The Avengers The Official Rate/Review Thread for Marvel's The Avengers! (TAG SPOILERS!!!) - Part 1

[danoyse]

Honestly, I think the only thing I didn't like about this movie was that it ended.

It was just awesome. Can't wait to see it again.

 

[Rock Sexton]

Honestly, I think the only thing I didn't like about this movie was that it ended.

It was just awesome. Can't wait to see it again.

Ya, I think I'm gonna go catch an afternoon showing tomorrow to see it for my 3rd time. Wish I had an IMAX 3D closer to me though.

 

[Raiden]

Honestly, I think the only thing I didn't like about this movie was that it ended.

It was just awesome. Can't wait to see it again.

Heh, my brother-in-law, who doesn't read comics and is clueless about Marvel superheroes, told me that the worst thing about the movie is that it isn't long enough. I take it as a compliment for the movie.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Honestly, I think the only thing I didn't like about this movie was that it ended.

It was just awesome. Can't wait to see it again.

I'm definitely making a return trip or three. No way can I wait until the dvd to see it again.

 

[danoyse]

Heh, my brother-in-law, who doesn't read comics and is clueless about Marvel superheroes, told me that the worst thing about the movie is that it isn't long enough. I take it as a compliment for the movie.

I didn't get to see it until today, but my sister and brother-in-law saw it on Friday afternoon, and she just texted me with "Avengers was AWESOME!!!!" in screaming capital letters...I knew it had to be good.

Today we saw two little kids at the theater, who were about 6 or so, wearing full Captain America and Thor costumes. They were so freaking cute.

 

[C. Lee]

Honestly, I think the only thing I didn't like about this movie was that it ended.

It was just awesome. Can't wait to see it again.

Those were my thoughts too.

 

[mclay18]

I am speaking generally, I know. Personally, I think SM2 is great but SM1 and IM1, while very entertaining, lose a lot of their charm after two or three viewings.

Yes to all of that.

I didn't mention this earlier, but I haven't been this impressed or blown away by a Marvel movie since Spider-Man 2. It outclasses IM1 by a huge margin.

And both films have great replay value. I can't wait to see it again. t:

 

[Rock Sexton]

I didn't get to see it until today, but my sister and brother-in-law saw it on Friday afternoon, and she just texted me with "Avengers was AWESOME!!!!" in screaming capital letters...I knew it had to be good.

Today we saw two little kids at the theater, who were about 6 or so, wearing full Captain America and Thor costumes. They were so freaking cute.

My Facebook is littered with people raving about it, who had previously been teasing me about my anticipation for this movie

 

[thalidomide]

My Facebook is littered with people raving about it, who had previously been teasing me about my anticipation for this movie

Same here, some of my friends are even asking if I spotted any easter eggs from the film t:t:t:t:

 

[Homer J. Fong]

That was AWESOME. I mean, I kind of overuse the word awesome, but that actually inspired awe.

This could have just (as ridiculous as the word "just" is here) been a really fun adventure movie, a popcorn thrill ride, and it would've been a great example of that. But no, we saw character development for all of our principles. We saw a ton of great small character moments, a ton of great comic moments, and overall it had a lot more depth than a cynic would expect. Marvel's been building to this for a while, and on occasion these links have felt more like studio synergy than creative decisions, but now we have The Avengers, and it's a real movie, with real characters, not just a product. I'm beyond thrilled with how well this turned out.

 

[Matt]

I LOVED the movie. Easily a 9/10. Some thoughts on it:


1) Chris Evans held his own with actors like Downey and Ruffalo far better than I expected him to.

2) I REALLY wanted Wasp and Ant Man though I would prefer his Giant Man persona. Imagine a 50 foot tall man taking on a few of those giant chitauri ships. As for Janet, I just feel like she always adds something to the dynamic of the Avenger team (a kind of steady, rational, determined, upbeat persona).

3) I want another Hulk movie and I want it now. The scenes with the Hulk were so damn impressive. When they stand out among all that action, you know something was done right. I actually liked Ruffalo better than Bana and Norton. There was an average man quality that Banner needs which was lacking in Bana and Norton lacked the likability of Ruffalo.

4) Whedon did a great job reigning Downey in. In Iron Man 2 he turned into Marvel's version of Captain JAck Sparrow, just an over-exaggerated version of everything that worked initially. He was back to Iron Man 1 form this time and it worked perfectly.

5) The emotional punch of [blackout]Coulson's death[/blackout] shocked me. It is strange how [blackout]such a minor character subtly endeared himself to the audience over the four movies he's been in. Killing him was a great call to raise the stakes and invest the audience....but it hurt.[/blackout]

6) I didn't care for Black Widow's role. I didn't really buy ScarJo as a cold warrior or the world's greatest spy. I think an older actress would've been more appropriate. Beyond that....I just felt like Wheon was trying too hard to do his cliche, tough Buffy-esque girl that he puts in every one of his projects. She didn't really fit in with the rest of the Avengers and alongside Hawkeye (whom I can forgive because he was under Loki's control for most of the movie) wasn't really part of the team dynamic that the other four had going for them (which gave so much heart to the movie).

7) One other criticism, I wish they included Natalie Portman and figured out a better way to bring Thor back to Earth. The ending of Thor made such a big deal about the gate being destroyed and Jane working to reopen it...the way Odin just created a new gate a few months later (and that it is only even addressed with a quick throw away line) cheapens the ending of Thor. Thor's sacrifice is what made the ending powerful. He gave up what he wanted (to return to Jane), to protect a race that hated him. He had evolved from a vain child to a true king who put others' needs ahead of his own. It should've been harder to overcome that sacrifice and Jane should've played a role in it, IMO.

But yeah, like I said....all around great fun, 9/10.

 

[BobbyCorwin88]

I thought the humor was well placed for the most part. It was definitely something that a movie like this needed in order to keep the flow going and not have it turn into a bunch of cheese.

There were some moments where I felt it was misplaced, such as

Spoiler

When Hulk lays the smackdown on Loki. It was a pretty cool moment, to be sure, but when Loki is lying motionless on the floor, wide-eyed and moaning, it really depowered him and almost instantly made him less of a threat. I would have preferred that he be on the ground writhing in pain and possibly even attempting to fight back.

However,

Spoiler

when Hulk punches Thor off-screen after they take down the Leviathan type thing,

pure gold. I will admit to that.

 

[piccolo]

Going to see again tomorrow in 2d. I couldn't hear the "puny god" line in my theater either b/c people were going crazy, curious to see if it'll be audible this time.

Missed the schwarma scene too. But I did google it afterward and it looks delicious. Gotta figure out where to get me some. Kind of like a gyro, no?

 

[piccolo]

I LOVED the movie. Easily a 9/10. Some thoughts on it:


1) Chris Evans held his own with actors like Downey and Ruffalo far better than I expected him to.

Agree with everything else you said but wanted to say something about this. Evans WAS Cap in this movie. His lines were exactly what Cap would say, Whedon nailed him. He had this reserved humbleness about him that just made you think "man Cap is just a great person". And of course showing his leadership at the end.

I don't think he just held his own. RDJ was RDJ, Hemsworth was Thor, but Evans in a way had the hardest character to portray because he had the most subtle character traits, and he ****ing nailed him.

God I loved this movie so much. Thank you universe.

 

[Lighthouse]

I had a buddy tell me that when the MTV Movie Awards happen, Best Kiss should go to "Loki and the floor".

 

[Raiden]

Agree with everything else you said but wanted to say something about this. Evans WAS Cap in this movie. His lines were exactly what Cap would say, Whedon nailed him. He had this reserved humbleness about him that just made you think "man Cap is just a great person". And of course showing his leadership at the end.

I don't think he just held his own. RDJ was RDJ, Hemsworth was Thor, but Evans in a way had the hardest character to portray because he had the most subtle character traits, and he ****ing nailed him.

God I loved this movie so much. Thank you universe.

I agree. Rogers had to play the straight man to RDJ's wise-cracking Stark, and it is a difficult job to do. However, Evans really nailed it, and he made Capt. America dignified but still showed some emotions and even humor (like the flying monkey scene). Evans truly made the old captain feel three-dimensional, and it is hard to believe that he was Johnny Storm not too long ago.

 

[piccolo]

Absolutely. My respect for him has gone up 10 fold.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

Which honestly...he wasn't really bad of a Johnny Storm.

 

[Raiden]

Which honestly...he wasn't really bad of a Johnny Storm.

I know (especially when compared with Alba's Susan Storm), but I'm just saying that Johnny Storm and Steve Rogers are pretty much on opposite side of the spectrum, and Evans is able to nail both performances.

 

[flickchick85]

He was a perfect Johnny Storm in a terrible movie. Frankly, I've never seen a film in which I thought Evans was miscast, and there have been some very different types of characters on his resume. The guy has far more range than people give him credit for.

 

[Mr. Immortal]

Agree with everything else you said but wanted to say something about this. Evans WAS Cap in this movie. His lines were exactly what Cap would say, Whedon nailed him. He had this reserved humbleness about him that just made you think "man Cap is just a great person". And of course showing his leadership at the end.

I don't think he just held his own. RDJ was RDJ, Hemsworth was Thor, but Evans in a way had the hardest character to portray because he had the most subtle character traits, and he ****ing nailed him.

God I loved this movie so much. Thank you universe.

Agree with everything here so much. Chris Evans is an incredible actor. I've always said that Cap is one of the most deceptively complex characters in fiction, and I never really believed anyone could become such a character so perfectly.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

Going to see again tomorrow in 2d. I couldn't hear the "puny god" line in my theater either b/c people were going crazy, curious to see if it'll be audible this time.

Yeah, the crowd I was in went nuts at that, too.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Yeah, the crowd I was in went nuts at that, too.

Mine did too, but I caught enough of it to make out what Hulk said.

 

[Travesty]

I couldn't make it out, the crowd was laughing so hard.

 

[DACrowe]

I LOVED the movie. Easily a 9/10. Some thoughts on it:


1) Chris Evans held his own with actors like Downey and Ruffalo far better than I expected him to.

2) I REALLY wanted Wasp and Ant Man though I would prefer his Giant Man persona. Imagine a 50 foot tall man taking on a few of those giant chitauri ships. As for Janet, I just feel like she always adds something to the dynamic of the Avenger team (a kind of steady, rational, determined, upbeat persona).

3) I want another Hulk movie and I want it now. The scenes with the Hulk were so damn impressive. When they stand out among all that action, you know something was done right. I actually liked Ruffalo better than Bana and Norton. There was an average man quality that Banner needs which was lacking in Bana and Norton lacked the likability of Ruffalo.

4) Whedon did a great job reigning Downey in. In Iron Man 2 he turned into Marvel's version of Captain JAck Sparrow, just an over-exaggerated version of everything that worked initially. He was back to Iron Man 1 form this time and it worked perfectly.

5) The emotional punch of [blackout]Coulson's death[/blackout] shocked me. It is strange how [blackout]such a minor character subtly endeared himself to the audience over the four movies he's been in. Killing him was a great call to raise the stakes and invest the audience....but it hurt.[/blackout]

6) I didn't care for Black Widow's role. I didn't really buy ScarJo as a cold warrior or the world's greatest spy. I think an older actress would've been more appropriate. Beyond that....I just felt like Wheon was trying too hard to do his cliche, tough Buffy-esque girl that he puts in every one of his projects. She didn't really fit in with the rest of the Avengers and alongside Hawkeye (whom I can forgive because he was under Loki's control for most of the movie) wasn't really part of the team dynamic that the other four had going for them (which gave so much heart to the movie).

7) One other criticism, I wish they included Natalie Portman and figured out a better way to bring Thor back to Earth. The ending of Thor made such a big deal about the gate being destroyed and Jane working to reopen it...the way Odin just created a new gate a few months later (and that it is only even addressed with a quick throw away line) cheapens the ending of Thor. Thor's sacrifice is what made the ending powerful. He gave up what he wanted (to return to Jane), to protect a race that hated him. He had evolved from a vain child to a true king who put others' needs ahead of his own. It should've been harder to overcome that sacrifice and Jane should've played a role in it, IMO.

But yeah, like I said....all around great fun, 9/10.

I agree with almost everything you said...but I have one small disagreement (ain't that always the way with us? ).

While ScarJo is perhaps not the most convincing of super-spy assassins, in the world of flying billionaires, Norse gods, WWII super soldiers and not-so-jolly-green giants, she fits right in. Further though, I thought Whedon did a great job of incorporating her into the film. He obviously wanted a woman on the team because it being a complete boy's club is ridiculous. But he used her really well and I thought she had some of the best scenes in the movie (her scene with Banner in the Far East at the beginning, when he first Hulks out, her "interrogation" with Loki, her fight with Hawkeye) and was well developed. She had good chemistry with Ruffalo and brought a lot to the movie. Honestly, the only character who really didn't feel like a team member was Hawkeye, but that's because he got the short end of the stick in the plotting.

Otherwise, we agree.