Anthony: When this movie was first announced I was a bit worried. I had great concern that this was going to be film that caused the super-hero genre in movies to implode upon itself. Too many characters, too many special effects, and too much going on. Luckily my fears were groundless and the Avengers is not only a great superhero movie, but a great action blockbuster in its own right.
Leigh: It is a great movie, even after the hype I was very impressed. I enjoyed the fact that all the characters got equal screen time. I thought a Thor, Captain America, and Ironman were going to be all of the focus, but surprisingly even the less-known characters had the same amount of attention as the big names.
Anthony: The actors all do a great job of playing their characters perfectly. The draw of the movie really is seeing everyone on screen together, and the dynamic of each character working together. The story isn’t really that good, but it doesn’t really matter; the point of the movie isn’t some tricky Inception-like story. Avengers is all about seeing 5 movies worth of characters getting together to punch things.
Leigh: I didn’t think the story line was bad. It is an action movie, so you should only expect so much. But, seeing as they had to fit in five characters worth of stories, I think they did a great job. I was distracted most of the time by Tom Hiddleston’s (Loki’s) greasy hair, and if I am not mistaking, wasn’t that the girl from How I Met Your Mother?
All kidding aside, I love Joss Whedon and this movie is making me love him even more. After hearing he was writing the movie I was afraid, were they going to take creative control? But, no they let Whedon do his thing, and thank god for that!
Anthony: Yep, that is Canada’s own Robin Scherbatsky! Everyone seems to be loving the Hulk. He was great in the movie but Banner’s control over the Hulk is conveniently better or worse with no real explanation. It is kind if sloppy writing. The script is full of one-liners; my personal favorite being when Iron Man calls Thor “Point Break”.
It will be the Hulk that gets all the accolades, but Ironman, Cap, and Thor have amazing drag out fights with each other and the villains of the movie. There are many great action sequences that probably won’t get their due because suddenly everyone is Hulk crazy. All that being said, the Hulk is awesome and Mark Ruffalo does a great Bruce Banner.
Leigh: I really liked Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. At first I thought he was a strange pick, but he played the character very well. He was more of an awkward nerdy type. They made the Hulk a more comedic character, which worked great. Instead of trying to make him super serious (like the last two Hulk movies) they embraced the Hulk’s corny side. My favourite part is when the Hulk catches Loki monologuing.
Anthony: The theatre went bananas at that part. Pretty much any time the Hulk was on screen. I know our readers are probably tired of hearing me say this but I really hated 3D. And I hated the 3D in this movie. It added nothing to the movie and it actually made it worse by making it darker than it needed to be. Stop making 3D movies. Oh, and everyone who goes to see this movie needs to remember to stay for the extra scenes. One made me lose it and I immediately wished I could see Avengers 2.
Leigh: Yes, if you go to see the movie you should wait till after the credits! Just like the lead up movies, the Avengers leaves a little clip at the end. I really liked this movie. It was very entertaining, I will probably go see it in the theatre again. But, I do agree the 3D was not necessary, or at least I would have liked the option to not see it in 3D.
Anthony: Most theatres could have the option to show in 2D, and some do, but the majority only show it in 3D because it makes an extra $2 per ticket. They have to make extra money somehow; everyone isn’t going to buy popcorn. All griping aside it was a great flick, something fun to see with your friends or bring your kids to, and it was well work the hype and wait. Final thought to you Leigh.
Leigh: This movie is great! Definitely worth seeing it in theaters. If you didn’t go opening weekend I would suggest watching some of the lead up movies to get you in the Avengers mood.
(Scottie Say: box office record for an opening weekend: $200,000,000!)
