The Avengers The Avengers Critics Reviews Thread - Part 2

[itchyscratch]

Quite a few american critics have already gotten ahold of it though. And the reactions by fans and critics have generally been more positive for this than they were with thor

We're not even a quarter way through the number of reviews the movie will end up with on RT. There's a long way to go for needy critics to get their moment of attention by bucking the trend.

 

[bonzob2000]

Yeah, it's not the same situation as it was with Thor at all. The US critics are probably gonna knock down the number just because there are so many of them (probably another 120-200 reviews coming), but I don't see them as liking the movie any less than their international contemporaries. Whedon's style has always struck me as very American, anyway, so I could even see US critics liking it even more (though elements of his voice are also familiar to Asian audiences... switching tones/genres like Whedon loves to do is far more common there).

 

[Quasimod0]

Sad yet true. Its a shame that some people negatively review a film on purpose to stir stuff up.

 

[pyromaniac]

Yeah, it's not the same situation as it was with Thor at all. The US critics are probably gonna knock down the number just because there are so many of them (probably another 120-200 reviews coming), but I don't see them as liking the movie any less than their international contemporaries. Whedon's style has always struck me as very American, anyway, so I could even see US critics liking it even more (though elements of his voice are also familiar to Asian audiences... switching tones/genres like Whedon loves to do is far more common there).

What do you mean? Commercially, he hasn't exactly been embraced by Hollywood. He's been far more successful on the cult TV and comics circuit...

 

[Xeno]

Yet another positive review has been added, moving The Avengers to 58 Fresh, 2 Rotten, still 97%.

Birmingham Mail: 4/5

 

[thalidomide]

Yet another positive review has been added, moving The Avengers to 58 Fresh, 2 Rotten, still 97%.

Birmingham Mail: 4/5

That very good news!!! Still excited to see this again, and I agree to the discussion above, some critics will do anything just to stir things up.

 

[alexlachiusa]

97% is fantastic!

I expecting it to fall to around 92% once the embargo has been lifted everywhere.

 

[spider-neil]

**** I still cry at the end of Armageddon desp[ite seeing it a million times. And the bit where Michael Beihn and his SEAL team get mowed down in the Rock? C'mon.

I give bay a hard time but really the only films of his I actively dislike are the last two Transformers.

I'd give The Rock an A and Armageddon, The Island and Transformers a B. Pearl Harbor tends to drag a lot but the bits I like I like a lot. Call it a C+

Not seen either bad Boys.

I have no problem with bays early movies. bad boys and armageddon are enjoyable enough but his most recent transformers are BAD. I have a policy not to leave a movie I have paid for (sorely tested by sucker punch) and I was pushed to my limits with transformers 2, it isn't just bad it's OFFENSIVE.

 

[Saitou Hajime]

Bay seems to be alright when he's just doing stand-alone films. It's with sequels that he's compelled to ramp up the stupidity, as was seen with Bad Boys and Transformers.

 

[Xeno]

Another Fresh has been added, with the meter still at 97%.

Sydney Morning Herald: 8/10


The 97% Fresh percentage at this stage of the game is phenomenal. That will surely drop, perhaps precipitously, once the various prigs and poseurs of the US press get around to filing their reviews. However, I do think that we're seeing a fair assessment of The Avengers' quality now. The 100% Fresh score from the top critics this far is, I think, a testament to how good the film is.


At least we won't see Armond White's bizarre ravings on RT, though we'll probably be treated to some cane-waving tirades from the likes of Rex Reed, et al.

 

[spider-neil]

thor's rating was very high and then dropped like a stone when it hit the states. I think when the american reviews start to roll in the rottentomato meter will drop to around the 87-90% mark

 

[Raiden]

thor's rating was very high and then dropped like a stone when it hit the states. I think when the american reviews start to roll in the rottentomato meter will drop to around the 87-90% mark

I believe The Avengers will maintain above 90% even after the US embargo has lifted, but it's obvious that its rating of 97% fresh won't last very long. The fact that all the top critics have liked the movie thus far proves to me that it will be able to withstand the critics in the U.S.

 

[kedrell]

well Thor was in the 90's percentage wise, yes. But it's average rating was always around 6.7-6.9/10 and that told that it's over all % would eventually drop. TA is holding steady above 8/10 on it's average so they really aren't the same.

 

[ElMariachi]

Thor wasnt givien rave reviews. Good ones but nothing like Avengers is. Plenty of American critics have already weighed in too. The only way this drops is random biased blogs and impossible to please critics.

 

[kedrell]

I don't think it'll get to 20 negative reviews. It may get into the teens but that's about it. Which would put it in the same field as IM, TDK, etc. It's not likely to fall out of the 90%'s at this point.

 

[bonzob2000]

What do you mean? Commercially, he hasn't exactly been embraced by Hollywood. He's been far more successful on the cult TV and comics circuit...

Well, to fall back on the old cliches, European cinema tends to be thought of as more self-conciously arty, more concerned with visuals and ideas and less concerned with plot and narrative. An easy shorthand for me is that Alien (directed by a Brit, creatures designed by a Swiss guy), is, in a lot of ways, a European film. Impeccably designed, beautifully made, filled with haunting imagery, but with a simple plot, thin characters, minimal dialogue, etc.

Whereas Aliens, though made by a Canadian, is a very American film -- tons of memorable characters and memorable dialogue, but much more fast-paced, action-packed, story driven, and much less about mood, suspense and ideas than its predecessor.

Whedon is a huge fan of Cameron and Aliens, and he fits into that lineage to me, as does his film -- he even said Cameron is who he studied for the action scenes. So my feeling is if European critics are embracing a very "American" film like Avengers, American critics might like it even more. Make sense, or am I reaching?

ETA: Yeah, no way this drops under 90 percent at this point. Just closed Tribeca to more raves from cineastes and film snobs. Paul Haggis called it "surprisingly satisfying." 91 is the lowest it's gonna go, I think. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say it manages to stay at 95-96 though.

 

[pyromaniac]

Well, to fall back on the old cliches, European cinema tends to be thought of as more self-conciously arty, more concerned with visuals and ideas and less concerned with plot and narrative. An easy shorthand for me is that Alien (directed by a Brit, creatures designed by a Swiss guy), is, in a lot of ways, a European film. Impeccably designed, beautifully made, filled with haunting imagery, but with a simple plot, thin characters, minimal dialogue, etc.

Whereas Aliens, though made by a Canadian, is a very American film -- tons of memorable characters and memorable dialogue, but much more fast-paced, action-packed, story driven, and much less about mood, suspense and ideas than its predecessor.

Whedon is a huge fan of Cameron and Aliens, and he fits into that lineage to me, as does his film -- he even said Cameron is who he studied for the action scenes. So my feeling is if European critics are embracing a very "American" film like Avengers, American critics might like it even more. Make sense, or am I reaching?

Interesting points. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Joss's body of work but he can tend to be quite subversive and in many ways, 'anti-American' even. I mean in the sense that where Hollywood would simply pay lip service to strong female characters, Whedon turns that trope completely on its head. After all, Buffy was derived from the simple premise of a scared girl running from a bad guy in the streets only to turn around at the end of the alleyway and 'kick ass.' Hell, he even deconstructs this stereotype so well in the very first episode of Buffy.

And in actuality, you can tell that he really kick-started a trend of preceding television series that center around 'strong girls' shortly after. It's probably unspoken of, but the credit is there.

I'd say that Whedon is more of a student of European school of thought than American. But to be fair and to give you credence, his style of filmmaking would be more infused rather than one or the other, with a little more leaning on European, since he doesn't necessarily give into frenetic, fast paced action without substance and motive. One of the reasons I'm an enormous fan of his is that he favours characterisation and brilliant, complex, multi-layered, subtle ensemble storytelling over the average Bay auteur these days. He pulls me in and bowls me over for six.

ETA: Yeah, no way this drops under 90 percent at this point. Just closed Tribeca to more raves from cineastes and film snobs. Paul Haggis called it "surprisingly satisfying." 91 is the lowest it's gonna go, I think. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say it manages to stay at 95-96 though.

Well, the review by Sydney Morning Herald is really impressive. I'm Australian and I follow their website and news regularly. They're a good measure for quality and for them to give TA such a glowing review is wonderful.

 

[thalidomide]

Quote from

http://www.birminghammail.net/what-...film-review-avengers-assemble-97319-30848991/

The underlying themes of Avengers Assemble are so ambitious and universal, they're almost Shakespearean.

NOICE

 

[Saitou Hajime]

That ought to pass Alexei's buzzword qualifying test.

 

[pyromaniac]

Yes, I saw that too. That's quite nice. That's what gets me reading the reviews that postulate that TA lacks a deep story and discernible character development etc. Which I don't understand. Perhaps they miss the subtlety in the characters' growth? And as for the story, well, The Avengers universe has never been one to tackle complexity and psychological drama, so why should Whedon start now (he's already proven that with his portfolio)? Uplifting, as someone said, is a good term to describe what he's done. He's not only played with superhero conventions, but he's also brought them to new heights apparently.

 

[Shadowlord X]

Subtlety and efficiency in storytelling is an art I really appreciate in movies. Some people may have become too accostumed to certain other directors whjo completely lack such skills that they cannot identify it when it's there now.

 

[04nbod]

Yeah, it's not the same situation as it was with Thor at all. The US critics are probably gonna knock down the number just because there are so many of them (probably another 120-200 reviews coming), but I don't see them as liking the movie any less than their international contemporaries. Whedon's style has always struck me as very American, anyway, so I could even see US critics liking it even more (though elements of his voice are also familiar to Asian audiences... switching tones/genres like Whedon loves to do is far more common there).

You think? I always thought his humour was very British in a Python-esque way. He relishes the absurd and he humiliates the self consciously powerful.

 

[(A)musings]

Hi all,

Well I did post these in the review thread and got a lovely response so thought I'd pop them in here as well as they have both been selected as official external critic reviews on The Avengers IMDB page and I did produce them after being invited to the London press screening.

My video review is my first ever youtube video and edit so be kind haha, all likes/comments/subscribes would as such be hugely appreciated. It can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cR7vIekZMw

My written review can be located at my blog (currently in a state of re-design to be incorporated with an upcoming website):
http://www.wtfoosh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/avengers-avengers-assemble-movie-review.html

Apologies to anybody who has already checked them out via the review thread. t:

 

[thalidomide]

I already saw that nice review (A)musing and welcome to SHH, I'm a newbie as well :P

 

[Whiskey Tango]

That ought to pass Alexei's buzzword qualifying test.

The underlying themes of Avengers Assemble are so ambitious and universal, they're almost Shakespearean.

They're going subliminal!