some quick thoughts about the avengers
First off, I went into the movie being spoiled for two things, one major and one minor. The major one was thanks to Tumblr, which--I know, I should have just stayed off until I saw it. But I don't follow a ton of people and I thought I could do it. Obviously, I was wrong. The minor one was because of the LJ spoiler text which...dammit. Luckily, I stopped reading as soon as I realized what had happened and attributed way more signifigance to what I read than we actually saw in the movie, SO.
Overall, I loved it! It totally lived up to the hype and I really enjoyed it. I wish I had gone with other fans instead of with my brother and father, though. They're both comics fans and they both liked it, but it would have been nice to see it with people who cared about it in the same manner that I did.
Onto spoilers!
Okay, well, to get it out of the way, the thing that I was spoiled for was Phil's death. (And can I just say? The rest of the world had this movie for a WEEK and I wasn't spoiled at all. America has it for TWO DAYS and I get spoiled twice. I'M JUST SAYING.) Not explicitly, but in a way in which I was expecting it and really hoping that I had been wrong. While I have to admit, the lampshade hung on it was great (and I love that it was a straight white dude dying to advance the plot), I'm kind of over Joss' habit of killing people as a way of motivating characters. And I don't say that just as a huge Phil Coulson fan. That being said, I thought it worked well, but I don't think he's really dead. Both Coulson and Fury made it clear that his death would be incredibly efficient for team unity, and as with the cards, I don't think either of them would be above a few theatrics to speed up the alliance. I was honestly half expecting them to cut to Phil in the middle of the battle, sitting in a hospital bed and asking Fury for an update on how things were going.
So, I won't be surprised if we see him again later in the franchise. We didn't really see the body and, with the lampshade hanging, it's clear that Fury and Phil both new that the death would be useful.
ANYWAY. ON TO THE REST OF THE MOVIE. IN A SORT OF BULLETPOINT FORM. NOT IN ANY ORDER.
I really loved it overall. I'm not overloading with feelings the way that most of you are, but I can understand where your feelings are coming from ;D One of the reasons I was so psyched for Joss to be at the helm was because he's great with teams and this didn't disappoint. The team moments were my favorite--all of them circling each other, learning to work together, the way he knew exactly how much time to show on each character during the big battle and how everyone played to their strengths. The dialogue was sparkling and fantastic, but also used incredibly effectively--silences and loaded looks were just as important. I also liked that, as basically the only female main character, Natasha was never in any more or less danger than anyone else and that the person who needed saving at the start was Clint and not her.
The best line in the entire thing was Steve's joy at getting a pop cultural reference. I LOVED THAT PART. The second best was Hulk punching Thor. The third best was the last after-the-credits scene. The fourth best was Hulk smashing Loki.
NATASHA WAS SO GREAT, GUYS. I didn't really care about her all that much before the second trailer, then I started getting kind of interested in her, then that interrogation scene was posted and I adored her, and now that I've seen the movie, I'm full-on IN LOVE. SHE'S SO GREAT. And, honestly, finally seeing exactly how AMAZING she is just makes me THAT MUCH MADDER about everyone's fucking wrong opinions on the internet. You'd think I'd eventually get used to people's wrong internet opinions, but you'd be wrong D:<
But, seriously? Hulk is my favorite? I had kind of joked to Margaret that Hulk would be my favorite based entirely on how much I love him in A:EMH, and also I have a Hulk pushie at my desk, but Mark Ruffalo NAILED IT and Bruce was AMAZING AND FUNNY and Hulk was HILARIOUS and used effectively.
Tony and Bruce together was fantastic. It was so cool to see a side of Tony where he gets to geek out with someone just as smart as him. I loved it. It gave me some ideas for a daycare story I've been wanting to write for months.
Tony overall was great. I do enjoy him and, as usual, no one can deliver a line like RDJ. He was made for Whedon dialogue, he really was.
Clint was...Clint? I wanted to care more than I did because so many of my friends are huge fans, but he was there. I enjoyed him.
Thor was also Thor. I liked that they at least threw a shout-out to Jane in there and I really liked the subtle hint we get in Phil's dialogue about how "everything changed when Thor came," clearly referring to the reason behind the weapons made from the Tesseract.
Steve was PERFECT. He was actually a lot closer to my mental image of him (based on reading the occasional comic and being friends with people super into him) than he was in the Cap movie. His leadership abilities were just wonderful and I love that they just happened and it felt natural. There was no big revelation where suddenly everyone understood he was the leader, he just quietly and competently did what needed to be done and the others recognized that and followed his orders.
Pretty much every line of spoken dialogue was so great, I can't even.
Um.....what else? More character stuff, less fight scenes, but I always say that and it never dragged for me. I never checked the time, which I did a lot in the Cap movie.
I think that's all I have to say? It was great! I enjoyed it! I'll see it again!
Oh, I'm super disappointed, though, that the only fic I've ever wanted out of this movie's fandom has been jossed :( (Oh! And it's Joss' fault! Awesome :D) Seriously, all I've ever wanted is a gen fic of Phil showing Steve around the year 2012. I still think it would be hilarious. Oh well, that's what AUs are for, I guess.
eta: ONE ADDITIONAL THING. Here is where I will be out of step with 90% of fandom:
Guys, I don't give a shit about Loki.
I don't think he's misunderstood. I don't want to defend him. I don't love him. I don't even find him interesting from a villain perspective. I just flat out don't care. He doesn't interest me at all. I don't dislike him, but I will never, ever understand fandom's massive boner for him.
This movie did not change that.
Overall, I loved it! It totally lived up to the hype and I really enjoyed it. I wish I had gone with other fans instead of with my brother and father, though. They're both comics fans and they both liked it, but it would have been nice to see it with people who cared about it in the same manner that I did.
Onto spoilers!
Okay, well, to get it out of the way, the thing that I was spoiled for was Phil's death. (And can I just say? The rest of the world had this movie for a WEEK and I wasn't spoiled at all. America has it for TWO DAYS and I get spoiled twice. I'M JUST SAYING.) Not explicitly, but in a way in which I was expecting it and really hoping that I had been wrong. While I have to admit, the lampshade hung on it was great (and I love that it was a straight white dude dying to advance the plot), I'm kind of over Joss' habit of killing people as a way of motivating characters. And I don't say that just as a huge Phil Coulson fan. That being said, I thought it worked well, but I don't think he's really dead. Both Coulson and Fury made it clear that his death would be incredibly efficient for team unity, and as with the cards, I don't think either of them would be above a few theatrics to speed up the alliance. I was honestly half expecting them to cut to Phil in the middle of the battle, sitting in a hospital bed and asking Fury for an update on how things were going.
So, I won't be surprised if we see him again later in the franchise. We didn't really see the body and, with the lampshade hanging, it's clear that Fury and Phil both new that the death would be useful.
ANYWAY. ON TO THE REST OF THE MOVIE. IN A SORT OF BULLETPOINT FORM. NOT IN ANY ORDER.
I really loved it overall. I'm not overloading with feelings the way that most of you are, but I can understand where your feelings are coming from ;D One of the reasons I was so psyched for Joss to be at the helm was because he's great with teams and this didn't disappoint. The team moments were my favorite--all of them circling each other, learning to work together, the way he knew exactly how much time to show on each character during the big battle and how everyone played to their strengths. The dialogue was sparkling and fantastic, but also used incredibly effectively--silences and loaded looks were just as important. I also liked that, as basically the only female main character, Natasha was never in any more or less danger than anyone else and that the person who needed saving at the start was Clint and not her.
The best line in the entire thing was Steve's joy at getting a pop cultural reference. I LOVED THAT PART. The second best was Hulk punching Thor. The third best was the last after-the-credits scene. The fourth best was Hulk smashing Loki.
NATASHA WAS SO GREAT, GUYS. I didn't really care about her all that much before the second trailer, then I started getting kind of interested in her, then that interrogation scene was posted and I adored her, and now that I've seen the movie, I'm full-on IN LOVE. SHE'S SO GREAT. And, honestly, finally seeing exactly how AMAZING she is just makes me THAT MUCH MADDER about everyone's fucking wrong opinions on the internet. You'd think I'd eventually get used to people's wrong internet opinions, but you'd be wrong D:<
But, seriously? Hulk is my favorite? I had kind of joked to Margaret that Hulk would be my favorite based entirely on how much I love him in A:EMH, and also I have a Hulk pushie at my desk, but Mark Ruffalo NAILED IT and Bruce was AMAZING AND FUNNY and Hulk was HILARIOUS and used effectively.
Tony and Bruce together was fantastic. It was so cool to see a side of Tony where he gets to geek out with someone just as smart as him. I loved it. It gave me some ideas for a daycare story I've been wanting to write for months.
Tony overall was great. I do enjoy him and, as usual, no one can deliver a line like RDJ. He was made for Whedon dialogue, he really was.
Clint was...Clint? I wanted to care more than I did because so many of my friends are huge fans, but he was there. I enjoyed him.
Thor was also Thor. I liked that they at least threw a shout-out to Jane in there and I really liked the subtle hint we get in Phil's dialogue about how "everything changed when Thor came," clearly referring to the reason behind the weapons made from the Tesseract.
Steve was PERFECT. He was actually a lot closer to my mental image of him (based on reading the occasional comic and being friends with people super into him) than he was in the Cap movie. His leadership abilities were just wonderful and I love that they just happened and it felt natural. There was no big revelation where suddenly everyone understood he was the leader, he just quietly and competently did what needed to be done and the others recognized that and followed his orders.
Pretty much every line of spoken dialogue was so great, I can't even.
Um.....what else? More character stuff, less fight scenes, but I always say that and it never dragged for me. I never checked the time, which I did a lot in the Cap movie.
I think that's all I have to say? It was great! I enjoyed it! I'll see it again!
Oh, I'm super disappointed, though, that the only fic I've ever wanted out of this movie's fandom has been jossed :( (Oh! And it's Joss' fault! Awesome :D) Seriously, all I've ever wanted is a gen fic of Phil showing Steve around the year 2012. I still think it would be hilarious. Oh well, that's what AUs are for, I guess.
eta: ONE ADDITIONAL THING. Here is where I will be out of step with 90% of fandom:
Guys, I don't give a shit about Loki.
I don't think he's misunderstood. I don't want to defend him. I don't love him. I don't even find him interesting from a villain perspective. I just flat out don't care. He doesn't interest me at all. I don't dislike him, but I will never, ever understand fandom's massive boner for him.
This movie did not change that.