"The Avengers" (SPOILERS)

[ClarkKent_DC]

We've discussed when people plan to see The Avengers (here), but we haven't discussed the movie itself! So let's rectify that!

 

I went last night to a midnight 3-D showing, so I'll go first. Thus, I can't use my usual disclaimer that I'll post without reading what everyone else has posted, but what the hey.

 

To begin:

• I loved it. I loved everything about it. And so did the audience; I haven't been to too many movies where the action on the screen evinced cheers and spontaneous applause, but it happened several times with this one. A job well done!
• This is less "The Avengers" and more "The Ultimates," but I'm not complaining.
• I liked how the movie struck a balance; there are six members of the team -- you know who -- plus key supporting players Agent Coulson, Maria Hill and, of course, Nick Fury, as well as the villain, Loki, but the movie doesn't seem crowded. Some might argue that it's a bit too long; I almost always think that any given movie I'm watching could be a half-hour shorter. But this one feels right, because it had enough quiet moments to let the characters be.
• One of the best such moments was Tony Stark and Bruce Banner teaming up to track down Loki. It went like one would expect: Two brilliant minds admiring each other's prowess and striking up an easy rapport because they alone in the group understand all the technobabble they spout.
• Reinforced later when Iron Man has to fix the broken engine on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier (Hey! it's the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier!), and tells Captain America to look at the access panel -- and Cap doesn't have the foggiest notion of what it is he's looking at. That's one of my Scenes I Always Wanted to See in movies. Cap's not stupid, but c'mon -- who would know at a glance what all those wires and diodes mean?
• Another thing that was good was the humor. There was more of it than in most movies of this kind, and it was welcome, especially when it was low-key.
• Like when Steve Rogers gives Nick Fury a ten-spot.
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki was pitch-perfect.
• Funny thing: We establish early on that the Black Widow is Russian because she speaks it during her first scene: She's tied to a chair during an interrogation getting smacked around by thugs -- but believes she's in charge. Which she is, as she demonstrates moments later. But whenever she speaks English, she sounds like an American.
• On the other hand, Chris Hemsworth's Australian accent goes a long way to establish Thor as an otherworldly being.
• With all the strength on display from Thor, Iron Man and The Hulk, and the talent and skill displayed by Captain America and the Black Widow, Hawkeye really seems to be the odd man out. I have to admit, seeing a guy with a bow and arrow, in these circumstances, really does seem silly and hard to swallow. Not to mention: What do you do when you run out of arrows? How many arrows can a quiver hold, anyway? Thirty? Forty? Fifty at the most?
• The Black Widow's greatest power, however, seemed to be looking hot in a skintight leather catsuit. The audience cheered in approval.
• This being a Marvel story, how could we not have a moment where the heroes fight with each other and then team up? Cue Iron Man vs. Thor!
• I liked how they held back the first appearance of The Hulk. I never saw Ed Norton's movie, and I'm not familiar with Mark Ruffalo, but he did a great job conveying a man always trying to hold his rage in check and masking his fear of what happens if he doesn't with affected humbleness and humor.
• One reviewer's criticism I have to agree with: The first time Banner becomes The Hulk, he's a mindless beast out to get the Black Widow and smashing everything in sight, but at the end, he joins the battle totally doing what the Avengers want, with no explanation for how he can behave himself.
• Agent Coulson! He runs totally counter to the typical movie government agent; he is not flashy and flamboyant; he is not a grim martinet; he is not a jerk flaunting his authority. He is a genuinely good man, a true civil servant, efficient, diligent, and quite brave.
• What's Robin Scherbatsky doing here?
• One of the best moments: Loki faces off against The Hulk, shouting at him: " ENOUGH! You are, all of you, beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by a... " The Hulk's response is PRICELESS!
• It takes a true diehard comics fan to know who that was in the end-credits bit. Lucky for me I am one; I doubt any moviegoer who isn't would have the slightest idea what that scene is supposed to mean.

 

Such great lines:

• "I'm interviewing this arms dealer and he's giving me everything."
• "I'm going to put you on hold."
• "I'm always angry."
• Captain America to Tony Stark: "Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" Stark's answer:  "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Captain America's rejoinder: "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you."
• "You and I remember Budapest very differently."
• "I recognize the Council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it."
• "... and Hulk: SMASH!"
• Thor: "Have a care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother." The Black Widow: "He killed eighty people in two days." Thor: " ... He's adopted."
• Loki: "I have an army." Tony Stark: "We have a Hulk."
• " 'Phil'? His first name is 'Agent.' "

Thems for starters ... 

[The Baron]

I just saw it , and enjoyed it immensely.  I particularly liked the Hulk/Loki scene. By and large, I don't have to much to add to the above except:

 

Funny thing: We establish early on that the Black Widow is Russian because she speaks it during her first scene: She's tied to a chair during an interrogation getting smacked around by thugs -- but believes she's in charge. Which she is, as she demonstrates moments later. But whenever she speaks English, she sounds like an American.

 

My rationale on this is that as a spy, the Widow would surely have been trained to speak with a perfect "American" accent .  Someone being sent to spy on Americans would not speak English like Natasha Fatale.

[ClarkKent_DC]

The Baron said:

I just saw it , and enjoyed it immensely.  I particularly liked the Hulk/Loki scene. By and large, I don't have to much to add to the above except:

 

Funny thing: We establish early on that the Black Widow is Russian because she speaks it during her first scene: She's tied to a chair during an interrogation getting smacked around by thugs -- but believes she's in charge. Which she is, as she demonstrates moments later. But whenever she speaks English, she sounds like an American.

 

My rationale on this is that as a spy, the Widow would surely have been trained to speak with a perfect "American" accent .  Someone being sent to spy on Americans would not speak English like Natasha Fatale.

 

Maybe. Nicholas Coster, a character actor known as a "soap hopper" because he's been on so many (at one time or another, The Secret Storm, All My Children, One Life to Live, Santa Barbara, and Another World, as well as guest roles on numerous prime time TV shows and movies) had a role as an Italian count on As the World Turns. I recall him mentioning in a magazine article that he chose not to play the character with in Italian accent, because he figured someone like that would have grown up in boarding schools in England.

[Mike Parnell]

I saw it again today.  Like Jed Clampett said, it was like possum shanks.  They's just as good the second day.

After having watched it again, I think Mr, Dunbar is right.  What made Banner turn into the Hulk and made the Hulk blind with rage was Loki's staff. 

Funniest thing to me was a kid, about nine, behind me.  He keep exclaiming, "Holy Cow!", every time something happened on the screen.  That and he repeated all the lines he thought were cool.  It was neat to hear him say, "Puny god." 

[The Baron]

I laughed at Cap's line, "There's only one God and He doesn't dress like that."

[JD DeLuzio]

I hate to agree with Leonard Maltin, but....

George Poague said:

At least a critic could admit he or she is not in the film's target demographic -- as when Leonard Maltin panned "Sin City" (giving it one and a half star), but added, "Miller fans and adolescent boys will probably rate this much higher."

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

I think you really see Bruce view the Hulk differently after his talk with Stark.  That discussion plus his discovery that, when the Hulk crashed out of the Helicarrier, the "monster" located a non-populated place to crash...something that comes from the Greg Pak idea that Banner is such a physics wizard that, even as the Hulk, he can cause seeming chaos with little to no human death. 

Banner and the Hulk received, according to the NY Times today, a lot of positive feedback from polled audiences.  I don't think he'll be gone from screens for too long.

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

I really want to see it again. I saw the 2D versions and loved it. My friend and his wife saw it in IMAX 3D. He's not big on 3D movies and especially ones that have been converted to 3D. He said it was good though and worth it.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Now we need Tina Fey as Jennifer Walters and Kristen Bell as Janet VanDyne in Avengers 2.

[Philip Portelli]

I saw it today. It was...it was....AWESOME! In the truest sense of the word! I watched it in 3-D but few effects really registered with me but they didn't have to! I was that involved with it. Like I told the lovely pharmacist at work, "Do you know how long I've waited for a movie like this!"

• Project: Pegasus---wonderful!
• I was surprised that Hawkeye was "villianized" for half the movie but I liked Jeremy Renner's performance. He did a lot with the non-solo movie hero/non-hot chick role. He did indeed run out of arrows, though he may have had more in the crashed jet. Chuckled when Iron Man called him "Legalas"!
• Scarlett Johansson stole the show in many ways. The Black Widow has several spotlight scenes though she doesn't save the guys constantly. A bit amazed that they showed her bleeding. They usually avoid that. She is the only one that seems taken aback by all the super-heroics. But man, they had a lot of "Natasha walking away from the camera" shots!
• The Hulk has comic timing! Who knew?? My take on the Hulk's first transformation was that he was effected by Loki's spear. Banner was holding it, practically subconsciously. He knew everyone was on edge with him and that they built a cage for the Hulk. Plus he was fighting the change so that enraged the Hulk. The second time, he went with it and just flowed into being the Hulk. And the Hulk was focused on the aliens. Though he couldn't resist popping Thor a good one! His scene with Loki--classic!
• Thor's battle with Iron Man and Captain America were necessary because it made him respect them! And he smiled during his fight with the Hulk because he had someone to really brawl with! But you felt for him when he tried to reason with Loki, that to him they were brothers.
• Strange that Cap had the least emotionally to do. Maybe he has a sequel to save up for! And his super-power? Leadership!
• Agent Coulson could still be alive, hopefully. I like that he was the fan-boy of the film, overjoyed at seeing the heroes together!
• And the end credits? Interesting but a CGI villain? We'll see. Some people will love it to Death!

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Frankly , any chance Dr. Pym and Jan could show in a later film ???

  Maybe as that first - :-)...........

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Yeah , it's interesting that the Banner/the Hulk does appear have some control...How about the kind of nebbish-y/schmuck-y shoes/outfit Banner is rocking ??? Of course , if he's perpetually on the run...

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Can anyone reconstruct the " Did you bring a nickel bag ? " ( or " dime bag " ) line for me , please ?

  I caught it but don't recall the context .

  Prior-the movie , I had seen on of those " Caution to parents - why this rating???  " thingers mention it .