Avengers

[Omegablue]

Physically? Closer to 30

Mentally? Closer to 21

Inner child? You bet! At least he hasn't been killed like yours has

Great, then at least act the 21 years.

Then it will be so much easier to see each other's diverse point of views, or agree to disagree without lowering the field with your emotional inner child. (Must still be having a tuff childhood?)

And yes, mine got killed a minutes ago when it crash landed one of my Yamato's into a x-wing. The tragedy.

[Dynaman]

Badguy wins? Watchmen, duh!

I could I forget to list Watchmen as one of the great superhero movies? I loved it.

[Dynaman]

I also don't get what you mean by wasted stories, and unexplored characters. Its obvious its only the begining of the story for the Avengers, and we have already had 5 movies that have explored who these characters are and what makes them tick.

Of which only the Iron Man ones were any good. Hulk - both films were dreadful. Thor can be summed up as Beefy Guy grows up and accepts responsability, Captain America amounts to Wimpy guy gets buff and beats up baddies. At least Superman has to deal with ignoring his father's advice and then with having what amounts to godike powers and knowing he can't use them as he likes.

[Omegablue]

Of which only the Iron Man ones were any good. Hulk - both films were dreadful. Thor can be summed up as Beefy Guy grows up and accepts responsability, Captain America amounts to Wimpy guy gets buff and beats up baddies. At least Superman has to deal with ignoring his father's advice and then with having what amounts to godike powers and knowing he can't use them as he likes.

+1, Though I enjoyed the second Hulk film back then which up for the horrible first film, but really couldn't get into the second Ironman.

[Macross_Fanboy]

Great movie, but TDR will crush this with substance. The one thing that got me in this movie was why Ironman didn't just ask Thor to blast lightning at him to charge his power cell again.

[renegadeleader1]

Great movie, but TDR will crush this with substance. The one thing that got me in this movie was why Ironman didn't just ask Thor to blast lightning at him to charge his power cell again.

Mostly because the charge didn't last long and obviously did some damage to the suits circuitry. It also takes time to "call down the thunder" time which they really didn't have.

[Twoducks]

Damn my lazy group planning! We won't be seeing it until Monday

Must fill Avanger need somehow...

[Chewie]

I'm curious how much of the comics and back story has actually been read around here.

[myk]

Great movie, but TDR will crush this with substance. The one thing that got me in this movie was why Ironman didn't just ask Thor to blast lightning at him to charge his power cell again.

Whether TDR crushes Avengers or not is irrelevant; they are movies with two entirely different tones and can't be readily compared to one another; apples to oranges if you ask me. What gets me about Ironman is this: isn't ARC reactor power/technology supposed to be limitless?

I'm curious how much of the comics and back story has actually been read around here.

I haven't read any of it; what little comics I did read involved mostly X-men back in the late 80's; I didn't get into Avengers because I thought they looked stupid, lol...

Edited May 6, 2012 by myk

[Raptor One]

Whether TDR crushes Avengers or not is irrelevant; they are movies with two entirely different tones and can't be readily compared to one another; apples to oranges if you ask me. What gets me about Ironman is this: isn't ARC reactor power/technology supposed to be limitless?

I don't think it ever was, just near-limitless depending on what it's being used for. The armor uses a LOT of power. Not sure how Stark tower works though but I think it uses other technology in addition to the reactor

[Macross_Fanboy]

Oh, I only wished Natalie Portman's character was in this too if even for five minutes like Pepper.

[BeyondTheGrave]

I'm curious how much of the comics and back story has actually been read around here.

I've read The Ulitmates 1,2 and 3. Also own all 32 issues and hardcover collections of them.

Haven't seen the movie yet so i'm not going to comment on omegablue's post. Maybe I'll be able to see his pov after seeing the movie.

[Keith]

Awesome movie, and I agree that TDKR will be an entirely different kind of awesome than this movie went for, no need for comparison. I also get the impression that Ed Norton Hulk has been completely written out since

Stark introduces himself for the first time, could have sworn they met in one seen in the previous movie)

As for the ending, I'm not up on my Marvel badguy lore, so just who exactly is

the DC Darksied-ish looking badguy at the end?

Also for some reason didn't realize Joss Wheden directed until the credits hit, he did a great job continuing on with the Iron Man character. This franchise owe's everything to John Favreau, it's too bad he won't be doing IM3.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Keith

[Mog]

Understand, I'm a HUGE fan of Nolan's Batman series.

Other than short-changing his detective aspects (which practically every version save the DC Animated Universe has done ), it's been simply the best version of Batman to ever hit the silver screen. It fills your action quota AND occasionally taps into those higher thinking/high concept areas of your brain.

HOWEVER, I've never really expected that from any of the recent Marvel Avenger-related movies. After all the crap comic movies we had to endure in the 80's and 90's, the main things I wanted from your "typical" comic-book movie are the following:

• Stay respectful towards the source material;
  
• Make sure your tone matches the comic's tone (Batman = dark; X-Men = experiences and reactions of those labeled "others"/"outsiders" by society; Any potential Deadpool film = Sarcastic, quippy, and constantly breaking the fourth wall);
  
• Don't constantly pander to the lowest common denominator; and
  
• Either have a good story or be entertaining as hell (if you have both, even better).
  

The Avengers hit all those keys with me. I wasn't looking for Inception, the first (and best) Matrix movie, or The Dark Knight. I just wanted an entertaining film that stayed true to who those comic book heroes are. Much like the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man and Batman Begins, The Avengers did just that.

The jokes/one-liners were generally the type that would tickle the fan-boys' fancy (and not induce massive eye-rolling). And the film had me entertained and giddy pretty much the whole time.

With Avengers, I never went in expecting a bunch of brooding, massively flawed, ultra-conflicted heroes. These particular heroes are generally portrayed as larger than life. Hell, each of them can take on a small army all by their lonesome selves.

Want to show off their tragic flaws more for the sequel? I'm fine with that. (I just hope the sequel doesn't go back to square one with these heroes fighting one another again.)

As I said earlier, I wasn't looking for a high-concept, thinking-man's movie. I just wanted an entertaining, but just smart enough, summer flick.

Ain't nothing wrong with that.

[eugimon]

Awesome movie, and I agree that TDKR will be an entirely different kind of awesome than this movie went for, no need for comparison. I also get the impression that Ed Norton Hulk has been completely written out since

Stark introduces himself for the first time, could have sworn they met in one seen in the previous movie)

As for the ending, I'm not up on my Marvel badguy lore, so just who exactly is

the DC Darksied-ish looking badguy at the end?

Also for some reason didn't realize Joss Wheden directed until the credits hit, he did a great job continuing on with the Iron Man character. This franchise owe's everything to John Favreau, it's too bad he won't be doing IM3.

No, norton's hulk hasn't been written out. Banner even makes a reference to it

[anime52k8]

As for the ending, I'm not up on my Marvel badguy lore, so just who exactly is

the DC Darksied-ish looking badguy at the end?

Thanos

[azrael]

I don't think it ever was, just near-limitless depending on what it's being used for. The armor uses a LOT of power. Not sure how Stark tower works though but I think it uses other technology in addition to the reactor

Considering it was suppose to power the movie-version of the Mark I suit for about 15-minutes or the Mark III for what...about the same? Yeah, it was near-limitless. It's suppose to generate a lot of power for a long time (in ideal conditions), for such a small thing. But back to the thread...

Marvel will be quite pleased with the $80.5 million the film generated domestically, on Friday (see Box Office Mojo). A few news sources are already predicting ~$150 million from weekend domestic sales alone.

[Penguin]

What I meant by harsh reality is that the good guys are not invicible, and not all of them survive war.

Example, have one of the major heroes taken out by half through the film.

Know that what follows is simply a difference of opinion, and if I've misinterpreted your stance, please correct me.

Injecting death and loss out of belief that purely by its inclusion a story has impact or meaning would be just as phony and gratuitous as any cheesy, over the rainbow, deus ex machina contrivance. To have meaning, the events of a story, good or bad, should evolve out of the characters that drive it and the themes it's attempting to serve. There is a disturbing tendency to dismiss any positive sentiment in a story as shallow, vapid, forced, or otherwise without merit... that depth can only come from negative experiences.

I remember an article or interview with the makers of Lord of the Rings discussing that they strongly considered killing a major character in the final battle (I believe Gimli was the favoured victim) because, well, it's a war, and shouldn't one of them die? In the end, they concluded it was okay for the good guys to actually live, that after all the other struggle in the story, survival was a reasonable reward. At hearing that I gave a little cheer inside. Killing off a character without meaning or intent, for no more reason than "gee, shouldn't we?", would be completely empty... a pointless sacrifice.

This isn't to say that death and "harsh reality" don't have a place in storytelling, or that they can't be used to tremendous effect. Just that they should be applied with meaning and intent, not tossed in to "make it real".

In the specific case of The Avengers, expecting Marvel to bump off a major character in the prime of their profit-making potential is simply, vastly, unrealistic.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Penguin

[myk]

The Avengers hit all those keys with me. I wasn't looking for Inception, the first (and best) Matrix movie, or The Dark Knight. I just wanted an entertaining film that stayed true to who those comic book heroes are. Much like the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man and Batman Begins, The Avengers did just that.

The jokes/one-liners were generally the type that would tickle the fan-boys' fancy (and not induce massive eye-rolling). And the film had me entertained and giddy pretty much the whole time.

With Avengers, I never went in expecting a bunch of brooding, massively flawed, ultra-conflicted heroes. These particular heroes are generally portrayed as larger than life. Hell, each of them can take on a small army all by their lonesome selves.

Want to show off their tragic flaws more for the sequel? I'm fine with that. (I just hope the sequel doesn't go back to square one with these heroes fighting one another again.)

As I said earlier, I wasn't looking for a high-concept, thinking-man's movie. I just wanted an entertaining, but just smart enough, summer flick.

Ain't nothing wrong with that.

Amen brother, well said...

[chowyunskinny]

Finally saw it tonight and Loved It!!

Kudos to Marvel for building up the seperate franchises while having the foresight to shoot those prologues that started to tie them all together, eventually culminating into the Avengers.

While I love Nolan's Batman movies, I've always felt they were more like detective thrillers that happened to take place in a comic book backdrop, whereas the Marvel films are more "Comic Book" movies.

With the Batman movies being so gritty & raw, it made it really difficult for me to imagine the Green Latern movie taking place in that same universe. So I think DC will have a rough time trying to integrate their characters into a cohesive universe if they finally decide to do a JLA movie. IMO, if the two companies were sports franchises, DC has one Star Player (Batman), a disappointing rookie (GL) & a unproven draft pick (Snyder's Superman). Marvel has a Star Player (Iron Man), a Strong Starting Lineup (Cap, Hulk, Thor) & a decent bench (Black Widow & Hawkeye). Not to say Marvel hasn't had any stinkers (Elektra, FF4, Ghost Rider). As a comic book fan, i'm just grateful that the characters I grew up reading about are considered viable enough to make it to the big screen. Stoked on the Avengers, now bring on the new Spidey and Batman!!

[myk]

Finally saw it tonight and Loved It!!

Kudos to Marvel for building up the seperate franchises while having the foresight to shoot those prologues that started to tie them all together, eventually culminating into the Avengers.

While I love Nolan's Batman movies, I've always felt they were more like detective thrillers that happened to take place in a comic book backdrop, whereas the Marvel films are more "Comic Book" movies.

With the Batman movies being so gritty & raw, it made it really difficult for me to imagine the Green Latern movie taking place in that same universe. So I think DC will have a rough time trying to integrate their characters into a cohesive universe if they finally decide to do a JLA movie. IMO, if the two companies were sports franchises, DC has one Star Player (Batman), a disappointing rookie (GL) & a unproven draft pick (Snyder's Superman). Marvel has a Star Player (Iron Man), a Strong Starting Lineup (Cap, Hulk, Thor) & a decent bench (Black Widow & Hawkeye). Not to say Marvel hasn't had any stinkers (Elektra, FF4, Ghost Rider). As a comic book fan, i'm just grateful that the characters I grew up reading about are considered viable enough to make it to the big screen. Stoked on the Avengers, now bring on the new Spidey and Batman!!

Wow are there talks for a JLA type of movie? Ultimately I don't think it'd be too difficult to combine such polar opposite, dynamic characters, as they'd just dilute whoever they need to for whatever story they try to write. For example, although I completely adore the Avenger's movie and how they portrayed a "team effort," I couldn't help but feel that the Mighty Asgardian presence of Thor was just lacking. In his own movie, he clearly displayed humor, humility, conviction, etc, but I didn't really feel that in the Avenger movie, he just seemed like he was there to pick up Loki.

I will say that if they try to do a JLA movie they'd obviously have to move away from Nolan's Dark Knight and, dare I say it, regress back to earlier incarnations of movie Batman, as the rendition of Nolan's Bruce Wayne/Batman is strictly a solo affair...

[Omegablue]

In the specific case of The Avengers, expecting Marvel to bump off a major character in the prime of their profit-making potential is simply, vastly, unrealistic.

That I fully concur with you.

Another quick question to the Marvel fans.

In Ironman 2, I was left under the impression that the Mark six triangular power core, was deemed was it's perfect evolution. However with the Mark seven it returns to being round?

Any theories on that?

[azrael]

Any theories on that?

Besides Joss Wheden's comments that the design was "ass"?

I will say that if they try to do a JLA movie they'd obviously have to move away from Nolan's Dark Knight and, dare I say it, regress back to earlier incarnations of movie Batman, as the rendition of Nolan's Bruce Wayne/Batman is strictly a solo affair...

It won't be hard. Just look at the Justice League animated series or the Grant Morrison run on JLA portrayal of Batman. But overall, they need a good story, actors, and production team.

And the weekend estimate from Box Office Mojo is looking at $200.3 million. That's a very healthy start.

[eugimon]

Wow are there talks for a JLA type of movie? Ultimately I don't think it'd be too difficult to combine such polar opposite, dynamic characters, as they'd just dilute whoever they need to for whatever story they try to write. For example, although I completely adore the Avenger's movie and how they portrayed a "team effort," I couldn't help but feel that the Mighty Asgardian presence of Thor was just lacking. In his own movie, he clearly displayed humor, humility, conviction, etc, but I didn't really feel that in the Avenger movie, he just seemed like he was there to pick up Loki.

I will say that if they try to do a JLA movie they'd obviously have to move away from Nolan's Dark Knight and, dare I say it, regress back to earlier incarnations of movie Batman, as the rendition of Nolan's Bruce Wayne/Batman is strictly a solo affair...

there's been talk of a JLA movie for a long time. But WB/DC has been saying, for a long time, that any JLA movies would be it's own continuity and that all of the DC comic movies are in their own, individual, continuity.

[Archer]

Saw it yesterday. Had to go for the second showing since tickets sold out for the first IMAX showing right in between our group (meaning some of my friends would have to wait for the next show). Surprising, as we showed up nearly an hour before the movie start time.

Great movie all around, though not as epic as Dark Knight or something similar (though I doubt it was trying to be). I really think that Hulk and witty one-liners really made the move though

[Uxi]

Well Superman has been an orphan franchise and will need to be rebooted. Expect a Batman reboot after Nolan is done and then a JLA movie sometime around 2018?

[areaseven]

Saw it three times already and I'm looking to watch it on IMAX this week.

Meanwhile, the film continues to rake in record millions at the box-office. The Avengers domestic gross is at US$200,300,000 - making it the biggest opening weekend of all-time and the fastest to reach the US$200 million mark. It won't be long before it joins The Dark Knight at the US$1 billion club.

US$641,800,000 (as of 7 May)

[Agent ONE]

I'm curious how much of the comics and back story has actually been read around here.

None, I know nothing about any of the individual comics either. I have never heard of the chick or the archer guy till seeing the trailer for this movie, and asking, who they are.

[renegadeleader1]

Hehehe

http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-ways-iron-man-objectively-better-than-batman/

[Penguin]

I'm curious how much of the comics and back story has actually been read around here.

I've been reading Avengers comics sporadically for decades and continuously since "Heroes Reborn" in 1997, and it doesn't really mean all that much in relation to the films. None of the comics provide specific back story for the movies. Just character and story "inspiration".

[eugimon]

They can't, even if they wanted to, stay "true" to the comic back story. Characters like wolverine are integrated into the back stories for Captain America and Black Widow. Marvel just doesn't have the film rights to all of the characters necessary to be "true".

[Raptor One]

That I fully concur with you.

Another quick question to the Marvel fans.

In Ironman 2, I was left under the impression that the Mark six triangular power core, was deemed was it's perfect evolution. However with the Mark seven it returns to being round?

Any theories on that?

Not sure if this needs to be in spoilers but

It's still the same triangular arc reactor. He didn't change out the one in his body, only the outer design of the suit. Technically it's more of a triangle within a circle. The Mk-VI emphasized the triangle, the Mk-VII goes back to emphasizing the circle.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Raptor One

[DarrinG]

HOLY MACKEREL!

Saw it - 20 awesome parts, only about 5 stupid parts.

STUPID - B. Widow in almost any / all combat. Crappy. Not believable, even in a super hero film. And the jump-up in the alien sled and fly around thing? Worst part of the film. What it this Ratatouille where you control the alien with knives in his back?? ARG!! I cried. Leave her on the hover craft, calling down orders or tips or something! And Hawkeye - shooting backwards and connecting? My 10 year old said - "Dad - that was dumb".

AWESOME - Too many to list now --- BUT HULK - or good gosh - freeeeeking awesome. E. Norton Whoooo? Bet he was on vacation the opening weekend so he did not have to see what he passed up. He won't be friends with that friend that told him not to be Hulk in the at next 'bomb' they're coming out with. Ha.

Great film, they accomplished the impossible making a bunch or super heroes coming together in one film actual cool...

Loki Hulk scene at Stark Tower - the best part...

Edited May 6, 2012 by DarrinG

[Dobber]

Awesome movie, and I agree that TDKR will be an entirely different kind of awesome than this movie went for, no need for comparison. I also get the impression that Ed Norton Hulk has been completely written out since

Stark introduces himself for the first time, could have sworn they met in one seen in the previous movie)

Nope, Stark approached the general at the end of the Hulk movie, not Banner

[Keith]

Not sure if this needs to be in spoilers but

It's still the same triangular arc reactor. He didn't change out the one in his body, only the outer design of the suit. Technically it's more of a triangle within a circle. The Mk-VI emphasized the triangle, the Mk-VII goes back to emphasizing the circle.

I also got the impression that it wasn't so much an issue of it running out of power, as the suit's usage exceeded the reactor's ability to produce.