The Avengers: Age of Ultron is Live. Don't forget the Spoiler Tags, Damnit.Movies

[Terronium-12]

I have no legitimate complaints whatsoever. Loved every minute of it, sat there smiling, grinning, laughing, clapping, and just enjoying everything. I figured for such a short run time of 2 hours and 20-something minutes it wouldn't be enough to genuinely fit everything in and make it work, Joss or no Joss - but I loved being proven wrong. It all felt some unbelievably seamless, as if it were a literal comic book being played out on the screen. I also loved being proven wrong about Mark Ruffalo as well, he was simply fantastic. I'm one of the guys who's of the opinion that Edward Norton brought something really unique to Banner, but Ruffalo doesn't try to fill those shoes, no, he makes Bruce his own and it really worked out. I'd have to say I'm more than glad he's signed on for future films. Do not replace him or allow him to walk.

Now, onto the goodies:

Spoiler

Thanos! I called it! I think I called it, whatever, we called it. I had the absolute cheesiest smirk on my face when he turned to the camera and cracked that devious smile of his. Makes me wonder though, is Death nearby? If they do go toward or at least hint at either the Infinity Crisis itself or just the Gems/Gauntlet, will she be the influence for his destruction just as she was in the books, or will they play Thanos as the Eternal who just wrecks whatever he wants, whenever he wants for no others amusement but his own?

Shame Phil had to die though, but at least Loki got it not only by way of that gun, but through the absolute ragdoll beating Hulk gave 'em.

There was a news article about eventually replacing Downey as Stark and I can't see that being feasible unless there's something out there who can be as in-tune with and look almost exactly like Tony, and let's be honest, as unfortunate as it was for him, who'd be better for playing out the arcs during Tony's drinking problem? He can do it without needing the practice or someone teaching him what to do and how to do it. He's perfect in the worst, most ironic way possible. Which brings me to another idea: if (and when) they do Avengers 2 will Tony have already devised the Hulkbuster?

 

[niky]

Robert Downey drinking? Say it ain't so! He's perfect as Iron Man, and probably irreplaceable. Just like Christopher Reeve and Clark Kent, he's irreversibly stamped his identity upon the character.

Spoiler

I feel bad for Phil, but really, there's no need for him anymore, given SHIELD has been well established in the films. Perhaps Maria Hill will fill some of his shoes, but I don't see her as being as much of a comedic "Man-in-Black" as Agent Coulson.

They're going to have to treat the Thanos angle carefully. My guess is it's not going to be totally like in the comics... They might treat "Death" metaphorically... Or they might not. It will be interesting to actually see some of the heroes die in that fight.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Saw the midnight premier last night and it was well worth the hype. The humour was strong yet not out of place (I genuinely laughed, loudly, more than I have in some "comedies"), the pacing was perfect (it definitely didn't feel as long as it was), and no character completely steals the spotlight, which is impressive given not only the super-powered freaks on screen, but even the normal-powered folk. Seeing Robin from HIMYM was a welcome surprise

I'm like T-12; I was very hesitant of Ruffalo, but his different portrayal of Hulk was perfect, not only in isolation, but especially when the group dynamic is taken into account. The fact he gets the two laugh-out-loud funniest parts in the film deserve mention too. Hulk looks even more believable than when he was in town tearing up Yonge street a few years ago.

It wrapped at 2:40-ish here, and despite being up all day, I would've been up for watching it again, back-to-back, right on the spot, if the theatre would've allowed. Definitely going to see it again, at least once. The summer movie season is off to a fine start, and the bar has been set high right off the bat 👍

 

[Terronium-12]

Robert Downey drinking? Say it ain't so! He's perfect as Iron Man, and probably irreplaceable. Just like Christopher Reeve and Clark Kent, he's irreversibly stamped his identity upon the character.

Spoiler

I feel bad for Phil, but really, there's no need for him anymore, given SHIELD has been well established in the films. Perhaps Maria Hill will fill some of his shoes, but I don't see her as being as much of a comedic "Man-in-Black" as Agent Coulson.

They're going to have to treat the Thanos angle carefully. My guess is it's not going to be totally like in the comics... They might treat "Death" metaphorically... Or they might not. It will be interesting to actually see some of the heroes die in that fight.

Spoiler

I loved him precisely because of that; he was comedic relief when he needed to be, and a badass every other time. I can see him not having any real purpose anymore but you get so attached to the guy, you know?

As for Thanos, I was thinking... even if they don't follow through with the Gauntlet (I remember seeing it in Thor, I think) arc, he could still be an immense threat all on his own as genius and strategic as he is. It'd be great seeing him and Hulk go at it on the big screen.

Saw the midnight premier last night and it was well worth the hype. The humour was strong yet not out of place (I genuinely laughed, loudly, more than I have in some "comedies"), the pacing was perfect (it definitely didn't feel as long as it was), and no character completely steals the spotlight, which is impressive given not only the super-powered freaks on screen, but even the normal-powered folk. Seeing Robin from HIMYM was a welcome surprise

I'm like T-12; I was very hesitant of Ruffalo, but his different portrayal of Hulk was perfect, not only in isolation, but especially when the group dynamic is taken into account. The fact he gets the two laugh-out-loud funniest parts in the film deserve mention too. Hulk looks even more believable than when he was in town tearing up Yonge street a few years ago.

It wrapped at 2:40-ish here, and despite being up all day, I would've been up for watching it again, back-to-back, right on the spot, if the theatre would've allowed. Definitely going to see it again, at least once. The summer movie season is off to a fine start, and the bar has been set high right off the bat 👍

Might have been that long here as well I'm not sure, I was lost in the movie.

I loved the dialogue between Thor and Widow over Loki and his involvements: "He's adopted." Just out of the blue disowning him.

 

[atomrah]

Saw the movie yesterday with my sons... We're going back again maybe today or tomorrow. Best movie I've seen in quite sometime. Well made with an excellent story and great acting. Awesome Movie! "Hulk Smash!!!"

 

[Cano]

saw this last night, and I was very surprised at how good and all-out entertaining it turned out to be. It had been a good while since I found a movie that entertained me from tip to toe and this thing achieved it perfectly.

As some others have said, it doesn't try to scape it's origins off a comic book, but even exagerates them to science fiction levels: the extreme technology everywhere, the dissapearing aircraft-carrier-plane thing, all the stuff that you'd find in comic books was awesomely translated into the movie.

I really hope they pull off the possible Infinity Wars second part in a goddamn good manner, they have almost alll the supheroes needed to pull it off already turned into movies.

 

[Pagey279]

Saw this last night and it was amazing. The best movie I have seen this year, well probably this decade.
Jaw dropping visuals, good acting, laugh out loud moments, this film has it all. Despite the generic take over the world story line.

*Spoiler....ish*

I can only find one thing wrong with this movie and I'm really having to clutch at straws: when the hulk first transforms banner has no control over him, and he meanders around destroying the ship and trying to kill black widow.
However when we see him transform for the second time banner suddenly has control over the big green monster. This may be Banner controlling him or the hulk actually behaving for once. But either way we are given no reason why the hulk goes from trying to kill the avengers to protecting them.

Apart from that very small little niggle this film is everything it should have been and certainly surpassed expectations, which were very very high in the first place.

 

[Dragonistic]

In response to Pagey:

Spoiler

I think it's Banner in control of Hulk, he decides to change in to him that time whereas in the ship he was overpowered by Hulk. It's not a perfect explanation, but there's some logic underlying.

Overall, myself and 2 housemates who went to see it loved it. They were both very excited about it as they're big in to their super hero movies and whatnot where I am not (I don't dislike but I don't get super excited when a new one comes along, I still enjoy the movies if they're good).

The humour was well timed and it had a sense of humour about itself which was refreshing, you can't take a man in a skintight suit all to seriously and it's nice that they're not trying much as they have done in previous Iron Man films but series like the Batman series can sometimes come off a little too serious for a man who has been dressed ridiculously for years (The Dark Knight was a very good film, but I still don't think Batman is a cool hero thanks to his dresscode which to me is more laughable then intimidating and that's always a roadblock for me despite great villains). For me it was these little funny moments which made a good film a great one, I to was laughing more then I have in plenty of comedies there was just the right amount so it took the edge off a film which could have otherwise been very generic superhero film that I'd forget by the next day.

Best superhero(s) film I've seen in a long time. The characters were all balanced nicely and bounced off each other in just the right way, the action was impressive and beautiful whilst the plot was interesting if generic but not overemphasized or forced. Overall well written, cast, paced and executed so I'd give it a solid 9/10 overall, definitely worth watching.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Dragonistic has it right in a simplistic sense. At the end of The Incredible Hulk, Banner in British Columbia was trying to control the Hulk so that he can transform at will. That is why he went 31 days without incident there. After that,

Spoiler

he went a year without transforming before being confronted by Black Widow. If that isn't waiting like a saint, then I don't know what is.

 

[JediRage]

Haven't seen it, but can't shake off the feeling that it seems like a Power Rangers movie.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's not.

 

[Terronium-12]

Saw this last night and it was amazing. The best movie I have seen this year, well probably this decade.
Jaw dropping visuals, good acting, laugh out loud moments, this film has it all. Despite the generic take over the world story line.

*Spoiler....ish*

I can only find one thing wrong with this movie and I'm really having to clutch at straws: when the hulk first transforms banner has no control over him, and he meanders around destroying the ship and trying to kill black widow.
However when we see him transform for the second time banner suddenly has control over the big green monster. This may be Banner controlling him or the hulk actually behaving for once. But either way we are given no reason why the hulk goes from trying to kill the avengers to protecting them.

Apart from that very small little niggle this film is everything it should have been and certainly surpassed expectations, which were very very high in the first place.

He was in control both times, however, Hulk is very susceptible to bouts of absolute blinding rage and if he (Banner) is provoked in a way similar to what happened there (which played it's course accordingly) it'll seem like he isn't in control at all.

I've said this once already but I'm definitely going to see this at least once, no, twice more. TDKR has some properly large shoes to fit into.

 

[C-ZETA]

So looking forward to this on Friday.

So am I, this Friday. Judging by what's been said here, I've got much to look forward to.

 

[Terronium-12]

You do, indeed.

 

[niky]

So am I, this Friday. Judging by what's been said here, I've got much to look forward to.

And your avatar reminds me... I want to go back and watch my Avatar collection later.

Seriously... nice avatar. Shinobu, from Bakumonogatari? How pervy.

-

Quick tip. Go to the bathroom first. The movie is nearly two and a half, and you won't want to miss even the "slow" parts. Things happen surprisingly quickly when they happen.

 

[C-ZETA]

And your avatar reminds me... I want to go back and watch my Avatar collection later.

Seriously... nice avatar. Shinobu, from Bakumonogatari? How pervy.

-

Quick tip. Go to the bathroom first. The movie is nearly two and a half, and you won't want to miss even the "slow" parts. Things happen surprisingly quickly when they happen.

Hey! You never told me you were some secret anime assassin.

I usually never really have to before, during or after anything. Also, I should note, it's actually a school trip with my Media Studies class to the big IMAX in London.

 

[niky]

It's one of the few new shows I've watched. My tastes tend towards the classics... Otomo, Miyazaki, etcetera.

IMAX? School trip? And a Comic Book Movie, to boot?!? My Lord... I've been going to the wrong school!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I have to say, in retrospect, I have one tiny issue with the film: it never explains how Thor returned to earth. THOR makes it pretty clear that Asgard is cut off from the other worlds when the Bifrost Bridge is destroyed, and while Loki reveals that there are other ways of travelling between the worlds, I got the sense that he used magic to do it. And while Jane Forster tried to open a wormhole of her own to connect earth to Asgard, S.H.I.E.L.D. moved her to a safe location while the Avengers dealt with the Chitauri, which suggests she has not yet managed it.

So depite Asgard being cut off from the rest of the galaxy indefinitely, Thor is able to travel between the worlds a year later and no explanation is given.

He was in control both times,

The film also makes it pretty clear that a) Tony Stark thinks Banner can control his transformations if he wasn't so afraid of them, and that b) Banner can and does control the Hulk - when he managed to land away from people - even if he cannot remember doing so when he returns to his human form.

 

[niky]

From one of their conversations, one of the other Gods... don't know if it's Odin or Heimdall, because I didn't hear it clearly, had to give up some of his life essence to send Thor down.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Watched this yesterday in 3D. Niky your review is perfect. I agree with everything you said about each character. There is no way I could have summed it up any better than what you already said. The part that surprised me the most about this movie was how awesome they made Loki. Excellent movie and very good review. 👍

Spoiler

The only part that confused me was when the Hulk took of after Black Widow. I know there are times where he is blinded by rage but since he was looking right at her before the conversion, I found it odd that he started attacking her.

 

[Sanji Himura]

I have to say, in retrospect, I have one tiny issue with the film: it never explains how Thor returned to earth. THOR makes it pretty clear that Asgard is cut off from the other worlds when the Bifrost Bridge is destroyed, and while Loki reveals that there are other ways of travelling between the worlds, I got the sense that he used magic to do it. And while Jane Forster tried to open a wormhole of her own to connect earth to Asgard, S.H.I.E.L.D. moved her to a safe location while the Avengers dealt with the Chitauri, which suggests she has not yet managed it.

So depite Asgard being cut off from the rest of the galaxy indefinitely, Thor is able to travel between the worlds a year later and no explanation is given.

A couple of theories on that, but unfortunately, we won't get any concrete answers until Thor 2. You addressed one already, so I'll get to number 2.

2. In Captain America, the Red Skull once called the Tesseract the, "Jewel of Odin's treasure room." It could be entirely possible that while Loki fell of the Bifrost Bridge, he was rescued by...

Spoiler

Thantos and forced to serve them

... by using one tesseract that is in his possession already.

Thor, by using Asgard's tesseract, navigated around the nine realms until he eventually reached Earth via another means of transport. Meaning, he uses Asgard's tesseract to get out of Asgard, and then he world hops across the nine realms until he reaches a device that is similar to the Bifrost bridge on another world to get to Earth.

 

[LaBounti]

Spoiler

The only part that confused me was when the Hulk took of after Black Widow. I know there are times where he is blinded by rage but since he was looking right at her before the conversion, I found it odd that he started attacking her.

Spoiler

I'm not sure but she did shoot at him before he went into a full rage.

Saw it twice just to be sure as I was thinking the same thing.

At first I thought the casting of Thor and Cap were bad choices for them to star as big name comic characters. But it dawned on me that they were perfect for one reason and one reason alone- Terrance Howard. ....Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans were both available and affordable. Especially if they were all going to be in one bigger film. Both turned out fantastic Especially for Evans who rarely plays a serious role.

As for Banner, Edward Norton was probably too expensive.

 

[Sanji Himura]

And Don Cheadle isn't a big name? Come on, you got your priorities mixed up. I am, for one, glad for the switch, but Howard, according to Jon Favreau, was hard to work with, and many of his scenes being reshot.

 

[McLaren]

As for Banner, Edward Norton was probably too expensive.

According to Marvel, it wasn't money. It was more of a subtle way of saying that Norton could not convey the character of Banner/Hulk the way they wanted him to be on screen & Ruffalo could.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I will be going to see this on the 18th. That'll give it some time to shrink the crowds some and so I can get my favorite seat. (very top, right in the middle)

 

[raz_10]

I will be going to see this on the 18th. That'll give it some time to shrink the crowds some and so I can get my favorite seat. (very top, right in the middle)

Same seats we sat on, opening night 3D

 

[FoolKiller]

To prevent hijacking the What Movie Have You Seen Recently thread I'm bringing the discussion Danoff and I are having here.

I don't believe you. I don't think you ever thought Thor or Hulk were in even slight danger. Regardless, if you did think that it was because of the comic books. The movies leading up to this one did not leave you to believe that they'd be scratched.

Honestly, after having seen Loki barely be phased by Thor's presence I thought he had something big enough to stop him. We know from Thor that Loki has the ability to kill Asgardians, and other non-human creatures from the Nine realms, with no hesitation or problem. From the comics I knew what he would do before he showed his plan.

Spoiler

but between his own power and abilities and his new tesseract-powered staff I expected a final one on one with Thor.

Iron man was a better film because there was real tension about Tony. When he was in that cave hooked up to a car battery, he felt VERY frail. Very vulnerable. You know rationally that the movie isn't going to kill him, but emotionally you don't recognize it. They go back to that when Stark is crawling through his garage trying to get his backup reactor.

Tell me you at least took pleasure from the irony of what role his reactor played here.

But no, nothing that emotionally tense. But then the point wasn't about overcoming an opponent ultimately. It was the internal struggle necessary for them to be able to do it. There was a moment when their failure to do that nearly cost them everything.

* SPOILER *

Spoiler

I hope you recognize the point of Coulson's death as being more than just a "we mean business" death. It was way more than that.

Give me one scene where someone feels as vulnerable or where there is as palpable tension as in the Iron Man Afghanistan cave or when Tony is crawling through his garage. That vulnerability is what makes it feel real and what allows you to invest.

The movie isn't about a single character. A single death means nothing in a team dynamic story. One of six heroes dies, we get a funeral scene in the end. Nothing more. If a team film is done properly the loss or absence of one member should not make things seem suddenly vulnerable. If it could then we have too much focus on one character and the rest of the team are just set dressing. But don't worry, where they go from here will bring about your tension. They can get along now and their weakness isn't each other. We will likely reach a point where their collective strength looks weak.

It's at least consistent. Superman is the king of too much power/no tension.

Seriously, you need to pick up a few comics. Don't attack a character because Hollywood chose the same villain at almost all times. Yet, I somehow recall being worried about Zod and Evil Superman as a kid. I could also draw a lot of parallels between pre-Iron Monger Obadiah Stane and Lex Luthor. Even moreso if comics are taken into consideration.

Iron Man was better. That's bordering on fact. There are real concrete reasons why the story telling in Iron Man was better.

With the exception of the sudden 90 degree turn in plot and villain midway through, of course. The script wasn't complete at the time of filming and it shows.

Disclaimer
Don't read my posts and think I didn't like the Avengers. It's a good movie. Go see it and help it break records that Harry Potter doesn't deserve to hold. Pump money into it so that they make another one. Everyone reading this should enjoy it.

Ultimately, the difference between comic fans and you and the degree of liking this is a matter of what you want from a film. Hollywood very often takes franchises from other mediums because they have almost no creative talent left. Most of those become horrible piles of crap. The issue becomes a case of something not being a good fit for the screen and Hollywood tries to change it to fit.

In this case a comic company started producing their own films and used obvious fans of the source to work on them. Then they decided that instead of working to make the source fit film they would do a near direct translation. And it worked. Even those who find it a bad fit liked them. The biggest issues are only from those with a predisposed notion of what films should be. When that doesn't fit you seem not to accept it completely, even though you liked it. The checklist isn't complete. From a comic book perspective Avengers hits every check mark. And from a long-term continuity perspective I suspect we haven't seen the end of this story yet.


Also, after seeing the trailer for Amazing Spiderman you may want to prepare yourself for full on comic faithful treatment there, because that's where it appears to be going.

 

[Terronium-12]

Superman, the king of too much power/no tension? What? You hit the nail on the head with that one; that's the fault of Hollywood. Although, yes, DC is incredibly protective of Superman's image (remember Marvel vs. DC?) but there are a myriad of individuals who have spanked him over the years.

On the subject of Spider-Man I was hesitant of it at first but I'm definitely going to see it now that I know how faithful it is to the books. It'd only be better for me if the cartridges were visibly around his wrist.

 

[FoolKiller]

On the subject of Spider-Man I was hesitant of it at first but I'm definitely going to see it now that I know how faithful it is to the books. It'd only be better for me if the cartridges were visibly around his wrist.

Being a reboot this soon I wanted to hate it on principal. As I was watching the trailer I felt my inner struggle. By the end I said to myself, "Son of a... They're making it faithful.". It's similar to how I felt with X-Men: First Class, although they needed to not treat it as if it was a prequel to the original trilogy and Wolverine for it to really work.

 

[Furinkazen]

Seen it today and pretty damn impressed. Is it me or did they deliberatly soften Hulk for comedy by the end.