Avengers Assemble!

[Matt]

I don't think that there will be 'a moment' to top the Hulk/Loki scene this year. The Hulk/Thor lovetap is also up there.

[Timothy225]

Whole audience laughed and laughed hard at both scenes Martin mentioned. I myself haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time.

[Anderson]

That's why I can't totally hate Whedon. He still snuck in bullshit writing staples, but he got it.

He got what makes The Hulk work. He got what makes everyone work together. Plus, he got the tone. Only Branagh has come close to figuring out the tone.

[Martin]

That's why I can't totally hate Whedon. He still snuck in bullshit writing staples, but he got it.

He got what makes The Hulk work. He got what makes everyone work together. Plus, he got the tone. Only Branagh has come close to figuring out the tone.

Yup.

[Bobby Bear]

I get where you're coming from about the magnitude of mewling....

I understand why people are more forgiving of it. I just think that once the initial nerdrush chills a little, people should be able to appreciate how little there all is holding it together. You can have all the quips and superstar showdowns you want, but if it doesn't all count towards something that really grabs you in the chest... I'll pass.

Thor did that for me. In spades. This? Not so much. There was a tremendous amount of stuff going on as Tim rightly noted, certainly enough for folks to get distracted. Even so, it all just felt to me like priorities out of whack. "Nobody's going to care about "story!" We've got Earth's Mightiest Heroes knocking seven bells out of flying evil dudes (and sometimes each other!)" I'm deliberately embellishing a little there for effect, but I did feel that way on quite a few occasions -- the drawn-out finale being one good example. To people who don't care as much about those characters, that just doesn't cut it the same way.

[B_Metal]

Bobby, do you need a hug.

[Martin]

Man, there is so much more to love in this than Thor!

All my friends and my wife who aren't comic book lovers fucking loved it so much more than any other Marvel flick it's not even comaprable. Only the Dark Knight had people gushing like that, and even then.

[Bobby Bear]

B_, I thank you for your offer, but you're talking to the Bear. If anyone's gonna be doing the hugging 'round here, it's me.

There's more "stuff" going on than there is in Thor, Martin, but I'm not sure it deserves more love for that. Quality not quantity has never been more apt. I could care less if Iron Man and Point Break throw down (that line was genius, by the way, Joss) or how many fringe characters or references get crammed in if the story doesn't engage me fully. I don't just want to care what happens; I need to care in order to get the most out of something like this, which is why - for all its razzmatazz - The Avengers falls way below the likes of Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, X-2, Iron Man, and, yes, Thor to my mind.

I don't subscribe to the idea that a movie is either "fun" or "sophisticated." The better superhero films have shown that they can be both. This is why I don't buy into the whole "just switch off and enjoy it" argument for movies like this. If I wanted to watch something visually pleasing that requires no emotional involvement and offers none in return, I'd probably just play a computer game.

[Martin]

Nah, there's more to love not in quantity, though there is. All the movies you mentionned have parts that,independently of their length, drags them down. For me, Avengers has so much drive that it blows past the small parts where it drags down. By now, I know and appreciate all these characters. So when the shit hits the fan, you're already emotionally invested in those characters. Even smaller ones like Black Widow and Hawkeye. Sure, having seen the previous flicks helps, but the movie alone makes a statement of itself as a standalone classic.

[Abraham Smashington]

Pretty much sums up why I dig it. All of the other films have at least one act that drags. Avengers didn't have that in my opinion. I don't get the "the movie gave me nothing to care about" thought process. If you liked the characters, why didn't you care what happened to them?

[B_Metal]

I want to defend bobby's right to not like the film but it makes me feel dirty.

[Martin]

Will you defend Akira as well?

[Abraham Smashington]

I CARED ABOUT THE CLOWN GANG.

[Abraham Smashington]

I want to defend bobby's right to not like the film but it makes me feel dirty.

Noone is taking away his right to not like it. We're all just trying to understand.

I went through the same shit with TF3 hahaha.

[Timothy225]

To run with what Bobby pointed out, on a certain level, I agree - there could have been a bit more fleshing out to some of the characters stories (for example, I was kind of hooked on Black Widow and Hawkeye's relationship, and what the "red in her ledger" really was to affect her so), and maybe the story could have slowed down just a bit so we can have some more breathing room for the story to firm up a bit. Maybe this can be improved upon for the sequel, but with a flick like this with such strong characters, each of whom has at least one solid movie behind them more or less, there isn't enough room for all that, plus all the action a team-up like this has to have.

If anything, I'm kind of leaning towards the idea of first cycle of Marvel flicks, culminating in The Avengers, as one huge ass long form film. The previous films have given us enough backstory/drama/motivations on most of the characters that the Avengers acts like a film-long final act, where everything before culminates in 2.5 hours of a rollercoaster ride. This cycle will repeat in when Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Cap 2 and culminate again in Avengers 2.