What Did You Think Of "The Avengers?"

[The Once And Forever]

Whedon feels the same way, so I'm hoping we two new female characters in the sequel.

Ms. Marvel for the hero, and hopefully Gamora for the villain? Though Gamora isn't REALLY a heavy-hitter, she just works with Thanos and all.

[smhoulihan]

I really think its incomparable to Transformers, since in The Avengers you can tell whats going on, and care about the characters involved. Bay's Transformers is relaly just a kinda messy bullet filled explosion fest. Which can be cool, but not if it's incomprehensible.

You're right. The action in Avengers is much more comprehensible than Transformers.

But the action does devolve into a CGI explosion fest in the finale.

We do care about the characters involved, but so what? There's no jeopardy. We know all the Avengers are coming out of this alright (they're all signed for multiple movie deals).

By the finale, the movie is mostly on rails and fulfilling the standard superhero climatic battle trope. It gets dull watching an Avenger punch out the 999th nameless CGI soldier. Very similar to watching all the unnamed Transformers battle each other ad nauseum in a Michael Bay movie.

The attack on the helicarrier is a much more suspenseful sequence. The Avengers are still infighting and they have to deal with an attack by Hawkeye and Loki while trying to keep the helicarrier from falling. Can they get it together to save the day?

And a beloved character dies in the hellicarrier fight, showing it has stakes.

But in the finale, the damage done to the population of the city at the end is only hinted at, never shown (which is understandable, it is a kid's movie after all), similar to the urban assaults in a Michael Bay movie.

[blackphoenix]

I thought the movie was OK, but it didn't re-invent the wheel or anything. There were a few moments that stood out--Hulk slamming Loki into the ground over and over, the Iron Man/Thor fight, Black Widow's interrogation scene--but it was mostly paint by the numbers. I didn't really get Loki's plan: he used the cosmic cube to bring that alien army to eath to conquer it for what reason? And where the hell were Ant-Man and Wasp?

I also found it mildly amusing when Loki called Black Widow a "quim," which is British slang for a certain part of the female anatomy. Talk about getting crap under the radar...

[kyu915]

I loved the movie. I think it's the best superhero movie ever. It's use of subtlety to get its themes across and develop characters allows it to do so much more by showing and not telling.

*To those who say the first half is boring or paced badly, I can see why you might think that, but I also believe there are a lot of character moments put right where they need to go that keep the movie both moving and interesting.

* This goes for the third act too. It may have a lot of cgi eye candy but every action whether it is a punch, a line, or even a look has meaning.

*Hulk vs. Loki makes sense. Loki isn't injured so much as I would say exhausted, mentally(Tony's taunting/"why haven't I beat these idiots yet") and physically(Thor and Hawkeye), at this point so the Hulk not giving him time to talk works, I think.

*Cap AND Tony's biggest moment might be the orders scene. It shows Tony letting go of his ego when he tells Cap to "call it" and Cap knowing, trusting, and leading the team.

*The nuke is just the people in charge not knowing what to do and deciding to throw a nuke at it. Same with the cage, it's untested and experimental. It's just the best they could come up with.

*Maria Hill seems to be mostly set up for future endeavors so I think she deserved her place in the film. Just being a competent agent is a huge win.

*The Galaga joke could have worked better (for comic fans) if they had maybe shown us a name tag of that agent being something like say, "O'Grady"?

*Coulson's death was great. It resonates with long time followers because he's been in just about every movie and even if you haven't seen any others you mourn the loss of Cap's biggest fan.

*I want to bring up a comparison. In the season finale of the Young Justice show, it is brought up that six of the leaguers disappeared for 16 hours while under control of the villains. They have not resolved this yet in season 2 and in the continuity of the show, it has been 5 years. In Avengers, there are a couple references to what is going on behind the scenes of Loki's invasion and I think the invading aliens can be seen as a plot point that can be tied up in future sequels in the same way those 16 missing hours have been handled. After all, they certainly had more to do with Thanos and the Other than Loki.

*This is all personal opinion and preference and getting a bit off topic but this in particular is something that I am supremely curious about. I do not understand why X-Men First Class is held in such high regards. I like that it shows you can make an X-Men movie and it not be nearly all about Wolverine, but you want to talk about bad logic? The most powerful telepath in the world who's shared the personal memories of a Holocaust survivor trying to get said Holocaust survivor to show mercy to soldiers with the "just men following orders" line? A movie which is a metaphor for racial, gender, and sexual equality that portrays its minorities and women so poorly? (Want to talk about de-powered? Darwin would have shrugged Shaw off. I understand you're showing just how powerful and dangerous a character is, but come on. Emma Frost is portrayed as just an eye candy bitch who sides with whoever holds power? Angel turns traitor and then has not a single line after that? Mystique cannot accomplish anything without the support of a man and ditches who is essentially her brother after he's just been shot and crippled for life?)

*I do wish the movie had more Hawkeye, but I'll just pray for a Shield movie (I just don't know which I want more a Jonathan Hickman SHIELD-SHIELD movie or a Jonathan Hickman espionage along the lines of Secret Warriors-SHIELD movie)

[Alex]

I didn't really get Loki's plan: he used the cosmic cube to bring that alien army to eath to conquer it for what reason?

Because he wanted to take over the world...he's a super villian.

[Ziza9]

I thought it was amazing. I walked into the theater a 40 year old man and walked out a 10 year old kid. The only thing I think wasn't done right was the reveal after the first set of credits. It was great for hardcore fans and those of us in the know. But for non-comic fans like my wife, my sister-in law, and another friend, the responses ranged from, "Is that Hellboy?" to " Uh, okay, who is that?" They didn't know that they should really be like "Wow, whoah, awww shiiiii_!" Other than that, bravo.

[kmeyers]

@ Alex's quote..

That and he's trying to prove something. He was King of Asgard for like 5 seconds, and it REALLY pisses him off that that was taken from him. He wants to be king of anywhere he can now. Earth seemed like an easy target. Plus it would really piss off his brother.

[Ziza9]

You're right. It's definitely not as bad as a Michael Bay action scene. I just wish Whedon let it breathe a little bit. Fatigue was starting to set in.

I kind of felt like that was the point. It was a tiring fight, full of non-stop-approaching hordes bent on destruction and conquest., The heroes were in the fight of their lives, with no room to rest, no moments to breathe. The pace seemed setup to thrust us into the heart of the action.

[kmeyers]

I kind of felt like that was the point. It was a tiring fight, full of non-stop-approaching hordes bent on destruction and conquest., The heroes were in the fight of their lives, with no room to rest, no moments to breathe. The pace seemed setup to thrust us into the heart of the action.

Anyone who thinks that final battle wasn't awesome, just doesn't know what they are talking about. I've fought invading alien hordes before and this is a VERY accurate depiction and documentary worthy reenactment.

[Ziza9]

Anyone who thinks that final battle wasn't awesome, just doesn't know what they are talking about. I've fought invading alien hordes before and this is a VERY accurate depiction and documentary worthy reenactment.

hahaha. I concur. Just five minutes ago I was fighting to save earth from the Reapers. Didn't have 2 seconds to catch my breath.

[smhoulihan]

I kind of felt like that was the point. It was a tiring fight, full of non-stop-approaching hordes bent on destruction and conquest., The heroes were in the fight of their lives, with no room to rest, no moments to breathe. The pace seemed setup to thrust us into the heart of the action.

Yeah the heroes were definitely fatigued, but I don't think it was the purpose of the filmmakers to make the audience feel fatigued by all the relentless CGI action.

There's nothing as tedious to watch as a nonstop action scene.

Great filmmakers are able to intersperse long action sequences with moments where the audience can catch their breath and get their wind back. A good example of this would be the Normandy beach sequence in Saving Private Ryan, where the soldiers pause behind blockades and exchange a few lines of dialogue before proceeding forward and confronting the next horror.

We never do get moments like that in the finale, probably because we're juggling so many different characters. Just when you think the film is going to pause and let you catch your breathe, the point of view changes and we switch to another Avenger who is fighting for his/her life.

The earlier helicarrier battle to me seemed stronger than the finale, because not all the characters were fighting during the whole sequence. There were pauses in the action for short dialogue bits between Loki and Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye, and Iron Man and Captain America.

[kalorama]

I thought it was amazing. I walked into the theater a 40 year old man and walked out a 10 year old kid. The only thing I think wasn't done right was the reveal after the first set of credits. It was great for hardcore fans and those of us in the know. But for non-comic fans like my wife, my sister-in law, and another friend, the responses ranged from, "Is that Hellboy?" to " Uh, okay, who is that?" They didn't know that they should really be like "Wow, whoah, awww shiiiii_!" Other than that, bravo.

Hellboy? That's a pretty good one. I assume that most noncomics fans who saw Captain America assumed it was the Red Skull. hell, I thought it was the Red Skull for about half a second.

[marshal99]

Yeah the heroes were definitely fatigued, but I don't think it was the purpose of the filmmakers to make the audience feel fatigued by all the relentless CGI action.

There's nothing as tedious to watch as a nonstop action scene.

Great filmmakers are able to intersperse long action sequences with moments where the audience can catch their breath and get their wind back. A good example of this would be the Normandy beach sequence in Saving Private Ryan, where the soldiers pause behind blockades and exchange a few lines of dialogue before proceeding forward and confronting the next horror.

We never do get moments like that in the finale, probably because we're juggling so many different characters. Just when you think the film is going to pause and let you catch your breathe, the point of view changes and we switch to another Avenger who is fighting for his/her life.

The earlier helicarrier battle to me seemed stronger than the finale, because not all the characters were fighting during the whole sequence. There were pauses in the action for short dialogue bits between Loki and Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye, and Iron Man and Captain America.

Why do you think there are humor breaks from the action scenes ? The Hulk/Thor , the hulk/loki scenes are meant as a break from the non-stop fighting and seriousness.

[Flyattractor]

I would rate the movie somewhere between good and great,but I didn't see it as being the gasm fest as so many.
It had its good points/bad points/and stupid moments.
Weakest character IMO was Hawkeye.
The Big Villian Reveal at the end I guessed and the whole plot seemed out of character for him...imo.
It was good.
Best I can say for it with out getting all ranty about little tidbits.


But then I will say that in my defense none of the characters in this movie were really never any of my fav "heroes".

[Inkthinker]

Plus it would really piss off his brother.

This, especially. He wants Earth because Thor loves it.