The Avengers has smashed box office records, overtaking Harry's number one spot for opening weekend, and I'm happy to say I contributed to that.
I saw the movie in IMAX 3D, mainly because my boyfriend wanted to do so. I'm not a huge fan of 3D...It equates to explosions in movies, for me. Also, it's pretty gimmicky and although it's cool at first, after a while it's kind of dulling to the mind and your brain doesn't appreciate it nearly as much about 20 minutes into the film. But...that's a subject I could wax on for a while and I won't get into it too much right now.
I saw the movie in IMAX 3D, mainly because my boyfriend wanted to do so. I'm not a huge fan of 3D...It equates to explosions in movies, for me. Also, it's pretty gimmicky and although it's cool at first, after a while it's kind of dulling to the mind and your brain doesn't appreciate it nearly as much about 20 minutes into the film. But...that's a subject I could wax on for a while and I won't get into it too much right now.
Plus, I challenge anyone to look cool while wearing those 3D glasses. Really.
Avengers has Joss Whedon written all over it (directed, produced, written) and in this case, it's a good thing because Whedon takes care of his fans and the things he loves and he clearly loves this franchise. I read somewhere that he was considered to direct for the original X-Men movie and he even wrote a whole script for it...which they used two lines of for the actual movie.
(In case you're wondering what those two lines are -- because I was curious about it and looked it up -- it's Storm's line: "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else" and Wolverine's exchange with Cyclops where he calls him a dick.)
(In case you're wondering what those two lines are -- because I was curious about it and looked it up -- it's Storm's line: "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else" and Wolverine's exchange with Cyclops where he calls him a dick.)
and probably hurt his feelings. We all know Cyclops needed to man up in those movies.
One of the strengths of this movie is definitely the witty repartee that happens between the various heroes of the movie and the fun factor. Whedon gives fans many MANY scenes for us to geek out over. Also, the cast overall does a fantastic job and they had great chemistry with each other.
I had serious reservations about Black Widow being in this movie, admittedly. Especially after seeing her in some of the trailers...
I had serious reservations about Black Widow being in this movie, admittedly. Especially after seeing her in some of the trailers...
...Because while everyone's standing around looking bad-ass, there she is...in black leather. With a small gun. Is that leather bullet-proof? Does the gun spit hand grenades?
Admittedly, Johansson is smoking hot in her fighting scenes and she had me fully convinced there. Not so much in her speaking roles. I was never quite convinced of her hardened past and her interrogation scenes had me a bit confused.
Another thing I thought rather (unintentionally) funny was the fact that the big cheesy explosions that were prevalent in Captain America apparently followed Chris Evans/Steve Rogers to this movie as well:
Admittedly, Johansson is smoking hot in her fighting scenes and she had me fully convinced there. Not so much in her speaking roles. I was never quite convinced of her hardened past and her interrogation scenes had me a bit confused.
Another thing I thought rather (unintentionally) funny was the fact that the big cheesy explosions that were prevalent in Captain America apparently followed Chris Evans/Steve Rogers to this movie as well:
no caption necessary.
I thought Mark Ruffalo was pitch-perfect in his role of Bruce Banner here, although I can't say I'm a fair judge since I didn't see Edward Norton's recent take on it and can't compare. Tom Hiddleston was great as Loki and reminded me eerily of Anthony Hopkins from Silence of the Lambs repeatedly throughout the movie.
There weren't any surprises in the storyline and I could have used a bit more depth in character/plot, but overall I thought they did a fair job juggling the multiple story arcs that came from the previous Marvel movies. There were a few minor deviants from the original comics, but nothing to rock the boat. Furthermore, the set was incredible and I really enjoyed all of the mayhem. The great thing about having a bunch of superheroes all together is the fact that they can take/give more of a beating. Some of the fighting scenes were a joy to behold.
Bottom line: Fun, though juvenile at times. Plenty of moments to cheer, great to watch with a good crowd.
There weren't any surprises in the storyline and I could have used a bit more depth in character/plot, but overall I thought they did a fair job juggling the multiple story arcs that came from the previous Marvel movies. There were a few minor deviants from the original comics, but nothing to rock the boat. Furthermore, the set was incredible and I really enjoyed all of the mayhem. The great thing about having a bunch of superheroes all together is the fact that they can take/give more of a beating. Some of the fighting scenes were a joy to behold.
Bottom line: Fun, though juvenile at times. Plenty of moments to cheer, great to watch with a good crowd.