and wants to marry her and give her the death of every living thing in the universe as a present.

Hence the line and the smile.

It only occurred to me this morning how much Agent Coulson is supposed to be 'us'; Stan Lee's original true believer. I cried a little, but I love that, in the end, they pulled it together for him; and by extension, for us.

[chrisvenus]

I kinda wish Hulk wasn't _quite_ so controlled in the final fight

I have to admit that this was the one thing int he film I really didn't get. The first time he hulks out he is totally uncontrolled, trying to kill several of the avengers and so on... Then next time he appears and hulks out it seems he is totally in control, targeting only the bad guys, etc.

There possibly are reasons I could think of but none that the film felt the urge to make clear. :(

Otherwise though it was indeed full of awesomesauce.