The Avengers (2012) (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Nata mutters "Bozhe moi!" which in Russian means "Oh, God."

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Nata mutters "Bozhe moi!" which in Russian means "Oh, God."

Ah! Thank you for the correction. Guess I just have a dirty mind. (ScarJo in some of those outfits tends to bring out my inner perv. )
Regards,
Joe

 

[Michael Henry]

Don't forget Whedon's history...
Characters in Firefly would always curse in Mandarin Chinese...not sure about his other work tho

 

[DaveF]

I enjoyed The Avengers. I wasn't going to see it initially as the previews looked like Michael-Bay previews, all bombast and no movie. It also looked like the Inverse Marquee rule would apply (quality of movie declines with increase number of big-name actors). And the preceding movies didnt do much for me. What lured me in was the promotional articles in Wired and EW. I'm a Whedon fan and the cast interview was so much fun, that I figurd it might be a fun movie after all.
In all, it was a fun "popcorn" movie. I loved the scene between Stark and Bamner on the flying carrier. Those character moments evoked some of Whedons great interactions on his tv shows and resonated with me. Likewise, some of the quick moments, like how Bruce keeps in control or the ironic "puny god" scene was tremendous.
And even in portions that didn't thrill me, I could see how it was still better than other actioners, avoiding being another big-event piece of crap like Transformers 3. The action was good. But between set pieces, the dialogue and acting was sparkly and never wooden or seeming afterthought.
Where I struggled with The Avengers is in big part my own taste. The Avengers continue to feel to me like the "Dancing with the Stars" of superheroes. I don't enjoy Tony Stark and don't find IronMan especially interesting; he's a Poor imitation of Batman. Black Widow...? I don't understand her purpose at all. Does she have superpowers? How does a skilled secret agent compete with or against gods.
I also got hung up on the plot, or lack thereof. I wanted a story. I got a set of personalities interacting. With a bad guy with incomprehensible motivations and macho actions. Ok. That was fun. I'll watch it again with expectations set appropriately and maybe enjoy it more.
Finally: the hulk. Huh? To start he's viewed as a wholly dangerous, uncontrolled animal. At the end, he's a team player taking orders. With no character transition between. Hulk smash is fun to watch but ...see "story" vs "personalities".
I have criticisms. It wasn't perfect to me. But it was fun. And in Whedon fashion, it was emotionally moving at times. His use of flawed characters with mixed motivations makes for compelling drama.

 

[bryan4999]

I admit I left after the "mid-credits" scene.  I stupidly thought that was it and that there'd be no further tag.
I also figured that if I missed something, I'd see it eventually on BD so it wasn't a big deal!

I left after the mid-credits scene as well, but I left because the rock music started playing so loud I couldn't stand it, louder than any explosion in the whole movie. Maybe it was just the theater I was at, but it was uncomfortable. I almost always watch all the credits and enjoy the music, but not this time.

 

[DaveF]

We stayed through the credits, just in case. It looked like Hellboy is the next Big Bad. Which made no sense to me...who was that? I don't know Avengers comics at all (obviously)

 

[TonyD]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanos

 

[Chip_HT]

I think in this case, many thought they had already seen the stinger.

If they had gotten up after the first post credits scene, I could forgive them a little. But people got up as soon as the music and credits started flashing.

 

[Chip_HT]

That sucks man. Stupid kids at my showing were talking at that part too. After Cap lifts up the next punching bag this stupid kid spoke very loudly, "That's heavy!" His mom shushed him, but still, if you bring your dumb kids to the theater they have to understand that they are not allowed to talk. Stupid kids.

No kidding. I nearing got assaulted after seeing Green Lantern because some inconsiderate parents brought a 1 year old to the movie during opening weekend, and sat next to me. Of course, the kid is hitting me the whole time and crying out at several key points of the movie (including the quiet scenes at the end.) While several people voiced their displeasure about the kid being there, I was the only one they could identify when I suggested they leave the kid at home next time.
Fortunately, I didn't have that problem with Avengers.
Although, I've never heard a full theater react so much to a movie. And it seems like it was universal. No one seems to have heard Hulk's "puny god" line. It was nice to have everyone in the theater laughing at all of the same bits I was laughing at. (Usually I go into fanboy mode and start chuckling at some of the injokes that general audiences don't get.)

 

[DaveF]

If they had gotten up after the first post credits scene, I could forgive them a little. But people got up as soon as the music and credits started flashing.

sat through MIB3 credits with a few diehards, only to be disappointed by getting nothing. I see why people don't stay. You never know if there will be something extra, and credits are mostly a waste of time after the cast list.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

I always sit through all the credits on all movies, even before stingers were common. My wife and kids know not to bother moving until the final blue screen with the rating "The movie you have just seen was rated ???" A little late for that. Maybe theaters should lead with the rating.

 

[Chip_HT]

sat through MIB3 credits with a few diehards, only to be disappointed by getting nothing. I see why people don't stay. You never know if there will be something extra, and credits are mostly a waste of time after the cast list.

Except that every Marvel Studios movie has an extra scene. That's what I was getting at. After four or five other movies (I can't remember if Hulk had it or not), one would think that people would have figured it out by now to stay to the end.
But I usually stay seated if only to allow the rush to get out of the theater. Then I can comfortably walk out, go to the bathroom without a line, and not be caught up in a mass exodus.

 

[Jason_V]

Originally Posted by DaveF /t/278084/avengers-movie-thread/270#post_3937012
sat through MIB3 credits with a few diehards, only to be disappointed by getting nothing. I see why people don't stay. You never know if there will be something extra, and credits are mostly a waste of time after the cast list.

We sat through the credits for Prometheus yesterday morning. About half the theater was still there too. Two things struck me: I kinda really liked the end credits music...and the credits seemed to go by awful fast.

Even if there is no additional scene, I stay during the big blockbusters to avoid getting trampled by the people who just have to get up the minute the movie is over and stand in line to get out of the one theater door...

 

[Malcolm R]

Finally: the hulk. Huh? To start he's viewed as a wholly dangerous, uncontrolled animal. At the end, he's a team player taking orders. With no character transition between. Hulk smash is fun to watch but ...see "story" vs "personalities".

I also didn't think the Hulk was handled very well. As you say, in the first transformation, he's a mindless force of destruction, trying to kill Black Widow (a friend) and causing all sorts of damage to the ship that was already in danger. Then later, he's relatively calm and listening to direction from the rest of the team.
I also didn't understand why Banner transformed the first time, when it didn't seem like he wanted to. The ship was attacked and he was knocked off his feet..so that's enough of a trigger? He gets knocked down?
That said, the Hulk probably had two of the funniest scenes in the film, one with Thor and one with Loki.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I think it was a combo of being under the influence of Loki's staff, and then getting hurt from the attack by Hawkeye and his crew that caused Hulk to act more irrationally initially towards Black Widow, etc. But once Banner was not under the control of Loki's staff later in the film, he's more in control of Hulk, with purposeful rampage, as it was alluded to in "The Incredible Hulk" that Banner was finally in control of the Hulk's actions (the green glint in Ed Norton's eyes at the end of the film).

 

[todd s]

This is a no-brainer for both studios.

Spider-Man, Avengers team-up possible, says producer Avi Arad
Published Monday, Jun 11 2012, 11:55am EDT | By Mark Langshaw
The Avengers movie series could feature Spider-Man at some point in the future, according to Amazing Spider-Man producer Avi Arad.
The studio executive said it would be "great" for both Sony and Disney if the franchises were to merge, adding that it may be "possible" if the right story came along, Crave Online reports.
"Everything is possible," said Arad. "If something like that happens, it's great for Disney, it's great for Sony. If the right story comes in, we are now working on Venom first.
"It's our first out. So our thinking is in the right direction. Avengers to me was an expected success so I never looked at it because Avengers was successful."
It was previously reported that a Venom movie could spin out of The Amazing Spider-Man, with Chronicle helmer Josh Trank rumored to be attached as director.
However, there have been several reports downplaying the possibility of Spider-Man teaming up with the Avengers for a big-screen crossover.

http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a386573/spider-man-avengers-team-up-possible-says-producer-avi-arad.html

 

[TonyD]

A Venom movie. Meh although I would love to see that guy direct a real superhero movie.

 

[Rocky F]

A Venom movie. Meh although I would love to see that guy direct a real superhero movie.

That possibility may still exist...at least at one point Fox was also considering Trank to reboot "The Fantastic Four." I doubt he would be able to do both, but I don't think he's firmly attached to either yet. I would rather see another shot at FF before Venom myself.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun /t/278084/avengers-movie-thread/270#post_3937186
I think it was a combo of being under the influence of Loki's staff, and then getting hurt from the attack by Hawkeye and his crew that caused Hulk to act more irrationally initially towards Black Widow, etc. But once Banner was not under the control of Loki's staff later in the film, he's more in control of Hulk, with purposeful rampage, as it was alluded to in "The Incredible Hulk" that Banner was finally in control of the Hulk's actions (the green glint in Ed Norton's eyes at the end of the film).

Yes, there was that -- but Hulk was the only one nearly killing friendlies, though all were affected. But with that and the opening act, with Black Widow treating Banner / Hulk like a rabid dog, and it's conveyed that Hulk is out of control and amoral: he smashes indiscriminately. Then third act, he's team player. There's a story arc missing.

But his smashing was good, and he did have the best lines.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Well, doesn't Harry Dean Stanton say that Hulk intentionally headed for an abandoned warehouse to save lives? He was greatly feared, for a reason, but that established that he was keeping some control (besides, even without Banner's control, Hulk has mainly wanted to be left alone and it's been amusingly established that he has never hurt anyone in his rampages; he's like the green A-Team).