The Avengers

[TheMovieman]

Entertaining and well balanced between action and comedy. I can't say I was blown away but the movie but it checked all the right boxes and the ensemble was well done, even those who got limited screen time (i.e. Hawkeye). The style was good and the energy was fairly even, although the beginning seemed to be a tad slow. One thing the Marvel movies have faltered on have generally been the finales but this was quite good.

****/*****, (A-, 8.1/10, 3.25/4)

[Gopher]

I see a lot of the Star Trek reboot in Avengers. The story's ultimately frivolous but the characters are pitch-perfect. In short, both are a lot of fun.

[Prime Mover and Shaker]

All in all, very good. Great popcorn fun. The humor was better placed than in almost any action movie I've seen. The Hulk, after somewhat disapointing in the two movies from the last decade, is presented wonderfully here. Romanov was much better played than I expected.

The more I enjoy a film, the more I tend to obsess over the few faults I find with it:

Tom Hiddleston is very good at what he is doing.... but Loki, as done by Hiddleston, is simply not very menacing in a we-need-a-superhero-to-stop-him way (the "kneel" scene is the one exception to this). This performance came off to me as absolutely brilliant for a Bond villain - overconfident yet charming; ruthless yet refined.

Think back to 2011 for a moment - the entire emotional punch at the end of "Thor" rests on the seemingly impossible task of reconnecting Asgard with Earth. While I understand that time is at a premium in an ensable show like this, it was very much glossed over. Thor isn't a favorite character of mine, but he deserved better depth in this instance.

Why was the Hulk so out of control, nearly killing Romanov... but then quite capable of distinguishing friend from foe during the finale? There are probably plausable explanations for this, but they really weren't presented well.

Who is this army aiding Loki? What is their story? Their motives? Granted, this is hinted at in the beginning, but what ends up coming across as a mindless enemy army could have been much more interesting with a bit more quality exposition.

As has been pointed out - the "pull the plug and they all die" ending was not only dumb, but given the information we were not presented with about the invading army, it came off as Deus ex Machina.

...and I agree that Hawkeye was introduced poorly, given that he was instantly taken over by Loki's mind.

But this was a very good movie - probably my second favorite Avengers-family flick after Iron Man.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Prime Mover and Shaker

[RichWS]

I liked it. I don't think it's a great film by any means. There were a few nagging plot holes (it felt like a lot was left on the cutting room floor) and not much depth, but I just went along for the ride and had fun. It also made me laugh quite a bit. Whedon did about as good a job as you could ask for.I have to add though: What was up with those first 10 minutes? Really rough start. I'm glad it found its footing.B

[AniNate]

Bumping my grade up to an A on second viewing. I still think the opening scenes are a bit of a drag but everything afterwards is just glorious.Also, regarding the army at the end: They're biomechanical. It's made apparent when Black Widow rips out the neck of one of them, so the mass plug pull via nuke makes logical sense.

Edited May 8, 2012 by tribefan695

[druv10]

All in all, very good. Great popcorn fun. The humor was better placed than in almost any action movie I've seen. The Hulk, after somewhat disapointing in the two movies from the last decade, is presented wonderfully here. Romanov was much better played than I expected.

The more I enjoy a film, the more I tend to obsess over the few faults I find with it:

Tom Hiddleston is very good at what he is doing.... but Loki, as done by Hiddleston, is simply not very menacing in a we-need-a-superhero-to-stop-him way (the "kneel" scene is the one exception to this). This performance came off to me as absolutely brilliant for a Bond villain - overconfident yet charming; ruthless yet refined.

Think back to 2011 for a moment - the entire emotional punch at the end of "Thor" rests on the seemingly impossible task of reconnecting Asgard with Earth. While I understand that time is at a premium in an ensable show like this, it was very much glossed over. Thor isn't a favorite character of mine, but he deserved better depth in this instance.

Why was the Hulk so out of control, nearly killing Romanov... but then quite capable of distinguishing friend from foe during the finale? There are probably plausable explanations for this, but they really weren't presented well.

Loki was partially controlling Hulk

Who is this army aiding Loki? What is their story? Their motives? Granted, this is hinted at in the beginning, but what ends up coming across as a mindless enemy army could have been much more interesting with a bit more quality exposition.

Thanos wants Tessaract which has unlimited source of power.

As has been pointed out - the "pull the plug and they all die" ending was not only dumb, but given the information we were not presented with about the invading army, it came off as Deus ex Machina.

Tribefan explained it.

...and I agree that Hawkeye was introduced poorly, given that he was instantly taken over by Loki's mind.

But this was a very good movie - probably my second favorite Avengers-family flick after Iron Man.

[druv10]

I'll start with the positives.

It's witty, the dialogue is sharp given proper weight, the interactions between The Avengers was very well written, and the performances are largely fantastic (particularly from Downey, Ruffalo, Hiddleston, and even Scarlett). Some of the action scenes are incredibly well choreographed, and Hulk was really enjoyable. Is it an entertaining film? Yes, for the most part. But it's probably the first record-breaker that's completely hollow. There was absolutely no emotional connection to any of the characters (aside from when RDJ sacrificed himself in the end and almost died), and I found myself to be utterly overwhelmed with the non-stop barrage of action. The fortress collapsing took a significant portion of the film, and I found myself getting bored pretty quickly. There weren't many moments to breathe once the action started. It was undeniably well-choreographed, but really overlong and excessive.

B-/B

DH2 was worse and you know it.

[Noctis]

No, I don't care if you find The Avengers better than DH2.I found DH2 a much better film. And trust me, DH2 certainly has its flaws (incredibly rushed Molly vs Bella), but the action scenes are thrilling and never drag. The Prince's Tale and The Resurrection Stone scenes are leagues above anything in The Avengers.The action in Avengers is much larger than that of DH2, but it was hollow and eventually became boring. Look at this scene from DH2. It's an action scene but it actually has gravitas to it. 0:55-1:05...wonderful music, and there's emotion when the trio find Greyback feeding off Lavender's neck.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJH2VSfQvYMSo don't say that "The Avengers is better than DH2 and you know it", because no, it isn't to me. Not even close.

[druv10]

DH2 is worse than DH1, POA, GOF, HBP and on par with SS. Its not a master piece like you claim it to be.

[Noctis]

That's your opinion. I find it absolutely laughable that you think GoF is better as that is easily the second weakest of the series with some horrible editing and pretty annoying acting. It didn't hit the subtleties of the book at all. I never said it was a masterpiece. Unlike you with Avengers, I don't grade the Potter films blindly. DH1/DH2 (depend on my mood)PoAHBPSSOoTPAvengersGoFCoS

[cozmeesah]

Why must we incessantly debate the HP movies in every thread, Noctis? Or compare everything to DH1 or 2? They're totally different films than The Avengers. Can't we just leave them all be?

[Noctis]

What makes you think I even brought it up? Read the thread. He randomly attacked me for liking DH2.

[druv10]

You said it was the most hollow record breaker ever.

Edited May 8, 2012 by druv10

[cozmeesah]

What makes you think I even brought it up? Read the thread. He randomly attacked me for liking DH2.

It wasn't entirely random.Even so, just because someone mentioned it doesn't mean you have to bite and perpetuate it. It makes some people do it to you on purpose if they think it will get your goat.But okay, not just saying it to you. To everyone, stop bringing up HP movies randomly all the time out of the blue. Because then every thread ends up in an HP vs. *insert totally different film here* debate. Just gets tiring after the 500th thread it happens in.

[Fanboy]

Now calm down, we all know Noctis is quite the overprotective parent. He's very defensive of his baby.

[Heretic]

No, I don't care if you find The Avengers better than DH2.I found DH2 a much better film. And trust me, DH2 certainly has its flaws (incredibly rushed Molly vs Bella), but the action scenes are thrilling and never drag. The Prince's Tale and The Resurrection Stone scenes are leagues above anything in The Avengers.The action in Avengers is much larger than that of DH2, but it was hollow and eventually became boring. Look at this scene from DH2. It's an action scene but it actually has gravitas to it. 0:55-1:05...wonderful music, and there's emotion when the trio find Greyback feeding off Lavender's neck.http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJH2VSfQvYMSo don't say that "The Avengers is better than DH2 and you know it", because no, it isn't to me. Not even close.

The music. <3God, I need to re-watch this. It's been too long.

[Noctis]

I'm gonna watch The Avengers again soon. Hopefully, I'll like it more.

[BiffMan]

Caught it again last night and noticed another fun detail: After Iron Man does his "Jonah" bit, crashes to the ground, and is immediately blasted a couple of times further down the street, he comes to rest in front of the Shawarma Palace. Same font as the place they're eating in at the end, so when he says he saw a Shawarma place a couple blocks over, I guess he meant it.

[druv10]

Now calm down, we all know Noctis is quite the overprotective parent. He's very defensive of his baby.

So he is allowed to be protective of potter but we aren't allowed for TA???? He took a fucking cheap shot and he is pissed off because TA is likely to pass DH2 WW.

[mattmav45]

So he is allowed to be protective of potter but we aren't allowed for TA???? He took a fucking cheap shot and he is pissed off because TA is likely to pass DH2 WW.

LMAO, a cheap shot?It's a movie, relax. "Taking a cheap shot" is a ridiculous phrase to use when discussing a film that you have no real investment in, despite the fact that you are clearly another blinded, obsessed fanboy, IMO.