AVENGERS: Grade, Reviews, Discuss, DVD & Sequel **SPOILERS**

[lurok]

UK Daily Fail gave it a thumbs up, and usually doesn't know arse from elbow. Not sure whether that's a good sign or bad.

[Captain Craig]

Movie-Moron.com - A grade

Director Joss Whedon brings us the best Hulk yet in The Avengers, and it starts with his introductory scene. The tension is slowly building towards the first inevitable Hulk-out later in the film, with Black Widow – who we’ve seen deal with some shady underworld types nonchalantly – deathly afraid of having to deal with the angry version of Dr Banner. Banner, meanwhile, is confident and apparently has some degree of control. It’s a fun scene that kicks off a fun portrayal; Hulk is a horrible prospect, a force to be reckoned with and, eventually, really exciting to watch.

viewaucklund.co.nz - 5o5 stars

The Avengers is an awesome, action-packed extravaganza. The best of its kind thanks to the enviable skill of its writer/director Joss Whedon. It has been a long time since I've seen a film that I would happily walk straight back into the cinema after viewing, and watch all over again.

thepopcornjunkie.com - 4.5 of 5 stars

Be prepared for a LOT of gushing over Marvel Studio’s ‘The Avengers’. I’m going to give it to you straight; the film is phenomenally awesome. No review for the film really matters anyway because you’d be mental to miss the biggest superhero film event since we were pooped out from the big bang. Therefore, the burning question – is it the greatest superhero movie ever made? Our yardstick for the perfect superhero film is Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ and Richard Donner’s ‘Superman’. ‘The Avengers’ gets the bronze medal behind these films but serves as one of the best blockbusters ever made and is a fantastic accomplishment of Marvel Studios and writer/director Joss Whedon.

BleedingCool.com their 3-D review - stars/grade unknown but he liked it.

The lights came down, the glasses went on. I have a slight stigmatism in my eye which, apparently, makes 3D films an issue for me, especially with fast paced action. Guess what there was a lot of in this film. But my eyes adjusted eventually.

There was lots of good. There was some bad. Some people are calling this the best superhero film of all… but I still feel like keeping First Class above it. And, naturally, it’s not a patch on Misfits. But it is a stunning piece of work.

[Timby]

The reviews are intriguing, but I'm still waiting for something that says anything deeper than "I liked it, the characters did cool things." I have yet to see a single review that says anything about the cinematography, the visual effects, the direction, the actual filmmaking. I keep going back to that clip of Thor and Captain America fighting in the street, which breaks the 180 rule so hard that it makes my head spin. It all feels like a bunch of inconsequential, weightless action which exists for the sole purpose of arranging the titular characters in poses that make for good posters. All that it has going for it, so far, is, "Damn, wow, if you would have told me you'd see professional actors cosplaying and doing Jim Lee poses 10 or 15 years ago, I wouldn't have believed you! What strange times we live in!"

Maybe that's what people want, I don't know. But, again, all of the reviews that have come out since the embargo was lifted feel horribly superficial, much like how all the released footage of the film feels.

[FPAlpha]

I'll be seeing it on May 5th together with friends after we've spent a day at a roleplaying/board games/nerd convention (and we'll go Sunday too).. perfect framing for it! And now that the reviews pour in and many of them are good to ecstatic i'm hopeful.. i really like Joss and knows he's a nerd and pop culture insider so if given control it could turn out good but major blockbusters are not produced without studio meddling which often leads to a train wreck of a movie.

So it's only two weeks before i hear Cap yell his legendary command to the Avengers!

[Timby]

Just a note -- I know that this is the review and discussion thread, and there are people here who have already seen the film, but keep in mind the spoiler rules, especially because the film doesn't officially open anywhere until a week from now. Don't go blabbing stuff.

Thanks.

FPAlpha wrote:

---

So it's only two weeks before i hear Cap yell his legendary command to the Avengers!

If what I've read is accurate, it isn't actually said at any point in the film.

[Trekker4747]

Are spoiler rules applicable in threads where the title warns of them?

[Timby]

Trekker4747 wrote:

---

Are spoiler rules applicable in threads where the title warns of them?

When the film hasn't been officially released anywhere yet, absolutely.

[Trekker4747]

Timby wrote:

---

When the film hasn't been officially released anywhere yet, absolutely.

Ah, makes sense.

Now what about when the movie is released overseas next week before its release in America?

[Timby]

Trekker4747 wrote:

---

Ah, makes sense.

Now what about when the movie is released overseas next week before its release in America?

Then I would point you to the spoiler rules, which are stickied at the very top of this forum:

- Finally, the statute of limitations on whether to consider an episode/film free of spoilers is one year from the time when it first airs, wherever it first airs. If a new episode of a series or film airs on June 1st in England then on Aug 1st in the US, the clock starts ticking on June 1st.

Now, can we get back to talking about The Avengers, or would you like to continue backseat modding?

[Shazam!]

Timby wrote:

---

can we get back to talking about The Avengers, or would you like to continue backseat modding?

I'd like the backseat modding to continue, please.

[Timby]

Shazam! wrote:

---

I'd like the backseat modding to continue, please.

Captain Stupid-Ass-Helmet America disagrees with you.

[davejames]

Timby wrote:

---

The reviews are intriguing, but I'm still waiting for something that says anything deeper than "I liked it, the characters did cool things." I have yet to see a single review that says anything about the cinematography, the visual effects, the direction, the actual filmmaking. I keep going back to that clip of Thor and Captain America fighting in the street, which breaks the 180 rule so hard that it makes my head spin. It all feels like a bunch of inconsequential, weightless action which exists for the sole purpose of arranging the titular characters in poses that make for good posters. All that it has going for it, so far, is, "Damn, wow, if you would have told me you'd see professional actors cosplaying and doing Jim Lee poses 10 or 15 years ago, I wouldn't have believed you! What strange times we live in!"

Maybe that's what people want, I don't know. But, again, all of the reviews that have come out since the embargo was lifted feel horribly superficial, much like how all the released footage of the film feels.

Nah, there have been plenty of scifi/superhero movies over the years with weightless, inconsequential action and characters who do nothing but strike cool poses (Underworld, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, etc), and the critics usually don't hesitate to point it out.

What's different this time (and what I see reflected in the reviews) is that Whedon makes the action genuinely exciting, because the characters have tons of charm and personality and we actually give a shit what happens to them. And unlike most overblown, CG-heavy action movies nowadays, it actually knows how to be fun and witty like a blockbuster should be.

[davejames]

So wait... does Cap not shoot guns in this movie? I can't recall seeing it in the trailers, and there's no holster on his new uniform.

The one thing I appreciated about the previous movie was they actually gave him some freakin guns to shoot, instead of simply flinging the dorky shield around. Unfortunately looks like that idea was ditched for this movie...

[DAYoung]

OK, folks. Here's my brief review of Avengers: http://damon-young.blogspot.com.au/2...ovie-work.html.

I've tried to identify exactly why it works (instead of just saying "it's awesome"). A sample:

Why does Joss Whedon's The Avengers work? Because it does: brilliantly.

(Yes, it works as action, not as drama or art-house. If you want slow existential agony or impressionistic vignettes, go elsewhere.)

It can be summed up with one word: 'balance'.

Whedon - the wunderkind behind Buffy and Firefly - clearly knows how to deliver action. The Avengers, as with the other outings in Marvel's comic franchise (Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America), is a beautiful balance of CGI artistry with old-fashioned bodily performance.

All the leads obviously trained exhaustively to fight, jump, fall, roll and generally look physical. It looks palpable. Their performances blend beautifully with the CGI, which amplifies their physicality, and provides them with fantastic enemies and weapons. Take, for example, the fight between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Junior).

[OdoWanKenobi]

Timby wrote:

---

The reviews are intriguing, but I'm still waiting for something that says anything deeper than "I liked it, the characters did cool things." I have yet to see a single review that says anything about the cinematography, the visual effects, the direction, the actual filmmaking. I keep going back to that clip of Thor and Captain America fighting in the street, which breaks the 180 rule so hard that it makes my head spin. It all feels like a bunch of inconsequential, weightless action which exists for the sole purpose of arranging the titular characters in poses that make for good posters. All that it has going for it, so far, is, "Damn, wow, if you would have told me you'd see professional actors cosplaying and doing Jim Lee poses 10 or 15 years ago, I wouldn't have believed you! What strange times we live in!"

Maybe that's what people want, I don't know. But, again, all of the reviews that have come out since the embargo was lifted feel horribly superficial, much like how all the released footage of the film feels.

So even with the unanimous praise for the film so far, that's still not good enough for you?

I think you're just determined to hate this film, and nothing you hear will change your mind.