The Avengers
May. 10th, 2012 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avreliaI am happy to announce that I finally managed to be in sync with the fandom, namely – I saw The Avengers in the opening weekend.
Coming home at 2 am was also a forgotten experience... As was seeing movie with my husband in the movie theater full of people, since I didn't realized how much I was used to watching DVDs and commenting aloud to him. (One awkward moment! Sorry, people in the audience).
So, it was very fun and exhilarating hours spent movie–watching. I cannot say that I absolutely loved it, but I do want more of it – more movies, more everything. And I decided to adopt the Avengers as my cousins, because they are a fun bunch for a adopted family (I know, Loki disagrees, but who cares).
1) I do find the premise – the need to gather all these characters in one movie – too artificial to fully accept and enjoy it, but since it is a must-have condition, I was willing to accept the randomness.
2) The randomness was pulled off pretty well. At least if I don't examine the plot too close.
3) The characters and character interactions were wonderful.
4) The action scenes were very cool and engaging. Watching the destruction of NYC around the places I know and visit often was strangely satisfying – in the “hey, I was there, too!” way. (Off-topic: I wonder why I never have these type of recognition moments about movies set in Moscow or Saint-Petersburg, where I also know all the places filmed.)
5) The funny stuff was funny in the non-dumb way.
6) Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk was amazing. I kind of liked Ed Norton's Hulk, but Ruffalo was much better - worn out, tired, given up almost, and sarcastic – I felt for him as I never did before. You do get the feeling that battered quiet man is the most dangerous of them all. And when he reveals “his trick”, it's a “duh” moment – because when I think back – of course he is always angry, it is right there, behind his half-smile, his tired look, his stooped posture. And yes, he finally did enjoy being “the big guy” at the end. But even more than that - he finally got to make some real human connection, even if they were to similarly weird humans.
7) Steve Rogers. I was not very impressed with Captain America movie, even though I liked the character well enough. And I generally tend to like Chris Evans. But here, he was absolutely great. I felt I knew Steve Rogers so well – his pain and his losses and his loneliness. And his loneliness was so much more severe and setting him apart from everyone else. Other heroes have all have someone – even if they are from another world like Thor or chose to stay away like Bruce Banner. Steve Rogers lost his world and has to find himself in a new one. And forge the new connections. That's why the comment about flying monkeys is as heartbreaking as it is funny – Thor doesn't get the reference, but he doesn't care much - it's one of those “local flavor things” for him. Interesting, but not necessary. But for Steve – it's a lifeline. He rejoices in finding an actual life connection he shares with this new world, a sign that he does belong here. He also was amazing – and in his place – during the battle. I could see that he really is the leader, and the leadership comes naturally to him as soon as he is in the familiar circumstances of the battle. I believed that this guy really has immediate and very fresh military experience, he could think fast, and figure out how use the abilities of his team to the best advantage.
8) Tony Stark learned to play together with others and loved it. He was able to work both his best and worst sides, and his geeky glee and friendship with Bruce Banner was good stuff.
9) Thor. I cannot think of much to say about him right now, but it was a good continuity for him. His attitude to Loki felt right, he had several very good moments, but overall there was no revelations for him right now.
10) Hawkeye. “Those are nice arms to have.” His story and Natasha's story are probably the most intriguing subplot – because it is and an undercurrent in the big story hinting on so rich history, full of adventures and tragedies and good times.
11) Natasha. Again, rich and interesting character made with several masterful strokes. Very enjoyable. (BTW, the Russian interrogation scene in the beginning was in normal Russian – accented, no worse than my English, I guess, but actual human Russian. A very pleasant detail. The signs written in Russian didn't look quite right, but maybe I didn't read them well.) I am definitely looking forward to the promised Natasha movie, and keep having interviews with Natasha in my head. Боже мой. Это курам на смех. Also Natasha's interrogation technics are very good. And very Whedon-style, where we are meant to think that a pretty girl is a damsel in distress, when in fact she is in full control of the situation (even if it is in fact, distress).
12) Phil Coulson. His fate was pretty much the obvious choice. And it was manipulative, in a way – he himself admitted it, but it still mattered, it still resonated in the right way. Not wasted.
13) Nick Fury and Maria Hill had ample opportunities to be awesome and didn't squander them.
14) Loki was a good villain in the sense, that even while I knew how he got there, and understood his problems, it was obvious that he got there mostly by his own fault, and deserved all the ass-kicking he got, and then some more. No sympathy. Just a very satisfying sigh when the Hulk made the Loki omelet.
15) Everybody were very pretty.
16) Waiting for the DVD now.
Coming home at 2 am was also a forgotten experience... As was seeing movie with my husband in the movie theater full of people, since I didn't realized how much I was used to watching DVDs and commenting aloud to him. (One awkward moment! Sorry, people in the audience).
So, it was very fun and exhilarating hours spent movie–watching. I cannot say that I absolutely loved it, but I do want more of it – more movies, more everything. And I decided to adopt the Avengers as my cousins, because they are a fun bunch for a adopted family (I know, Loki disagrees, but who cares).
1) I do find the premise – the need to gather all these characters in one movie – too artificial to fully accept and enjoy it, but since it is a must-have condition, I was willing to accept the randomness.
2) The randomness was pulled off pretty well. At least if I don't examine the plot too close.
3) The characters and character interactions were wonderful.
4) The action scenes were very cool and engaging. Watching the destruction of NYC around the places I know and visit often was strangely satisfying – in the “hey, I was there, too!” way. (Off-topic: I wonder why I never have these type of recognition moments about movies set in Moscow or Saint-Petersburg, where I also know all the places filmed.)
5) The funny stuff was funny in the non-dumb way.
6) Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk was amazing. I kind of liked Ed Norton's Hulk, but Ruffalo was much better - worn out, tired, given up almost, and sarcastic – I felt for him as I never did before. You do get the feeling that battered quiet man is the most dangerous of them all. And when he reveals “his trick”, it's a “duh” moment – because when I think back – of course he is always angry, it is right there, behind his half-smile, his tired look, his stooped posture. And yes, he finally did enjoy being “the big guy” at the end. But even more than that - he finally got to make some real human connection, even if they were to similarly weird humans.
7) Steve Rogers. I was not very impressed with Captain America movie, even though I liked the character well enough. And I generally tend to like Chris Evans. But here, he was absolutely great. I felt I knew Steve Rogers so well – his pain and his losses and his loneliness. And his loneliness was so much more severe and setting him apart from everyone else. Other heroes have all have someone – even if they are from another world like Thor or chose to stay away like Bruce Banner. Steve Rogers lost his world and has to find himself in a new one. And forge the new connections. That's why the comment about flying monkeys is as heartbreaking as it is funny – Thor doesn't get the reference, but he doesn't care much - it's one of those “local flavor things” for him. Interesting, but not necessary. But for Steve – it's a lifeline. He rejoices in finding an actual life connection he shares with this new world, a sign that he does belong here. He also was amazing – and in his place – during the battle. I could see that he really is the leader, and the leadership comes naturally to him as soon as he is in the familiar circumstances of the battle. I believed that this guy really has immediate and very fresh military experience, he could think fast, and figure out how use the abilities of his team to the best advantage.
8) Tony Stark learned to play together with others and loved it. He was able to work both his best and worst sides, and his geeky glee and friendship with Bruce Banner was good stuff.
9) Thor. I cannot think of much to say about him right now, but it was a good continuity for him. His attitude to Loki felt right, he had several very good moments, but overall there was no revelations for him right now.
10) Hawkeye. “Those are nice arms to have.” His story and Natasha's story are probably the most intriguing subplot – because it is and an undercurrent in the big story hinting on so rich history, full of adventures and tragedies and good times.
11) Natasha. Again, rich and interesting character made with several masterful strokes. Very enjoyable. (BTW, the Russian interrogation scene in the beginning was in normal Russian – accented, no worse than my English, I guess, but actual human Russian. A very pleasant detail. The signs written in Russian didn't look quite right, but maybe I didn't read them well.) I am definitely looking forward to the promised Natasha movie, and keep having interviews with Natasha in my head. Боже мой. Это курам на смех. Also Natasha's interrogation technics are very good. And very Whedon-style, where we are meant to think that a pretty girl is a damsel in distress, when in fact she is in full control of the situation (even if it is in fact, distress).
12) Phil Coulson. His fate was pretty much the obvious choice. And it was manipulative, in a way – he himself admitted it, but it still mattered, it still resonated in the right way. Not wasted.
13) Nick Fury and Maria Hill had ample opportunities to be awesome and didn't squander them.
14) Loki was a good villain in the sense, that even while I knew how he got there, and understood his problems, it was obvious that he got there mostly by his own fault, and deserved all the ass-kicking he got, and then some more. No sympathy. Just a very satisfying sigh when the Hulk made the Loki omelet.
15) Everybody were very pretty.
16) Waiting for the DVD now.
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