The Avengers Why the Avengers will be a Game Changer

[The Morningstar]

Will it change the game? Who knows. It's certainly a fantastic movie and the best summer blockbuster in years.

What i hope it changes is the mentality from a few people that big summer blockbusters require you to leave your brain at the door. I hope people raise their expectations and don't just accept mediocrity because it has cool action.

I never, ever, ever, ever want to hear the words " what did you expect from a movie like this? " again. Michael Bay apologists you have no more excuses. Joss Whedon and Marvel just proved that you can have ridiculously insane action AND great characterisation, great dialogue, great acting and an effective story.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

I liked Ultimatehero's very erudite post, too, but I've just gotta insert a quibble here with this overused --- and misused --- gif of Orson Welles.

Anybody who's seen Citizen Kane knows full well the context of this scene. Welles is forcefully applauding a horrible performance onstage, just for his own benefit. The people behind him are sycophants who are just sucking up to the boss, but even they realize that the performance is lousy.

So there's more than a little irony in people using this gif to show their approval of something. Unless you're deliberately *trying* to be ironic and sarcastic. In which case, well played sir.

Otherwise, you might want to start using a different gif for that. Just sayin'....some of us here are film snobs, and actually know what that scene represents.

It's just a fun gif. If you get too literal about it then the fun is gone.

 

[Silvermoth]

I think there's a lot to learn from 'The Avengers', particulary for comic book movies.

The first of course is that the drama is important. I've heard it described as 'the meat and not the bread' of a film. Something like 'The Incredible Hulk' would have done much better without all the dramatic scenes chopped out of it.

The second is, I'm very glad to say, the days of boring women in blockbusters are over! I would say having a cool action heroine has added millions to the box office, not just for The Avengers but for The Hunger Games too. No Bella Swans here!

There's more to learn of course, but I don't have time to go over them.

 

[iJackSparrow]

I don't see the game being changed that much.

Studios aren't suddenly going to hand over huge budgets.

We've seen movies about a team of heroes before, and seen them suceed. THE AVENGERS may prompt WB to begin developing THE JUSTICE LEAGUE again, which is nice, but not neccessarily game changing. The Marvel Universe films have already changed the game to a degree, and made the concept of a shared universe of heroes seem at least somewhat feasible. Previous Marvel films showed that a certain type of humor/action blend is very popular. AVENGERS does it on a larger scale, but let's not pretend that we've never seen a massive action movie before.

It's THE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE that could change the game, by bringing truly high, fantasy based and mythological concepts like Thanos, Kang and other worlds/universes into a more grounded superhero mythology.

But the movie that combines the best of everything, the tones of TDK and TDKR and THE AVENGERS?

That will be a real game changer.

This discussion has gone on in other forums. "Game changer" means something that actually changes the game, not just something impressive.

Unless studios suddenly start forking over $300 million budgets for superhero team movies, it's not going to change the game. And if WB makes JUSTICE LEAGUE, I guarantee it won't be trying to do what THE AVENGERS did, with the mix of this much humor and action.

Goffy pls, that's exactly one of the reasons The Avengers is a game changer.

The Avengers is a game changer on many levels, as Ultimatehero brilliantly put it, but as many have previous stated, it's also a game changer because it proved that the movieverse can work and possibilities are now endless. And another thing, it's a game changer because movies based on comic books shouldn't limit themselves as Nolan's Batmans do. I don't thin you've got the memo, sir, but The Avengers is indeed a game changer, just not necessarily a change you wanted it.

MARVEL or DISNEY tried to talk Whedon out of his big finale if people remember correctly saying it couldn't be done and the budget wouldn't allow it. Guess what? He did it. He proved them wrong. And that speaks volumes.

I've seen in this in the industry first-hand all the time so I knew where he was coming from when he said that was the response to the finale. And now, after this, studios are going to know that it can be done. Audiences now know that it can be done. And films won't be approached in a, "we can ONLY do this animated - we can't achieve this live action!" will soon be a thing of the past. Nothing is too far over the top.

So followed by Hollywood for ages now? Only slightly. There is or was still that glass ceiling. Whedon came up against it initially and I have seen others from first-hand experience go up against it repeatedly as well. There was a ceiling. The world council saying it can't be done and Fury standing for what he believes in. THAT is what Whedon did, now the world council knows - now the world knows - and that is why it's dangerous. From here on out they need to keep on going up, they can't go back - Whedon's changed things for good. And THAT right there is why the game changed. It may not look it from general audience perspective, but "that's too much" I'm seeing as becoming largely a thing of the past. As said, I bow down before Whedon for sticking to his guns and saying "this is my finale - it can be done - and I'm going to show you it can be done."

Just seeing TDKR trailer, I'm certain it won't have as big of an action spectacle within it. Will it be awesome and amazing in other ways? Yes. Will it raise the bar for action spectacle and what we can do in those means? No. A lot of it is practical. And if it does, I'll eat my words. I'm just seeing it as an amazing and awesome dramatic film, will it when any CGI awards? I doubt. Will Avengers? It's a shoe-in.

Brilliant analogy. As you've said the ceiling is gone. t:

 

[chiefchirpa]

The game changer would happen if Disney, Fox, and Sony would sit down for a collective Marvel "deck beck" for Avengers 3 or Avengers vs X-Men thing.

X-Men, Avengers, Spider-Man all in one movie -> $2 billion

Another if WB relents and let cooperation takes place... -> $2.5 billion for DC vs Marvel stuff

 

[TheVileOne]

It's a game changer because we've never seen a project this ambitious succeed before. A comic book movie that's a crossover of five previous movies.

It is also a game changer because we rarely if ever see a superhero team movie where the super heroes team up and fight together in tandem to a level we see in this movie.

 

[DACrowe]

It's a watershed for the genre. A team-up film that actually works and left people wanting more. We're about to see a lot more like this.

As for previous game changers?

Superman (1978)
Batman (1989)
X-Men (2000)
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Avengers (2012)

There is a before and after effect on the genre with each of these movies.

 

[Ultimatehero]

I'd say THE DARK KNIGHT and THE AVENGERS stand out more though because they have effectively changed not just the superhero genre but a large part about how fractions of Hollywood thinks. Nolan's effect carried into films outside of superhero films and so will Whedon's. He's really thrown down a gauntlet saying "this what these movies can be in their fantastical realm, now good sir it's up to you." He's readily proven that audiences love the fantastical just as much as the grounded, leaving both realms open for endless possibilities instead of just one.

 

[Tony Stark]

It's a watershed for the genre. A team-up film that actually works and left people wanting more. We're about to see a lot more like this.

As for previous game changers?

Superman (1978)
Batman (1989)
X-Men (2000)
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Avengers (2012)

There is a before and after effect on the genre with each of these movies.

I might add one or two more to your list, but more or less I completely agree with your list.

My additions would be:

Batman Begins - because it jump started other projects with WB, after the Schumacker Batman films.

Iron Man - because it proved Marvel Studios could do things as an indepenent studio. They took out a huge loan to finance it and the Hulk, so it could have potentially bankrupted the company and that was in 2008 with the market crash.

Honorable mention to Blade. I can't quite put it in game changer catagory, but it has to be mentioned because that's the first serious studio films that Marvel was able to put out.

 

[TheVileOne]

It wouldn't have bankrupted the company but they would've lost the film rights to the characters I think.

 

[Dark Raven]

I'm hoping the Avengers is a game changer for movies like the X-Men. Maybe Singer will realise that it's not so silly to have the team in colourful individual outfits and that people didn't laugh at them. I'm tired of looking at their mostly monotone uniforms.

 

[thalidomide]

It certainly is a pants changers though.

 

[El Payaso]

I think there's a lot to learn from 'The Avengers', particulary for comic book movies.

The first of course is that the drama is important. I've heard it described as 'the meat and not the bread' of a film. Something like 'The Incredible Hulk' would have done much better without all the dramatic scenes chopped out of it.

You see, this is where the game changing thing goes wrong. Yes, you could take Superman and turn it into a dark gritty realistic-toned movie becaude TDK was successful at that or you could take Hulk and make a happy comedy because Whedon made it profitable in Avengers.

I just pray that won't happen.

The second is, I'm very glad to say, the days of boring women in blockbusters are over! I would say having a cool action heroine has added millions to the box office, not just for The Avengers but for The Hunger Games too. No Bella Swans here!

There's more to learn of course, but I don't have time to go over them.

I don't think this is the very first time we have had a cool heroin in a blockbuster.

 

[lancimouspitt]

Is it a game changer? Probably.
If we see future X-men films with AOA,Astroid M,or the Shiar Empire you know someone at fox has been watching carefully I guess.
Truthfully,though i'm not holding my breath I'm ready for secret wars.

 

[def28]

I think this movie proved that crossover/comic accurate characters not only work for fans but the general audience as well. Tired of hearing "that only works in the comics". This movie proved theres no limits and it all can work.

 

[iJackSparrow]

I don't mean to offend anyone, but I urge everyone that enjoyed the movie to leave the trolls that keep spilling hate on these boards alone. I'm almost getting banned for losing my cool over them, so it's useless. Let's have them spilling hate on these boards quietly, until some mod take action on them.

 

[PunisherFC]

I definitely think its a game changer, i also think there are great odds that DC is gonna wanna cash in on it. I expect they will want to do a JLA movie, maybe depending on the response to TDKR and MOS.

 

[hopeisreal]

This is the first comic book film to say "F**k it, this is a comic book film" and have this kind of commercial and critical success.

All that needs to be said.

That's why it is a game changer

 

[mclay18]

I don't think this is the very first time we have had a cool heroin in a blockbuster.

If you want to count Angelina Jolie's sexualized, vapid turn as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider films, then you're right. And Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the first four Alien movies.

But it's been a long time since a blockbuster movie has had kick-ash female heroines that aren't two-dimensional. Black Widow has shades of gray, and a dark past that's hinted at. And she can easily hold her own opposite the more powered-up guys.

 

[hopeisreal]

will it change the game? Who knows. It's certainly a fantastic movie and the best summer blockbuster in years.

What i hope it changes is the mentality from a few people that big summer blockbusters require you to leave your brain at the door. I hope people raise their expectations and don't just accept mediocrity because it has cool action.

I never, ever, ever, ever want to hear the words " what did you expect from a movie like this? " again. Michael bay apologists you have no more excuses. Joss whedon and marvel just proved that you can have ridiculously insane action and great characterisation, great dialogue, great acting and an effective story.

thank. You.

 

[cherokeesam]

I'll just say *I hope* it's a game-changer. Whedon has done a fantastic job at making the fantastic look great *and* generate the GDP of a small European nation. He took the old myth about "what works in the comics won't work in the movies" and wiped his ash with it.

But DACrowe posted a nice list of "game changer" superhero movies that were genuine watersheds in their approach to the genre, yet I honestly didn't see a whole lot of change going on in the game at all.

Let's be honest: what did all those great movies lead to? Did studios and directors *really* try to re-create the winning formulas for those films, or did they just go back to their usual bad habits and churn out.....junk? Donner's Superman series led to.....nothing. It would take a whole decade before anyone even *tried* to franchise another major comic book character. Talking, of course, about Burton's Batman, which led to.....a forgotten Flash TV series? Steel? Spawn? Almost a full decade after Bats 89, Marvel tries their first real film character with Blade, and while successful, that success had little to do with comic books (even a ton of *Marvel* fans had never heard of the character) and MUCH more to do with vampires being the "in" thing at the time. So X-Men and Spider-Man were the first *real* Marvel successes, and that led to....Daredevil, Elektra, Ang-Hulk, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Catwoman, and the Fantastic Four. And even the critical acclaim and box office mastery of TDK led only to Watchmen, Green Lantern, and a failed Wonder Woman TV pilot.

I think the main thing is that Avengers has set a new standard *within* Marvel Studios ---- not only in firmly establishing the MCU, but also creating a new template for future films at the studio. But I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that other studios and directors are going to learn anything from this....history has proven time and again that the "game changers" within the CBM genre usually lead only to a boatload of parodies, non-mainstream titles, and a bunch of Marvel and DC junk by guys who just don't "get it" at all.

 

[Dark Raven]

I definitely think its a game changer, i also think there are great odds that DC is gonna wanna cash in on it. I expect they will want to do a JLA movie, maybe depending on the response to TDKR and MOS.

I hope WB/DC do cash in. If that's what it takes to get them to get their act together and make a JLA movie, then so be it. Sure, some people will think they're just copying Marvel, but those same people will probably enjoy the movie nevertheless.

 

[iJackSparrow]

I hope WB/DC do cash in. If that's what it takes to get them to get their act together and make a JLA movie, then so be it. Sure, some people will think they're just copying Marvel, but those same people will probably enjoy the movie nevertheless.

I want more amazing comic book movies. I don't really care if it's from Warner or Marvel, I just want more amazing comic book movies.

Warner could have done what Marvel is doing years and years ago, but they didn't. They have a very strong universe, just as much if not more than Marvel has on their sleeve, since they can adapt any DC character, I don't want a Justice League movie, not yet. Neither I want a World's Finest, what I really want is for them to follow Marvel footsteps and create their own Movieverse, starting with Man of Steel. I want a build up just like Marvel did, and I think it's more than proved that there's a very high demand for this.

 

[cherokeesam]

I hope WB/DC do cash in. If that's what it takes to get them to get their act together and make a JLA movie, then so be it. Sure, some people will think they're just copying Marvel, but those same people will probably enjoy the movie nevertheless.

If the JLA movie ever gets made, I hope to god people don't jump on a "omg copycatting Avengers" bandwagon. JLA was *supposed* to be made long before Marvel ever dreamed up the Avengers movie.

 

[Mr.T]

Is it a game changer? I haven't a clue, as only time will tell.

I will say this, this is the ONLY movie I've ever seen more than once in theater. I grew up reading comics and a huge fan of all the recent Marvel movies. As much as I wanted to see IM, IM2,Thor & Cap TFA in theater a 2nd time, I never made an effort to do so. I have a nice home theater room and was always able to talk myself into just waiting until it released on bluray.
This movie just blew me away. I was a tad too young to remember the initial Star Wars craziness, but have heard the Avengers comparisons from many adults. I actually got choked up at the group circle shot. I can count the number of times on one hand a movie made me do that.

I'm taking my son to see it this weekend. This will be my 3rd viewing! I'm so happy my little boy can experience his "Star Wars".