This is where it all comes to a head. If you’ve loved the films in this series of Marvel movies, this is a really fabulous end. If you haven’t got into them, could give or take, probs don’t bother. Certainly don’t watch this unless you’ve seen Avengers: Infinity War because you’ll have no idea what’s going on. I loved it – I remember dreading the three hour running time, thinking that this seems excessive for some superhero flick – but there was just so much to cover, and it really needed all that time. It’s well cheesy, hugely sentimental, and corny as, and I loved it all. And cried a lot. Like, A LOT. So good.
If you haven’t heard the spoilers for the end of this film, I’m not going to be the one to tell you. I’ll just leave it at wow. Thanos (Josh Brolin) the bad guy is back and wants to do bad stuff. And everyone is there to stop him. The usual Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the lesser-known Avengers. So many superheroes. And I just kind of lost focus. Who was doing what? Have you guys met before? Why do you not like her or him, and should I care that you are doing whatever you’re doing?
I’m sure heaps of people loved this film. I just lost interest… back off, one story at a time. (Although given that I have this personal gripe that if there are that many super-powerful folks, why don’t they all just drop everything when one of them is having a massive battle? Where were you all when Wakanda was threatened, or Asgard or, um, the Dr Strange world? So, when they do actually all come together and it doesn’t really work for me, perhaps I should acknowledge that and keep that in mind next time I watch a film with only one or two superheroes… probs will just keep complaining, though).
There are these superheroes who go around and save the world against terrible horrors – like giant alien worms and the like. And behind them, they leave destroyed cities, dead civilians and people are not happy about it. So, the world wants to set a restriction on them – make them responsible to a panel. Some of the heroes, notably Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) are for this – he is feeling particularly guilty from the last film. Others, like Captain America (Chris Evans) are against this, concerned that they would become puppets for bad guys. And then there are problems, and they all fight, and it gets exciting.
I love it. They’ve thrown in some new guys, like Spiderman (Tom Holland), and brought back loads of the originals. Notably, the Hulk is missing, and I want him back, but I’ll still enjoy all the fun and ridiculous stuff that this film gives me. And I’ll watch more in the future!
Man creates a robot with artificial intelligence that then threatens the existence of humans. What a refreshing and new concept! Oh, sorry, was that sarcasm? See, my problem with this film is just that I saw it only a few days after seeing Mad Max: Fury Road. And after seeing something with that grit and darkness, the Avengers just seem stupid and whatever.
So, in this film, the man is Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and the robot is Ultron (voiced by James Spader). And the robot uses the internet to expand and take over everything. Then there are the side stories. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) surprises them all by having a wife and kids and a life that most of them had written off because of their superhero-ness. There’s some romance brewing between Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and we all want that to happen. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) are just standing around and being buff with the odd sarcastic comment here and there.
Look, I liked it enough, but I am totally aware that the studios have various sequels and stuff for all of these films set up for the next ten years or so, and I feel like they should be better than this. But that could be just the Mad Max factor. Here’s a challenge – I know you’ve got all these films written, and there is a lot of stuff that probably is expected to tie in with the comics. But how about we do some decent stuff with Black Widow, and let’s get some better female characters. And heaps more. And not like that one that Gwyneth played who simpered around in tiny denim shorts and ended up in bed with Tony Stark. Let’s all be better at this, hey?
A group of scientists who visit a space station are hit by a mysterious radioactive wave and develop powers, and then have to deal with the consequences.
It’s the origin story of the comic strip Fantastic Four and I thought it was pretty ace. I especially like that, before they really get a chance to figure out what kind of ‘powers’ they have, they end up in a situation in a very public place, and have the eyes of the world on them. What was most poorly presented (and this may well be a reflection of that in the comic book) was the reaction of Ben Grimm’s fiance after he becomes The Thing. He is a giant made out of rock, but is still himself personality wise. She just runs, screaming, from him, and is portrayed as the bad guy. I think that that reaction in the face of such a strange transformation is pretty reasonable, and that it could have been explored in further detail. But, it is a comic book film, after all; perhaps character depth is asking too much?
I found it really odd seeing Chris Evans as the arrogant idiot Johnny Storm after being the troubled, quiet Captain America in other Marvel films. I thought this would rule out the Fantastic Four hooking up with the Avengers at some point, but it looks like there is a new Fantastic Four film coming out next year, so I guess we’ll see. A little bit of research shows that the 2007 film, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer has the same cast as this film, but the 2015 film is a new cast, and there is already a second Fantastic Four film scheduled for 2017. Looks like the Fantastic Four are being reinvented much as the Incredible Hulk was.
In a bid to combat global warming, a chemical was released into the air. It worked too well, killing all life on the planet except the people and animals who were on the Snowpiercer, a very long train with an eternal engine that moves non-stop. The lower class of the rear carriages are sick of being fed protein jelly, and start a revolt against the upper classes in a bid for survival.
I was very surprised to like this film as much as I did. It is extremely violent, a very ugly violence, but it is just a bit more than an action film set on a train. Perhaps it is because it is a South Korean production, or based on a French graphic novel. Some of the performances were quite good, but many were pretty average. I think if you are after a slightly depressing film with stunning shots and graphic violence, this could be the film for you. Oh, and did I mention Tilda Swinton? No? Wow. What a magnificently horrid character.
Captain America, aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has been through a couple of adventures, first in his origin story in Captain America: The Original Avenger, and The Avengers. Now, he is called on again to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) as evil organization Hydra again attempts to rise up and take over the world. He’s helped by the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and a soldier dude, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) who gets to fly around with some fancy new military technology that gives him wings.
This film was timed to be released partway through the television series of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , and I think that was an interesting concept. The film was mostly stand alone, but the television series suffered a bit. Still, this film had a whole heap of explosions, and added to the cast already mentioned were Robert Redford, Chin Han, Jenny Agutter, Gary Shandling and Australia’s own Alan Dale. The one thing I was left asking was, if the world is really about to end, why hasn’t someone given Iron Man and the rest of the crew the heads up? They’d be pretty useful, I reckon.
I think this is it. I think finally I have managed to see all of the released Marvel films; well, this bunch, the bunch leading in to The Avengers. According to Wikipedia, this lot comes under MVL Productions LLC or Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In The Avengers, Captain America was my least favourite character. He had so much make-up on that it looked ridiculous, and I didn’t know his origins. I had little time for him. But, this crazy mission of mine to see them all led to watching this film, and I am so glad it did! Captain America is awesome.
The majority of the story is set in 1942. America is joining the fight in Europe against the Nazis and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), is attempting to be a part of it. However, he is a small man who suffers from a wide range of illnesses and is rejected again and again. Finally, he is spotted by Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), a German scientist who has moved to the US and works for the US army. He tests his new technology on Steve Rogers, developing his muscles and motor skills to turn him into a super soldier, Captain America. The program is infiltrated by HYDRA, the organization headed by Nazi Officer Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) who has obtained a Tesseract providing him with powerful weapons and the ability to conquer the world. Captain America must save the day.
Perhaps it is from a childhood of Indiana Jones, but I love a good action film where the Nazis are the bad guys. I think I liked this even more because it was not just the Nazis, but this super group of Nazis. Again, there is an amazing cast and awesome effects, and it leads directly into The Avengers. There is another Captain America due out in 2014. I can’t wait.
So much of what I want in a good action film can be found right here – lots of superheroes, fights, ego clashes, and a city being destroyed by aliens. Marvelous. (of course it’s Marvelous. It’s from Marvel)
Loki and the ice gods from the film Thor have come to Earth to take over (If you haven’t seen Thor, there is some background to The Avengers in it which is good, but not totally necessary). Secret government agency Shield is stepping in to deal with it, and assemble their crack team; Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Dr Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Captain America (Chris Evans). All those egos, all those different approaches, and of course, it almost brings the team apart. But, they learn to work together, and that’s what’s important in life.
It’s possibly not important to have seen the various films leading up to this one before, although I’m still not sure who Hawkeye is and how he fits into the whole Shield picture. Natasha Romanov had a part in Iron Man 2, and seeing that again after seeing The Avengers gives her character some background, but not too much.
The thing I loved the most about this flick was the quick-witted dialogue, and it was not surprised to see Joss Whedon credited as director and co-writer in the closing credits. That and seeing Robert Downey Jnr and Mark Ruffalo onscreen bantering, which was pretty awesome.
As with all of these Marvel films, watch to the end of the credits – there’s a teaser for a future adventure. Hopefully, The Avengers 2 – let’s get these guys back together. Oooh, just checked IMDB… The Avengers 2 – 2015!
The Avengers was nominated for an Oscar for Visual Effects and a BAFTA for Special Visual Effects.
ireckonthat 