The Avengers The Avengers Critics Reviews Thread - Part 1

[Joeyjojo72]

OK just read the neill cumpston review. Another classic, but now I need to shower.

 

[Kalonthar]

People gotta get in the last word. NO MATTER THE COST!

Also, unrelated, why do you always show up as

Kalonthar
Guest

Posts: n/a

Same question I've been asking myself since it started happening. I should really see the doctor about it.

 

[Xeno]

Richard Corliss... hm: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/25/marvels-the-avengers-a-superhero-roundup-thats-almost-super/

It's pretty mixed, and adds further fuel to anyone saying Avengers is a rather shallow film that does not quite achieve greatness.

I read the Corliss review and found it quite a bit more positive than you imply. Sure, he is a bit dismissive of The Avengers, but considering the source that is to be expected. However, Corliss never comes right out and slams the film, its script ot tone. instead, he seems fairly satisfied that Whedon has crafted a good piece of entertainment that serves its characters and audience well. In the end he questions whether it was anything more than an entertaining film, but gives no definitive answer except to say he thinks it fell short of the original Iron Man. Even at that, he cites many things he found good about the film. And as always his review was eminently readable, regardless of where he stood on the film.

Thor, for example, spits darts at Loki in iambic heptameter (“You take the world as recompense for your imagined slight”), an antique flossiness that immediately exasperates Stark’s Iron Man. “Now there’s this guy,” he sneers. “Shakespeare in the Park.” They have a fight, strength against strength, ending in Thor’s WWE head butt; when Captain America arrives to call a truce, he gets rocked as well. This clash of the titans is also a mashup of acting styles — Hemsworth’s grandiloquence vs. Lewis’s naïveté vs. the Method questing of Mark Ruffalo, who replaced Norton as Bruce Banner — while Downey’s snarky Stark provides the movie’s internal joking DVD commentary, but spoken, not sung.

Ruffalo, who’s done many a Sundance drama, has called Banner/The Hulk “my generation’s Hamlet” — though anger, not indecision, is his character’s tragic flaw. The actor performs as if taking direction in improv theater from the late John Cassavetes. And the funny thing is, it works here, since Banner is supposed to be a creature apart, reining in his Hulk impulses until they’re useful in the group effort. He gets the best line when he asks, ”What are we, a team? No, a time bomb.” Indeed, the Avengers are so busy arguing that they miss Loki’s first major onslaught. Defense of the planet: delayed, on account of infighting.

OK, so it’s tough being a superhero. Stark refers to his Iron Man powers as “a terrible privilege,” and Banner says the Hulkamania roiling inside him is not a gift, “it’s a nightmare.” The supervillain also claims to have problems. “I am burdened with a glorious purpose,” Loki says, as if wreaking holocaustal havoc were a solemn duty, not a giddy treat. But he has fun nonetheless, more than any of his good-guy adversaries; after all, there are six of them and just one of him. And just as World War II hero Captain America was thawed out a couple of generations later to help fight some intergalactic Axis powers, so Loki has the vibe of an ’80′s heavy-metal star of Druidic bent, pried from his crypt and ready to give the universe a final Spinal Tap. As Stark aptly opines about medieval demon-god, “He’s a full-tile diva.”

When Loki isn’t pulverizing midtown Manhattan, he’s preening like a Ziegfeld showgirl and disgorging contemptuous aphorisms in the manner of an Oscar Wilde dandy with Tourette’s. He uncoils a string of lurid threats Natasha’s way, capping the torrent by calling her, “You mewling quim!” (That may be the first joking yoking of those two words in a century or so of pop culture.) Loki needs a good Asgard-kicking, and will get one from the Avengers, but his definitive putdown comes when, just to flex his nastiness, he materializes in front of the Stuttgart Opera House to send a thousand Germans quivering in fear. “In the end,” Loki says, “you will always kneel.” An old man (Kenneth Tigar), possibly a survivor of Hitler’s ovens, pipes up, “Not to men like you.” His grandeur enraged, Loki spumes, “There are no men like me!” And the old German whispers, perhaps from memory, “There are always men like you."

That is a finely-written review that shows Corliss approached the film thoughtfully, which is really what expects from a top-tier critic.

 

[Suzanne78]

I read the Corliss review and found it quite a bit more positive than you imply. Sure, he is a bit dismissive of The Avengers, but considering the source that is to be expected. However, Corliss never comes right out and slams the film, its script ot tone. instead, he seems fairly satisfied that Whedon has crafted a good piece of entertainment that serves its characters and audience well. In the end he questions whether it was anything more than an entertaining film, but gives no definitive answer except to say he thinks it fell short of the original Iron Man. Even at that, he cites many things he found good about the film. And as always his review was eminently readable, regardless of where he stood on the film.





That is a finely-written review that shows Corliss approached the film thoughtfully, which is really what expects from a top-tier critic.

Heh. I guess I skimmed too much of it honestly, trying hard not to be spoiled, that I missed the nuances of his review. Yeah, reading this chunk a little closer, it does seem way more positive than the blurb on RT would have it be. Anywy, it was still a fresh review, so yay!

 

[warcam]

Up to 41
Still holding at 95%

 

[Vulklin]

that second rotten is the first review i seen below 3/5

TWO OUT OF FIVE!?!?!? HOW VERY DARE YOU!

 

[warcam]

that second rotten is the first review i seen below 3/5

TWO OUT OF FIVE!?!?!? HOW VERY DARE YOU!

He's like one of those church members that protests funerals just to bait people.
"GOD HATES THE AVENGERS AND SO DO I"

Puh-leeezzz

 

[J.Howlett]

Scott is one of maybe three online critics I trust.

http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot....ign=Feed:+MendelsonsMemos+(Mendelson's+Memos)

 

[PokeJ]

Up to 41
Still holding at 95%

Yep, they added 3 fresh reviews. It's very close to 96%.

Edit mistake.

 

[warcam]

They added 3 rotten?

 

[JediMasterConor]

I'm counting 43 total. 41 fresh and 2 rotten.

 

[Tony Stark]

More important is the average review is 8.2 which is among the best of class for this genre.

 

[warcam]

I'm counting 43 total. 41 fresh and 2 rotten.

Same here.

EDIT: 42 fresh now, but down from 8.2 to 8.1

 

[Joeyjojo72]

I think everyone - myself included - is putting too much stock in RT. There WILL be more negative reviews, and the odds are that it will be below 90 when all is said and done. This movie is simply not going to appeal to certain critics. Im having fun going over the reviews, but the reality is that pretty much everyone in here is gonna love this movie given the qualtiy and subject matter. For now, these are the only statistics that really matter, courtesy of deadline hollywood:

"Avengers is selling 3,995% more tickets than Captain America, 1,034% more tickets than Thor, 114% more tickets than Iron Man 2, and 1,406% more tickets than Iron Man at the same point in the sales cycle. "

Insane.

 

[Joeyjojo72]

Whedon will now have carte blanche for Avengers 2. Other than seeing TA next week, nothing else really matters to me at this point.

 

[warcam]

I think everyone - myself included - is putting too much stock in RT. There WILL be more negative reviews, and the odds are that it will be below 90 when all is said and done. This movie is simply not going to appeal to certain critics. Im having fun going over the reviews, but the reality is that pretty much everyone in here is gonna love this movie given the qualtiy and subject matter. For now, these are the only statistics that really matter, courtesy of deadline hollywood:

"Avengers is selling 3,995% more tickets than Captain America, 1,034% more tickets than Thor, 114% more tickets than Iron Man 2, and 1,406% more tickets than Iron Man at the same point in the sales cycle. "

Insane.

Insane, but not totally unexpected. This thing just may crack $1 billion after all. And I honestly think the final score will end up being in the low 90's in IM territory.

 

[Suzanne78]

Scott is one of maybe three online critics I trust.

http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot....ign=Feed:+MendelsonsMemos+(Mendelson's+Memos)

Yeah, that's actually a really pretty good review. I like Mendelson too.

I'm balancing out the critiques about the beginning of the movie. Some like it, some don't. I think Scott's the first one I've read that said it was absolutely terrible - at least until Beaks posts his review. But the things he says about the middle of the movie is really pretty great. And a B+ isn't bad either.

I really love that he loves CA so much still though.

 

[Vulklin]

damn it was at 8.1 a couple days ago, then managed to get back upto 8.4, now slipped back down again

need a few more 5/5 reviews t:

also top critics is still 100% fresh

 

[Suzanne78]

Did anyone post James Marsh's review? Personally, I like the guy and follow him on Twitter. He's got some good instincts about movies.

From Twitch (a HK movie site): http://twitchfilm.com/reviews/2012/04/review-the-avengers.php

 

[Joeyjojo72]

The critic at the Financial Times gave it 3 out of 5. Trust me, for a superhero movie, that's a rave coming from this guy. But it proves my point that certain critics will never be able to get over the "silliness" of superheroes as a subject matter.

 

[Rock Sexton]

"Reworking Zak Penn’s original Avengers script, Whedon sat on his usual impulse to go meta; instead he served as expert mixologist for this all-star cocktail party. The movie guarantees fast-paced fun without forcing anyone to think about what it all means, which is nothing. “A poem should not mean / but be,” Archibald MacLeish wrote. A pop-culture smash should not mean but do: break stuff, agitate the senses, keep the customer satisfied. The Avengers doesn’t aim for transcendence, only for the juggler’s skill of keeping the balls smoothly airborne, and in 3-D too (converted after production). At that it succeeds."

http://entertainment.time.com/2012/...ero-roundup-thats-almost-super/#ixzz1tBLrMTne

 

[J.Howlett]

Yeah, that's actually a really pretty good review. I like Mendelson too.

I'm balancing out the critiques about the beginning of the movie. Some like it, some don't. I think Scott's the first one I've read that said it was absolutely terrible - at least until Beaks posts his review. But the things he says about the middle of the movie is really pretty great. And a B+ isn't bad either.

I really love that he loves CA so much still though.

Yeah, Scott's one of the really good ones. And having rewatched the First Avenger via rental last night and reading his review of that film, I think he's totally correct. Of the individual films, the First Avenger is the most solid.

 

[Raiden]

I think everyone - myself included - is putting too much stock in RT. There WILL be more negative reviews, and the odds are that it will be below 90 when all is said and done. This movie is simply not going to appeal to certain critics. Im having fun going over the reviews, but the reality is that pretty much everyone in here is gonna love this movie given the qualtiy and subject matter. For now, these are the only statistics that really matter, courtesy of deadline hollywood:

"Avengers is selling 3,995% more tickets than Captain America, 1,034% more tickets than Thor, 114% more tickets than Iron Man 2, and 1,406% more tickets than Iron Man at the same point in the sales cycle. "

Insane.

I don't think The Avengers will fall below 90% in the end, even with a surge in negative reviews after the movie premieres in US, because I believe the number of positive reviews will keep it above 90%. And The Avengers seems to be a genuinely entertaining movie, and not one based solely on hype, therefore I believe a great majority of critics will give it a fresh rating and keep it out of sub-90's.

 

[megalixir]

Scott is one of maybe three online critics I trust.

http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot....ign=Feed:+MendelsonsMemos+(Mendelson's+Memos)

That is a very well-articulated review. His criticisms seem fair-minded and properly considered. I'd like to see the movie again to solidify my own opinions of the film.

The only thing I found myself strongly disagreeing with was his statement that the first 12 minutes were "absolutely terrible." I thought the acting and writing were great. Those 12 minutes established Loki as a dangerous and terrifying badass. It might still be the worst scene in the film, but only in comparison to the greatness of everything that came after, not by any awfulness of its own. Just my opinion though.

 

[Nathan]

Yeah, Scott's one of the really good ones. And having rewatched the First Avenger via rental last night and reading his review of that film, I think he's totally correct. Of the individual films, the First Avenger is the most solid.

I don't like how First Avenger almost abruptly approaches the end. It's like someone hit the fast forward button, when he went after the factories and the Red Skull himself. Kinda feel the same way about Thor. IMO, I thought TIH and the first Iron Man were the most solid out of all the solo films.