The Avengers

[eldargal]

So last night I saw The Avengers, or whatever they are calling it here in Britain (The Marvellous Assembling Miraculous Avenging Avengers* or something:rolleyes:).

Is it just me or are superhero films getting better? I'm told Iron Man 1&2 and Thor which are sort of prequels to this are also quite good, so I may have to watch them. Used to be superhero films were awful, and I'm not even particularly fond of the rebooted Batman films. Also nice to see Joss Whedon do something really good after the flop of Dollhouse.

One of my favourite aspects was the Whedon touch to the female characters. Very tough, very smart, but not *****y. So refreshing. I liked Black Widow, I approve of semi Russian violent, intelligent independent women.

Also, really proud of myself for recognising Stan Lee's cameo at the end. /nerdsmug

Giving it 4 out of 5. What did everyone else think of it?


*Marvels Avengers Assemble apparently.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Yep, I can confirm that it is a great film over here in Britain too, though most of us just call it The Avengers.
All of the films relating to it are brilliant, Iron Man probably moreso than the others. I just love Tony Stark and think that Robert Downey Jr plays him really well.

5/5 in my opinion, can't find a fault with the film.

[DrLove42]

Its just so god damn good

(And I happen to like Dollhouse, even if the ending was a bit rushed)

I wanna see it again. Also I must say Mark Ruffalo is actually an excellent Hulk/Bruce Banner

[eldargal]

Yes I just call it the Avengers, so did everyone else at the cinema. I really don't see how renaming it to avoid confusion with a 1960s tv show was really necessary. So silly.

I was actually really surprised by Thor most of all. As I said I haven't seen the other films and I was expecting that particular character to be utterly revolting, as it so easily could have been. The actor chap played him extremely well though. The same applies to Captain America, though to a lesser extent. Could have been revolting, was very good, very understated.

I'm not giving it more than 4 because something just failed to grab me, not sure what. Could have been anything from the volume in the cinema being a bit low (not annoyingly low, just lacking the explosion vibration resonaty effect thing) or it could be that I just missed a lot of the excitement as I knew next to nothing about the characters.:rolleyes: Certainly an excellent film though, and downright superb for a superhero film.


I didn't dislike Dollhouse, it just didn't excite me like Buffy or Firefly did. Then it got cancelled so I consider it a flop. Firefly wasn't because it was utterly brilliant and got turned into a film.:)

[energongoodie]

I've enjoyed them all, even Ed Norton's Hulk. I thought Avengers was really top draw and am looking forward to more.

Robert Downey Jnr is always great value, and Mark Ruffalo made me forget all about Norton.
If you haven't seen the Iron Mans then I really think you are missing out. Check out Sam Rockwell in Iron Man 2.

By the way, Thor 2 is crewing up now, and Iron Man 3 is following soon.

[DrLove42]

Iron Man 3 starts shooting in about 2 months

Mark Ruffalo signed a 5 film contract with Marvel last month, but won't have another Hulk film till 2015, so will likely show up in other films

I've been looking forward to the Avengers since the ending of Iron Man 1. I'm very glad to have got their (although the Aero engineer in me dies looking at the Heliport flying....not physically possible)

Its a good year for superhero films. Avengers, the new Spiderman actually looks really good, and then the last of Nolans Batmans...

[gwensdad]

I know people who have seen it more than 4 times already. Joss Whedon is now busy mocking the FOX execs who canceled every show he's ever done.

But the ******* did (spoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerPHILspo ilerspoiler) but since (spoiler)ing characters is a think with him I kind of saw it coming.

Also, I want shawarma. There seems to be only 1 place in town for it.

[DrLove42]

I went into that film knowing someone would die

Its a Joss Whedon production. Someone ALWAYS dies. Firefly, Dollhouse even Doctor Horrible. Someone always dies....

[SotonShades]

One of the first films in a long while (other than maybe Toy Story 3) that everyone in the cinema laughed at. Maybe that's just where I am. Deffinitely enjoyed the character development from the previous Marvel films. I'm a HUGE Irom Man fan and Robert Downey Jnr certainly didn't dissapoint, yet again.

And yes, Joss Whedon killing someone off was always going to be predictable. Just glad it wasn't anyone I was expecting lol.

[gwensdad]

When will someone get around to telling Tom Hiddleston that he's really not Loki?

While we're at it, someone tell Tony Stark he's really Robert Downey Jr.

[MaltonNecromancer]

Is it just me or are superhero films getting better?

Actually, quite a lot of superhero films have been pretty good. I loved "X-Men: Magneto Kills All The Naz..." sorry, I mean "X-Men: First Class" :) They're only bad when they start catering to the fanboys - compare the first (superior) "X-Men" film to the high camp of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". When they work, it's because they're a story about characters first, rather than a series of po-faced action set pieces (none of which can compare with Tony Jaa in "Ong-Bak" anyway).

If you liked The Avengers, you might want to try reading Whedon's run on "Astonishing X-Men". It's like the Avengers, only with more/better female characters (Kitty Pryde is the protagonist). There are some excellent little bits, including the best Wolverine and Cyclops de-powerings ever (Wolverine starts making little cut-out paper dolls; Cyclops just goes to plan B and gets a gun).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Astonishing-X-Men-Whedon-Cassaday-Omnibus/dp/0785138013/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1336517829&sr=8-3

[scadugenga]

Loki learning the absolute importance of "audience selection when monologuing" shall forever be fondly remembered.

Along with that oh so tender bonding moment between Hulk and Thor after squashing a big beastie.

I think I forgot how to breathe, I was laughing so hard.

I know that I was doing a great impression of Doc Holiday having a fit of consumption after the movie. (damn cold...)

[DarkLink]

Ong Bak and sequels are the greatest martial arts movies of all time.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I suppose having some knowledge of the characters helps.
(I really like Tom's Loki to be honest, he plays a trickster brilliantly)

As for those future films you guys have mentioned, can't wait for that!

[eldargal]

I liked the first X-Men film but not the sequels.

I liked Loki, Tom Hiddlestone is great at being creepy. Reminds me of a boy at my schools brother school. Come to think of it one of my brothers was at school with Tom Hiddlestone.

Is there a difference between shawarma and kebabs? Seemed the same to me. Either way I approve.

Going to borrow my brothers copies of Iron Man 1 &2 and Thor as soon as they can find them. Also going ot investigate the Joss Whedon comics.

I think one of my favourite bits was the phone conversation at the start between Agent Whatsisname and Black Widow. The looks on his face as you heard the goings on in the background was so delightfully understated.:)

[scadugenga]

Ong Bak and sequels are the greatest martial arts movies of all time.

Ong Bak was fantastic. 2 and 3 a bit less so.

Ip Man 1 and 2 were also very very good.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I liked Loki, Tom Hiddlestone is great at being creepy. Reminds me of a boy at my schools brother school. Come to think of it one of my brothers was at school with Tom Hiddlestone.
Count me jealous! The only thing Shrewsbury is known for is Charles Darwin, and I'm a bit young to have gone to school with him! xD


Is there a difference between shawarma and kebabs? Seemed the same to me. Either way I approve.
Not much, I think it's just location of origin and how it's cooked. I don't really eat stuff from the chippy.


Going to borrow my brothers copies of Iron Man 1 &2 and Thor as soon as they can find them. Also going to investigate the Joss Whedon comics.
Good call! I'm not sure which of the two I prefer...

[eldargal]

So, watched Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Thor last night. Really enjoyed all of them and I'm sure it wasn't just the many Mass Effect 3 cocktails I drank.

Black Widow/Agent Romanoff was suitably impressive in IM2, if not quite as fantastic as in The Avengers. Still nice.

Thor was a lot better than I was expecting, Loki was a very sympathetic villain and Heimdall was nifty.

Didn't watch Captain 'merica cos my brothers couldn't find it.

I just hope they make some Black Widow films...

[MaltonNecromancer]

I just hope they make some Black Widow films...

If you're hungry for female superheroes who aren't

a.) dreadful, flat characters.
b.) pure male-gazetastic fanservice.
c.) bad@$$

seriously, read Whedon's run on "Astonishing X-Men". You could also do worse than to check out Bryan K. Vaughan's "Runaways", which is frankly spectacular. Molly Hayes may be one of the greatest female superheroes of all time. (That same list includes every female hero written by Warren Ellis except Anna Mercury, and Boltie).

Molly Hayes:
http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/c/c8/Runaways_Vol_2_26_page_13_Frank_Castle_%26_Molly_H ayes_(Earth-616).jpg

Boltie:
http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhl018HYx91qbnig6o1_500.gif

[gwensdad]

I think the best Molly Hayes moment was punching Wolverine.
Through a thick church door.
and across the street.

With Captain America standing right there watching.

[MaltonNecromancer]

Yeah, that was pretty awesome. Plus the time she threw Godzilla into a skyscraper due to an intense caffeine high.

Bryan K. Vaughan writes some good reconstructed superheroics.

[Morgan Darkstar]

Simplly the most awesome superhero movie ever made.

not even sure if i can decide what my fravorite scene is

ahh who am i kidding it has to be the "puny god" scene :D

Although the "Target is angry!" scene came close.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Read "The Boys" if you want a nice twist on the Superhero/heroine genre, it's funny and gets quite grim towards the end as things get more and more desperate.
It goes with the theme of "power corrupts", so every Superhero/heroine is an absolute arsehole.

Everyone loves Billy Butcher.

Edit:Let's give 'em a spanking (http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/40/88798-50753-boys_super.png)

[MaltonNecromancer]

"The Boys" is okay, but Ennis' early run with on "The Punisher" did it with slightly more humour. Punisher using Spiderman as nothing but a meat shield, only to explain to Spiderman after he's recovered consciousness: "We had a team up. You were great."

The best deconstruction of superheroes for me is Warren Eliis "Fear The Superman" trilogy ("Black Summer", "No Hero", and "Supergod".) Some of the most horrifying stuff I've ever read in comics. Especially "No Hero". *brrr*

[DarkLink]

Not only was it a good movie, but where I saw the Avengers had the best trailers ever. Brave, Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises, the new Spiderman (which I was dubious of, but the trailer changed that), and a few others. There are more movies I want to see this summer than in the last five years.


Simplly the most awesome superhero movie ever made.


I'd say that is still the Dark Knight, but the Dark Knight isn't really a superhero movie per se, so it's a pointless argument. But, yes, the puny god part is the single funniest thing I've seen in any movie in a long time. I suspect it won't be long before .gifs of it are all over the internet.

[eldargal]

Not a huge fan of Dark Knight and whatnot*, despite preferring Batman (and Black Widow) and other 'supergeroes' that don;t have magic powers.

The new Spiderman film looks good then? I liked the first film but the sequels seemd to go really emo and trashy. Is this in the same continuity or a (weclome) reboot?


*Not saying they are bad, I just didn't care for them.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I'm going to watch the new Spiderman, it has Doc Connors and he is awesome.
Different cast, no Toby Mcquire (however you spell it) HELL YEAH.

[Drunkencorgimaster]

Loved the Avengers. It has got to be almost impossible to give decent attention (and at least one gag line) to all those different characters but Whedon pulled it off. I hope the guy who cancelled "Firefly" is crying in his beer.

My favorite line was Thor's "He's adopted" with Stark's "Billionaire, playboy genius, philanthropist" and "Pucker up Legolas" being close seconds.

I also thought the movie Thor was exceptionally good. Branaugh made a potentially absurd plot actually work brilliantly.

[DarkLink]

The final act in Thor failed it. They did a pretty good job building up to that point, but other than Thor's moment of revelation where he gets his hammer back the final act was kind of anti-climactic.



The new Spiderman film looks good then? I liked the first film but the sequels seemd to go really emo and trashy. Is this in the same continuity or a (weclome) reboot?


It looks much better. It looks like it jumps right in on the crime fighting action rather than spending so much time on emo stuff, but it still has some strong dramatic elements. Specifically, while he's crime fighting he's hunting for clues to what happened to his parents, and it seems there's some sort of conspiracy involved.

And as I was saying, the Dark Knight and Avengers aren't really good comparisons. The Dark Knight isn't really actually a superhero movie, it's a crime epic that happens to involve a superhero. Avengers is lifted straight from the comics, cheesy physics and all.

[DarkLink]

BTW, here are the trailers that played beforehand: The Dark Knight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8evyE9TuYk), The Amazing Spiderman (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-amazing-spiderman/), Prometheus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0WUpsErUBA&feature=related), Brave (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtrDBQ_qmlg), End of Watch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf2K9GzgiF0)

[eldargal]

I'm so hoping this (http://www.showbizspy.com/article/246576/scarlett-johansson-to-star-in-black-widow-movie.html) is true:

MOVIE beauty Scarlett Johansson is set for her biggest ever pay day and a chance to star in her own Black Widow movie.

The sexy star is said to be about to sign up for a stand-alone adventure for her Iron Man 2 character as well as a return with her superhero pals in The Avengers 2.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Would I be correct in assuming that you have a woman crush on Scarlett Johansson? :D

[eldargal]

Yup but I don't really follow actors and actresses though, I like them in certain roles. So I want more Black Widow stockinged badassery (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCqfncpIjJM).

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Yum, yum, yum. :D
I am excite.

[DarkLink]

Black Widow would make an awesome superhero movie. I don't think they've ever done anything quite like that, except maybe the Bond movies. But with the supernatural/pseudoscience element, it would be like a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond, with a Joss Whedon female protagonist. Awesome.


I'm still waiting for this movie, though: http://xkcd.com/311/

[Drunkencorgimaster]

Oh, I'd watch that...fur sure:)

[eldargal]

I'd go to see that too.

Re the Black Widow film, I do hope Joss Whedon is involved with it. Her Iron Man 2 role was quite good and suitably badass at times but she is just so much better in The Avengers. Do it Mr Whedon, you know you want too!

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Everyone wants to 'do it'. Hahahaha!

[DrLove42]

Joss Is currently occupied. Apparantly they're using the downtime between series of How I met your Mother and Castle, and his free time to shoot the next Dr Horrible

[eldargal]

Pfft, he should slot it in after he is done with Dr Horrible. This is far more important.:p

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Someone wipe the drool from my mouth! xD

[DrLove42]

Could do a cross over between Horrible and the Avengers....

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqrddj3Vao1qht847.gif

[gwensdad]

done...
http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2nhrgfYbb1rnv7wro1_500.jpg

[eldargal]

Ha, amusing.:) I watched Captain America last night after my brother finally found the DVD, it was very enjoyable also. The only film I've not seen now is Incredible Hulk, is it any good? I remember it had a mixed reception when it came out and none of my brothers bothered to see it or get the DVD.

[DrLove42]

Incredible Hulk was pretty good. Its not the best, but Ed Norton isnt as good a Banner as Ruffalo is in my mind.

[eldargal]

I'll get the deeveedee then.

Looking back over the Marvel Cinematic Universe films I've seen so far (five of the six) one thing that consistently stands out is the quality of the female characters. Pepper Potts is great, Black Widow is brilliant, Agent Carter is great, Maria Hill is great and Jane Foster is pretty good too, if not quite as 'badass' as the others.

[DrLove42]

You might be disappointed by Betty Ross in the Hulk then. Liv Tylers not bad, but shes not quite as strong a character

[eldargal]

Ah well, five out of six isn't bad.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

I just kept picturing her as an Elf... Damn you LotR.

[MarneusCalgar]

I enjoyed the movie sooooo much

Maybe we´ll see World War Hulk at any time?

[gwensdad]

I enjoyed the movie sooooo much

Maybe we´ll see World War Hulk at any time?

Well, they have done lots of animated features (like Planet Hulk) so they could do that one sometime.

[eldargal]

Just watched Incredible Hulk, it was quite good though I'd definitely say it was a little weaker than the other films. I felt it started a little abruptly and was a little disjointed, but certainly not bad. Whatsisname Ruffalo certainly made a better Hulk, but the difference is like 9/10 to 8/10.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

It's like Purgatory; it's not that good, but it's not that bad. It's so-so.

[Wolfshade]

Saw the film last night and it was awesome.
Loved the humour of it.
Loved Iron Man's narcassim, reminds me of me only not quite as good
Loved that Black Widow was a character rather than a "oh we need a female character in this film, her lets put this cardboard cut out in"