The Avengers
May. 5th, 2012 06:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beer_good_foamySo, first of all, I should probably say that I'm not a huge Marvel geek. I generally prefer Marvel superheroes to DC ones, but that's mostly based on pop cultural osmosis and the odd movie. Also, I thought the Iron Man movies would make ONE good action flick if you put them together (Downey notwithstanding), I hated Captain America, and... OK, I actually liked Thor.
That said?
I really rather liked it. Sure, it's basically a Michael Bay movie with Whedon-penned dialogue, it sticks to the standard plot and you can call every major I-refuse-to-call-it-twist and turn in advance, but the dialogue and the character interaction does make it a lot more interesting than the big dumb Stuff Blows Up movie it would have been otherwise. There's a lot of arcs to weave into this, and for the most part it actually works even if he has to use an awful lot of storytelling shorthand. Specifically:
- Downey can play this part in his sleep, but for the most part doesn't. You can tell Whedon loved writing dialogue for Tony Stark, but I'm going to give him props for reigning himself in for some of the other characters - Captain America and Thor just shouldn't be tossing clever pop culture references at each other, and they don't. This is what the Iron Man movies needed: more characters to carry the plot and the action scenes, with Downey taking over the lead role for the dialogue and comedy bits. "You know, one in five men..."
- Carrying the drama is Mark Ruffalo, who's the best Bruce Banner since... I dunno, Bill Bixby? For all the time they didn't have to get into his character, he did a brilliant job portraying a Banner who genuinely does NOT like The Hulk, and is by far the most sympathetic character here. Also, Hulk vs Loki might be the best boss fight I've seen in a movie in quite a while. "Puny god." TV series now, please. (And put the shot of him suckerpunching Captain America in the credits.)
- Hemsworth continues to be a good Thor. I'm not sure exactly what it is he does, but he somehow plays him just OTT enough to work. He's essentially the Groosalugg, isn't he?
- I like Scarlett Johansson, and her interrogation scene of Loki was excellent... but you couldn't have cut one of those, what, four repetitions of "red in my ledger"? It's not that good a line. Also, see my earlier post on lazy redemption arcs.
- Captain America is still an awfully dull hero, and there was barely even any follow-up on the whole "everyone I ever knew has died of old age" bit which I thought would make him marginally more interesting. That said, he works as a bouncing board for Fury, Stark and Romanoff to throw one-liners at.
- Agent Coulson being a Captain America fanboy? Good stuff. His death would have worked a lot better if it wasn't such a clichéd one, though. As would the blood-covered trading cards... though OK, I buy that Captain America falls for it. But also... JFC, Joss, do we really need to have everyone wracked by guilt that one particular guy died even as they're standing ankle-deep in redshirt blood watching a demigod and his alien friends getting ready to destroy the world? What, that's not motivation enough? But I suppose that comes with the action movie template.
- "There are no men like me." "There are always men like you." Clichéd, especially delivered in a German accent, but on the spot. More superhero movies should have random bystanders standing up to pompous supervillains (see also, the "Mess with one of us, you mess with all of us" scene in Raimi's first Spider-Man movie). Helps offset the slight feel of Übermenschiness. It would be nice to see a few more superhero movies keep Watchmen (the book) in mind; instead, we get a pasted-on shot at the end of a politician snootily calling for the Avengers to be held accountable, while everything about the movie tells us that we need superheroes.
- I'm a little surprised at some of the things they got away with in a PG13 film here; not the violence, obviously, we know that's all wholesome and child-friendly, but Stark suggesting that Bruce Banner is a pothead, Loki essentially calling Black Widow a cunt...? I'm not saying they shouldn't have gotten away with it, I pretty much think PG13 has ruined movies, but it made me think; why is that line so much more gasp-inducing than, say, half of New York getting wiped out? (OK, maybe it was because the Swedish subtitler didn't bother coming up with an archaic synonym and just went with the obvious translation.) ETA: Oh, and Bruce Banner's description of his failed suicide. Not the sort of thing you expect to hear in this kind of movie. I think that's a good thing.
- How about that tracking shot in the big battle, eh? There are a few bits where you recognize Whedon the director. (Loki trying to find Tony Stark's heart would be another.)
- What was the point of Cobie Smulders' character, exactly? Not that I mind that she was in it, but... maybe, give her something to do that a trained collie couldn't? I wouldn't find it half as weird if her role were a small walk-on, but she takes up substantial place in the movie, and yet... who is she, exactly?
- HARRY DEAN MOTHERFUCKING STANTON. No, seriously, I squeed. I don't know if his line about the Hulk being an alien was supposed to be a shoutout to Alien or Repo Man or what, but I don't care. I want him on the team in the next movie. He can be Janitor Man. Shit, the guy rode with Billy The Kid, he's got moves. Or he can play Silvermane in the Spider-Man reboot. (See, I know a little bit of Marvel.)
- Good to see Enver Gjokaj on the big screen, too. I kept lookout for Alexis Denisof, but I have to admit I missed him - who was he? And was that Jenny Agutter as one of the shadowy Council people? It was! Why... why can't someone take all these actors and make a non-Michael Bay-Shit Blows Up movie?
- Stellan Skarsgård rocks. But you knew that.
- 3D continues to be pointless.
OK, so it's not really my kind of movie, and there's hardly a single thing here I wouldn't have done at least a little differently in a perfect world, but for what it was? Pretty enjoyable way to spend 2+ hours.
That said?
I really rather liked it. Sure, it's basically a Michael Bay movie with Whedon-penned dialogue, it sticks to the standard plot and you can call every major I-refuse-to-call-it-twist and turn in advance, but the dialogue and the character interaction does make it a lot more interesting than the big dumb Stuff Blows Up movie it would have been otherwise. There's a lot of arcs to weave into this, and for the most part it actually works even if he has to use an awful lot of storytelling shorthand. Specifically:
- Downey can play this part in his sleep, but for the most part doesn't. You can tell Whedon loved writing dialogue for Tony Stark, but I'm going to give him props for reigning himself in for some of the other characters - Captain America and Thor just shouldn't be tossing clever pop culture references at each other, and they don't. This is what the Iron Man movies needed: more characters to carry the plot and the action scenes, with Downey taking over the lead role for the dialogue and comedy bits. "You know, one in five men..."
- Carrying the drama is Mark Ruffalo, who's the best Bruce Banner since... I dunno, Bill Bixby? For all the time they didn't have to get into his character, he did a brilliant job portraying a Banner who genuinely does NOT like The Hulk, and is by far the most sympathetic character here. Also, Hulk vs Loki might be the best boss fight I've seen in a movie in quite a while. "Puny god." TV series now, please. (And put the shot of him suckerpunching Captain America in the credits.)
- Hemsworth continues to be a good Thor. I'm not sure exactly what it is he does, but he somehow plays him just OTT enough to work. He's essentially the Groosalugg, isn't he?
- I like Scarlett Johansson, and her interrogation scene of Loki was excellent... but you couldn't have cut one of those, what, four repetitions of "red in my ledger"? It's not that good a line. Also, see my earlier post on lazy redemption arcs.
- Captain America is still an awfully dull hero, and there was barely even any follow-up on the whole "everyone I ever knew has died of old age" bit which I thought would make him marginally more interesting. That said, he works as a bouncing board for Fury, Stark and Romanoff to throw one-liners at.
- Agent Coulson being a Captain America fanboy? Good stuff. His death would have worked a lot better if it wasn't such a clichéd one, though. As would the blood-covered trading cards... though OK, I buy that Captain America falls for it. But also... JFC, Joss, do we really need to have everyone wracked by guilt that one particular guy died even as they're standing ankle-deep in redshirt blood watching a demigod and his alien friends getting ready to destroy the world? What, that's not motivation enough? But I suppose that comes with the action movie template.
- "There are no men like me." "There are always men like you." Clichéd, especially delivered in a German accent, but on the spot. More superhero movies should have random bystanders standing up to pompous supervillains (see also, the "Mess with one of us, you mess with all of us" scene in Raimi's first Spider-Man movie). Helps offset the slight feel of Übermenschiness. It would be nice to see a few more superhero movies keep Watchmen (the book) in mind; instead, we get a pasted-on shot at the end of a politician snootily calling for the Avengers to be held accountable, while everything about the movie tells us that we need superheroes.
- I'm a little surprised at some of the things they got away with in a PG13 film here; not the violence, obviously, we know that's all wholesome and child-friendly, but Stark suggesting that Bruce Banner is a pothead, Loki essentially calling Black Widow a cunt...? I'm not saying they shouldn't have gotten away with it, I pretty much think PG13 has ruined movies, but it made me think; why is that line so much more gasp-inducing than, say, half of New York getting wiped out? (OK, maybe it was because the Swedish subtitler didn't bother coming up with an archaic synonym and just went with the obvious translation.) ETA: Oh, and Bruce Banner's description of his failed suicide. Not the sort of thing you expect to hear in this kind of movie. I think that's a good thing.
- How about that tracking shot in the big battle, eh? There are a few bits where you recognize Whedon the director. (Loki trying to find Tony Stark's heart would be another.)
- What was the point of Cobie Smulders' character, exactly? Not that I mind that she was in it, but... maybe, give her something to do that a trained collie couldn't? I wouldn't find it half as weird if her role were a small walk-on, but she takes up substantial place in the movie, and yet... who is she, exactly?
- HARRY DEAN MOTHERFUCKING STANTON. No, seriously, I squeed. I don't know if his line about the Hulk being an alien was supposed to be a shoutout to Alien or Repo Man or what, but I don't care. I want him on the team in the next movie. He can be Janitor Man. Shit, the guy rode with Billy The Kid, he's got moves. Or he can play Silvermane in the Spider-Man reboot. (See, I know a little bit of Marvel.)
- Good to see Enver Gjokaj on the big screen, too. I kept lookout for Alexis Denisof, but I have to admit I missed him - who was he? And was that Jenny Agutter as one of the shadowy Council people? It was! Why... why can't someone take all these actors and make a non-Michael Bay-Shit Blows Up movie?
- Stellan Skarsgård rocks. But you knew that.
- 3D continues to be pointless.
OK, so it's not really my kind of movie, and there's hardly a single thing here I wouldn't have done at least a little differently in a perfect world, but for what it was? Pretty enjoyable way to spend 2+ hours.
