I didn't quite know what to expect from The Avengers. Yeah, I love Joss Whedon's work. All of it. But when you're tackling a huge summer blockbuster film like this one, it's tough to get your way and have your style really shine through with all those suits breathing down your neck. Disney suits, too, even. On top of that, I wasn't a huge fan of the second Iron Man, and Mark Ruffalo is a dweeb.
Let it suffice to say that I didn't go into this film with the highest of expectations.
However, get yourself ready to heighten your own expectations: The Avengers is a very good film. And the main reason is Joss Whedon.
More often than not, tentpole films like this one get destroyed when a half-baked story ends up drowned beneath a pile of special effects, pop stars, and an edgy soundtrack with electric guitar-ridden Bob Dylan covers. But Writer/Director Joss Whedon is a talented storyteller, and it really shows.
The subtleties of each character come across as they individually trudge through their own emotional journeys. The debonair Tony Stark is as deliciously snarky as ever (and man is he cool). Captain America's stoicism, Thor's family issues, Bruce Banner's anger management, and even Fury's political struggles (and shiny eyepatch) are all poignantly portrayed. There is intense inter-personal drama and complication. While nothing got as heated or in-depth as it could have, and the villain could have been more motivated for his villainy, it all served its purpose of getting the audience emotionally-vested in what's going on.
But the important thing is that this quality character development is balanced perfectly with what the audience is really there for: explosions and capes and laughs. There are countless fight scenes, each with their own unique twist for added suspense and visual stunnery. You are constantly thrown for a loop as each character is dealt the next impossible task they have to accomplish. The shots soaring through the sky with Iron Man or jumping between buildings with the Hulk leave you feeling like you just took the wildest ride of your life. Like a super awesome roller coaster. With punches and flying. And more awesome.
And not only are the fights and effects spectacular in every sense of the word, but the writing is genuinely witty and the character interactions hilarious. I don't remember the last time I laughed in a movie theater that much. The film plays with audience expectations, exploits superhero stereotypes, and is just plain smart about the way it approaches its combination of high and lowbrow humor.
Without giving any plot detail or specific situations away, I am going to tell you, dear reader, that you should go see The Avengers. Whether you are familiar with the caped heroes or not, you'll have a blast. The writing is clever, the story is fleshed out Joss-style, the jokes are beyond funny, and the action is so action-packed that it should be illegal. It won't win an Oscar, but it will win the hearts of countless Americans with its unique brand of charming action and rakish dialogue.
This movie will break box office records. Everyone can enjoy it, and word of mouth will ensure that everybody will. A sequel will definitely be on its way, if it isn't already. And I'll be the first in line to see it.
Showing posts with label Superhero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superhero. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2012
Some Spoiler-free Reasons Why 'The Avengers' is Great (Hint: JOSS)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
'Superman Classic'
Robb Pratt, animator on Pocohontas and Tarzan, recently released the above animated short, Superman Classic, and it is just great. The animation style is a joy to watch, the dialogue is pretty darn funny (especially the line, "Can I help it when my bladder gets a little Silly Susan when I get nervous?"), and the music from the original Superman serials adds a lot. Watch it above, and then hear Rob Pratt discuss how and why he made it . . .
We want more of this, Robb!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Marvel to Disney transfer complete (Or is it?)
It was just announced that Paramount has transferred the worldwide rights to two of its Marvel properties, The Avengers and the Iron Man franchise, to Walt Disney Studios for at least $115 million.
When the Mouse bought Marvel a while back, I was wondering how this was going to work out, and I'm still curious. Now it's obvious that Disney will get the lion's share of the box office, including their cherished merchandising and theme park rights. However, who is going to be paying the millions of dollars it takes to produce the films? Marvel Studios (a.k.a. Disney)? Jon Favreau's production studio? Did Disney pay $115 million to get the movies after they were in the can and have no say in what happens during production? It's all very confusing.
It's also worth mentioning that Paramount still owns the rights to Thor and Captain America, Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man, and other Marvel properties have been sprinkled throughout Hollywood over the years. This means that Disney won't get to distribute these films, but will still retain their merchandising, etc.
Don't feel too sorry for Paramount, though, because they still have tons of tentpole franchises they've yet to milk completely dry: Mission: Impossible, Jackass, Transformers, Star Trek, Paranormal Activity, and G.I. Joe.
It may all be very difficult to understand, but the bottom line is that Disney will be distributing The Avengers in 2012, and Iron Man 3 in 2013, which means they'll be basking in the glory of billions at the box office. I'm glad that they're making all of this Marvel-ownership business slightly less confusing, but it is also starting to look like Disney will soon have a monopoly on the entertainment industry...
Oh well. As long as they keep giving Pixar their creative autonomy and don't destroy Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, I'll stay a happy camper.
For a more detailed account of the deal and a little clearing up as far as studio logistics go, check out Variety.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Disney in 'Iron Man 2'
Hopefully, by now, you are aware that Disney owns the superhero giant Marvel. It was big news back in August, and, ever since, Disney has been raking in the dough from
What you may not know, however, is that the recent superhero flick starring Robert Downey, Jr. (my favorite actor in Hollywood right now) has more ties to Disney than just shoveling money into their bank account.
When you see the film, something should seem very familiar about Tony's father, Howard Stark. You only get to see archival footage of our protagonists' late father, but there is enough screen-time there to make it obvious that he is supposed to resemble Walt Disney. Not only does he have the iconic moustache, a similar hair cut, and a striking suit like Mr. Disney does, but he is shown with a diorama that looks a lot like EPCOT during its early stages. Click on the "Stark Expo 1974" button on the right side of the screen at the viral site StarkExpo2010.com to see a video featuring the EPCOT-esque diorama, and the Disney-look-a-like.
But that's not the only connection that
When you went to the Stark Expo 2010 website, you heard an instrumental version of a song written by renowned Disney song-man Richard Sherman. The entire song (lyrics and all) can be heard during the end credits of the film, and it is entitled "Make Way For Tomorrow Today." The song sounds an awful lot like the theme song for the Carousel of Progress, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," and, like all other work by Sherman, is great.
All of these ties to Disney make you wonder whether or not Jon Favreau, the director, was trying to make deliberate nods to the recent Disney-buying-Marvel deal. And the answer is a resounding no. Production began months and months before anybody knew anything about the deal. The Disney references in
Sources: D23, Jim Hill Media
Monday, March 22, 2010
Some Un-Disney Links
Although my passions lie with Disney and Pixar, you may have noticed that I love all movies. And since the Disney news has been quiet lately, I thought I'd give you some links to update you about the part of Hollywood without Mouse ears:
Sony's animation division has announced that they are planning a 3D, CG version of the classic, spinach-lovin' Popeye. Producer Avi Arad is heading the project, after turning the Spider-Man franchise into a "powerhouse" for the studio.
The long and complicated casting search for the title role of The First Avenger: Captain America is finally over. After all of the possible stars, including The Office's John Krasinski, Speed Racer's Scott Porter, and Channing Tatum, they have finally settled on Chris Evans (Fantastic 4, Push). It is rumored that his contract if for a staggering 9 picture option and a quite un-staggering $300,000. Stay tuned for more details on all of the upcoming Marvel films.
While we're on the subject of casting action movies, the cast of Transformers 3 is starting to take shape. The huge Michael Bay production will, surprisingly, feature John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.
Finally watch the above trailer. I don't have much more to say about that; Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist looks great.
That's all the news there is now. Keep checking back for more movie, Disney, and Pixar news.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Spider-Man has a new Webb
Marc Webb (directed (500) Days of Summer) is a great director, but I don't know if he's right for his next gig. Sony has just announced that Webb will be at the head of a completely new Spider-Man reboot. This new trilogy will have completely different storylines and actors and everything else compared to the popular trilogy featuring Tobey and Kirsten.
This is very exciting news. I love Spider-Man, but did not like where the last trilogy was taking it. Although I never pictured him as a superhero director, I'm very interested to see what Marc Webb, a lighthearted and character-driven director, will do with Peter Parker.
An unconfirmed rumor that's been going around recently is that Robert Pattinson of the Twilight series will star as our friend Peter Parker. Let us hope that this is not the case. (What I'd like to see is Joseph Gordon-Levitt taking over as the webmaster. That would be great.)
Marc Webb is all that's known for now about the new trilogy, but I'll keep you up-to-date as more news surfaces.
Source: /Film
Monday, September 7, 2009
Marvel by Pixar?
Today, Bob Iger answered questions regarding Disney's recent acquisition of Marvel Entertainment via a conference call. During the call, Iger mentioned some things that would lead me to think that perhaps Pixar may be thinking about creating future Marvel films.
Currently, several studios other than Disney are set to create several more Marvel films. After those films are created, however, Disney has stated that they “want to be sole distributor of these films.”
When asked about Pixar's involvement in these future films, Iger replied that: “We’ve talked about this internally. Pixar boss John Lasseter talked to the Marvel guys about this and they all got excited about it. We think there’s ultimately some exciting product that come of that. Sparks will fly!” Lasseter sounds very excited about the prospect of a Pixar-created Marvel flick.
Disney has also announced that they to “exploit more lesser-known characters.”
Can you actually picture Pixar making a Marvel film? They've always used solely original material for their films, so should they really tinker with a so-far-flawless method of creating original films? Can the creative team of Emeryville work within the restrictions of an existing universe with its laws, characters, and limitations?
I think that they shouldn't mess with a perfected system of filmmaking which has brought us Toy Story, Up, Finding Nemo, and the many other fantastic animated classics.
We will see in the coming months what else Disney plans to do with their new collection of 5,000 characters.
Source: /Film
Thursday, March 12, 2009
'The Avengers' Postponed
Marvel has just announced that they are postponing the releases of both The Avengers and Thor. The Avengers will feature popular superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, Thor, and the Hulk; all of which will already have or will soon have their own films leading up to the release of The Avengers which was scheduled for July 15, 2011, but has been pushed back almost a year to May 4, 2012. These heroes featured in The Avengers will stay consistent with the individual heroes' movies: Robert Downey Jr. will play Iron Man, Edward Norton will play the Hulk, etc.
In conjunction with this announcement, Marvel mentioned that the release of Thor will be pushed back as well from July 16, 2010 to June 17, 2011.
Marvel also shifted the release date for The First Avenger: Captain America, which will now come out on July 22, 2011 instead of May 6, 2011.
Iron Man 2's release, however, is still on schedule with a release on May 7, 2010.
David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Studios, has said that Marvel decided to shuffle around these release dates because "it maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character 'The Avengers' film in 2012."
Source: Reuters
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Iron Man News Galore!
What is your favorite movie of the year? What about your favorite superhero movie of the year? How about your favorite movie featuring Robert Downey, Jr. of the year? I can guarantee that you answered at least one, if not all, of these questions with the answer of Iron Man.
Iron Man was a truly great movie. It had a strong plot, great character development, superb acting, and stupendous effects to top it all off. The movie, not surprisingly, grossed $578 million worldwide while in theaters (and that figure doesn't even include DVD/Blu-ray sales). No moviegoer can resist the charm of Downey, the action of a flying superhero, or the brilliance of the awesome Mach 2 suit.
For this reason, among others, Robert Downey, Jr. has extended his deal with Marvel; this deal will result in an Iron Man 2 (set to bow on May 7, 2010), an Iron Man 3, and The Avengers, all of which will feature Mr. Downey as your favorite playboy Tony Stark, and his red-suited alterego.
This is great news! This deal will help out everybody; we get to see more of the amazing Iron Man franchise, Robert Downey, Jr. gets well-deserved boffo bucks, and the studios get to reap the benefits of yet another superhero franchise. Hooray! Everybody wins!
The Avengers will feature Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor, all of which will have their own feature film(s), some of which already do. This already amazing movie, The Avengers, is set to be released on July 15, 2011--I can't wait!
The Iron Man franchise, as well as The Avengers, however, will feature Don Cheadle, instead of Terrence Howard, as Col. James Rhodes.
In addition to Downey's return, Joe Favreau, the director of the first Iron Man, will return to direct Iron Man 2, as well as be the executive producer for The Avengers.
In addition to these exciting superhero roles, Downey is set to play Sherlock Holmes in a 2009 feature film, and is rumored to play Hugh Hefner in a bio pic. Very interesting....
Source: Variety
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