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The Avengers (2011)

10- Captain America

2 votes

9- Iron Man

4 votes

8- Hank Pym

4 votes

7- Wonder Man

1 votes

6- Falcon

0 votes

5- US Agent

2 votes

4- Moon Knight

0 votes

3- Starfox

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2- Dr. Druid

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1- Gilgamesh

0 votes

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 07 2012 09:46 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 07 2012 10:47 AM

Do you agree that it's the Best Movie Ever, or are you some kind of Communist freak-flag-flyer who's waiting until the third weekend to see it?

Mets – Willets Point May 07 2012 09:56 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Does Diana Rigg make an appearance?

Benjamin Grimm May 07 2012 09:57 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

I rated it an 8.

Vic Sage May 07 2012 10:11 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

if Scarlett Johannsen's Black Widow was any hotter, she'd just burst into flames, like a distaff Johnny Storm. The movie takes a while to get going, but once it does, it doesn't stop. It builds its momentum by allowing each character to develop over the first hour, as you come to see them as individuals with their own motivations, and then the bumpy coming together is more believable. Its got a kind of wonderful sense of humor, without losing the dignity with which it treats the genre and the characters. It references the comics and the prior movies without getting lost in festishistic detail. It shorthands their backstories, yet somehow doesn't give them short shrift. It finds its iconic moments, yet develops a fresh take on the characters and allows them to grow. And then it lets it all fly over the last half-hour, delivering straight action movie thrills. It even sets up a sequel without feeling that it cheated, or is somehow incomplete.

Ceetar May 07 2012 10:22 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Do you think it's the Best Movie Ever, or are you some kind of Communist freak-flag-flyer who's waiting until the third weekend to see it? Socialist maybe, but I blame a sick cat. Gonna try to see it Thursday night as part of our 19th mensiversary.

Edgy MD May 09 2012 10:04 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Yeah, this one didn't shake me up either. I think it's time for me to cash in my chips with regard to superduperguy films.

Ceetar May 10 2012 09:26 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

I loved it, most entertaining movie I've seen in a while. Vic's synopsis fits pretty well. What it does do is makes me want to grab some some of comic/trade paperback/app to read some Avengers comics (and other associated Marvel fun stuff) since I didn't read much of it when I was younger. My main exposure was probably video games, specifically Marvel Ultimate Alliance which the floating airship really nails. So now to figure out where to get said comics. Also, I mentioned this in the other thread, but they certainly did plant seeds for a Civil War angle. Not saying they're planning on doing that, but there were definitely a couple of tie-ins that fit.

Vic Sage May 11 2012 01:11 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, this one didn't shake me up either. I think it's time for me to cash in my chips with regard to superduperguy films. yeah, if this one didn't do it for you, you can join Transmonk in the anti-unicorn faction. I'm not saying its the best thing since sliced bread (and how did that food product earn its reputation for greatness anyway?), or even the best superhero movie, but it's got a nice blend of character and action, and it delivers its silliness with a sense of humor and clever self-awareness that doesn't tip into cynicism or satire. I really don't know what else people want from a big summer action film.

Ceetar May 11 2012 01:19 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

I think "The best thing since the Internet" would be more apropos. I've got no real love of pre-sliced braed, just gets staler faster that way.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 11 2012 01:31 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, this one didn't shake me up either. I think it's time for me to cash in my chips with regard to superduperguy films. This seems to be a common trope with the handful of negative reviews floating around out there; it's virtually all "Really? Another GD comic-book movie?" Which, hey, is a perfectly valid opinion. But a little beside the point, no?

Benjamin Grimm May 11 2012 01:35 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

I admit that if I didn't have a since-childhood affinity and affection for these characters, I probably wouldn't have gone to see the movie. (But I might have watched it when it came to cable.) But I do have that affection, and seeing a movie like this makes me feel like a kid again. And I think that that's the level that it works at, for me.

Ceetar May 11 2012 01:42 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I admit that if I didn't have a since-childhood affinity and affection for these characters, I probably wouldn't have gone to see the movie. (But I might have watched it when it came to cable.) But I do have that affection, and seeing a movie like this makes me feel like a kid again. And I think that that's the level that it works at, for me. well considering that it broke records either there are a lot of childhood-affinities or people are seeing it because.. I dunno?

Edgy MD May 11 2012 01:44 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Yeah, this one didn't shake me up either. I think it's time for me to cash in my chips with regard to superduperguy films. yeah, if this one didn't do it for you, you can join Transmonk in the anti-unicorn faction. I'm not saying its the best thing since sliced bread (and how did that food product earn its reputation for greatness anyway?), or even the best superhero movie, but it's got a nice blend of character and action, and it delivers its silliness with a sense of humor and clever self-awareness that doesn't tip into cynicism or satire. I really don't know what else people want from a big summer action film. I dug Iron Man, and Hulk and Iron Man 2 to a lesser extent. I didn't find the quality in the character and story development that you did. I did enjoy much of what they were able to make the Hulk and Captain America do. The latter was sort of like a running back in the open field, pure intuition. But what tends to happen to me in these movies is that I lose all sense of what is going on --- what these characters are capable of and the battle topography and all. Just how strong is this guy and that guy? How invulnerable? The whys, too. Why are the quite mortal and breakable characters walking away from plane wrecks and getting up to fight? Why, when they're desperately outnumbered, do they elect to do their fighting standing in a circle in the middle of an intersection? That seems like a terrible tactical choice, to me. Spoilers: A lot of plot turns seemed to be taken from other films at a predictable and eyerollable level. The heroes all arguing among themselves because of the corruptive power of the evil talisman was right out of Fellowship of the Ring. The evil army that is overwhelming the heroes until a clever scrappy (but overlookable) hero gets behind the lines and takes out the mothership, and the army collapses --- it seemed like a replay of Phantom Menace (and Return of the King and Independence Day, also.) Hey, here's a thing, and I might've whined about this before, why do these films tend to have the earth placed in an existential crisis, leaving our titular heroes to save the day, but other heroes from the same universe don't even show up. Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men --- you all have bases in or around New York City, but when a giant creepy army from space vows to obliterate mankind starting with mid-town Manhattan, you guys all sleep in.

Benjamin Grimm May 11 2012 02:43 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Well, the answer to your final question is... In the Avengers movie: Because there are no X-Men or Fantastic Four in this universe. In the comics: Sometimes you do see that. The Avengers will show up to help out the FF, and Reed will say, "We've got this one, guys." (And for some reason the Avengers back off.) Or sometimes the two teams team up. And sometimes the excuse is that the FF are off on some mission in outer space. (Even if in their own comic that month they're fighting the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime in Queens.) And sometimes they just ignore this question. There's a certain amount of disbelief that you have to suspend for this kind of stuff. Me, sometimes I can do that and sometimes I can't. For example, in Superman, I was okay with the flying and the x-ray vision and the space capsule from Krypton, but not with him reversing time by flying backwards around the planet.

Edgy MD May 11 2012 02:50 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

There's a certain amount of disbelief that you have to suspend for this kind of stuff. Certainly, and they owe me a convincing reason as to why. Any good storyteller has to seduce you into releasing your grip on reality. In the Iron Man films, I could. In the Asgard-character films, not so much. By the way: Loki's helmet was never not funny.

themetfairy May 12 2012 08:25 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

It was visually spectacular, and Robert Downey Jr. stole every scene in which he appeared (as he always does).

RealityChuck Oct 07 2012 05:15 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Workmanlike superhero film; Downey was fine, the rest adequate. I would have expected something better from Joss Whedon, though -- his usual touch was completely missing (other than the introduction to the Black Widow).

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 07 2012 05:49 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

We watched this over the weekend and I was like, B.F.D. We rented a cartoon adaptation ("Ultimate Avengers") the previous week which took half the time to watch and was basically just as good.

Vic Sage Oct 10 2012 09:21 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

1) Did you watch it on a 20" zenith tube tv? 2) the AVENGERS cartoon totally rocks; i've been watching it with my son since it started.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 10 2012 10:16 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

I have to say the cartoon did a very good job with the backgrounds of Hulk and Captian America, better than the movie probably. I know what you're saying about the sense of humor and perspective, and I will take your word that it makes this better than most comic-book movies, in which case I will not be rushing out to see many others.

TransMonk Oct 14 2012 02:20 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Finally saw this on PPV. I was pleasantly surprised. With so many characters, this movie had the potential to be a huge disaster, but it held it's own IMO. I liked it much more than the Thor and Captain America lead-ins. I really enjoyed Ruffalo as Banner, but still missed Norton for continuity's sake. Downey rocks Iron Man as usual, hard to argue with Vic on Black Widow and I liked Samuel Jackson in a flick for the first time in a long time. I gave it a 7 and will see the sequel.

themetfairy Oct 14 2012 06:33 AM Re: The Avengers (2011)

Why does the subject of this thread say 2011? This was a 2012 release.

The Second Spitter Dec 24 2012 09:05 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

[youtube:260glg9a]QDajL441mZc[/youtube:260glg9a]

Nymr83 Dec 25 2012 04:53 PM Re: The Avengers (2011)

that was hilarious SS. saw this on blu-ray and loved it, but kinda wish i'd seen it in theaters just to see how many people seemed to recognize Thanos