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The Avengers
So I went to see Avengers, and this is the shortest reaction I could write.
The scenes in which everyone sat around and talked, or the Avengers interacted with each other instead of bad guys, were the best scenes. I wish we could have a whole movie of just that. While I think Whedon loves the action and gadgets and superpowers, I do think he had to put more of those in than he probably would have were he not making a big budget blockbuster. Thinking about the ways people have to compromise in order to get to make tv/movie/play in a franchise/etc sometimes makes me sad.
The plot was ridiculous and contrived and very silly. I've never seen a movie with aliens that was so very much not about aliens, however that aspect felt very comic booky. In fact, the parts I liked less (the action and gadgets and superpowers) all felt very comic booky, by which I mean they were way better than the action/gadgets/superpowers in any of the individual Avenger films. The action was fun, instead of trying to be serious; everything was very big and kept getting bigger in a way that was almost campy. If you have to have huge action sequences with stuff blowing up everywhere, I want it to be done like that.
I also really liked how I felt that the person who wrote this had a good handle on the characters. There was so much back story between Natasha Romanova and Barton; I love how it was written in and acted out so well without all the details being explained. I also really appreciated the little things, such as Romanova getting to fight and be a badass, but also looking tired by the end and like she was getting her ass kicked. Someone obviously remembered that she doesn't have superpowers.
Speaking of Romanova, she was utterly boring in Iron Man, and one of the most interesting characters in this. I not only found her wonderfully written; Johansson did a wonderful job of being warm in the right spots and completely cold in the others, of being smart and capable and strong, but also, yeah, a little scared when she is going to die. I kind of resent the fact that we didn't get a movie about a girl Avenger before this; hopefully this movie can stir up some interest.
I wish Loki had been more complex, because the actor playing him is truly compelling and amazing. I wanted to feel for him, even though the script kept telling me not to. I did very much appreciate Thor's obvious feeling for him, and thought that that relationship was very interesting, though it didn't get much time.
Thor himself didn't get much time, and didn't get to have "moments" with the other three Avengers the way Stark, Rogers, and Banner did with each other. At times I was a little sad about this, because Thor is hilarious and there was a lot of hilarity, and I just wanted to see this crazy caveman in that mix. However, when I thought about it, I was very glad that Thor got a little less time, because he stands a little apart: he is an alien. His brother is an alien. This is his world encroaching on Earth, and he is trying hard just to take everything back to where it came from. I kind of want more of Thor completely not relating now.
Speaking of not relating, Rogers' "I got that reference!" was my favorite line. I appreciated Rogers' interactions with Stark. I kind of want more of that, because that argument they were having before the ship got attacked was awesome--and then the way they worked together was awesome. I totally get why so many people ship it and I think it's really interesting, but this movie really only scratches the surface of all the potential good stuff in that relationship. Another thing I loved was the way Rogers got to be "in charge" at the final battle--he is the one with army experience, after all.
Was I the only one who thought, "Whedon's finally answering the cavemen vs astronauts question!" when Stark and Thor were fighting?
Speaking of Stark, he was the smartest, funniest, and most entertaining character. Basically everything he said made me snorfle, and he was adorable with Pepper, and the part when he realized he's actually Loki is priceless. He should steal the show, and I appreciate very much that he didn't, partly because my very favorite part was watching this very self-involved man realize that he has to be the team player, because this team is so fucked up, no one else can do it.
The whole Agent Coleson thing was very dumb, but I mostly thought it dumb where the vintage Captain America cards were concerned. Not like Rogers needed that incentive; Rogers is such a good guy, he'd've done the right thing without prompting. Stark didn't need that incentive, because Stark didn't know Phil's name until Pepper told it to him--and that's the whole point. Stark has trouble remembering other people, besides a very select few, exist. He lives the life he's chosen partly to remind himself, imo. Stark is just such an interesting, fucked up, complex, enormously clever and witty character, just a bright shiny thing that is so obviously the best; I don't understand why a character like that is still so very much not my favorite.
I go for the serious ones who are hardly ever funny, and when they are it's darkly. I like the ones that brood all the time, and hate what they believe themselves to be, and try to make up for it by removing themselves from everything good. I like it when they sit and think about how bad they are and try very very hard to be good, and fail.
I loved the Hulk when I was a kid. I loved everything about it. I loved the way he ripped out of his clothes and was just so angry; I loved the lack of self-control. When the Eric Bana movie came out I was really excited, not just because it was Ang Lee, but because I'd realized the show I'd watched reruns of when I was a kid was pretty silly, the concepts were still cool. It wasn't the lack of self-control I was looking forward to so much as the dude attempting to remain in control, repressing everything he felt.
I hated the first Hulk movie, but still got really hopeful about the next one. I like Edward Norton, and thought that he could do interesting things playing someone who was really super repressed and conflicted. I hated that one too. When they cast Mark Ruffalo, I tried not to be too hopeful, because I'd pretty much concluded I was never going to get what I wanted from the Hulk. It was hard not to hope, though, since I pretty much decided Mark Ruffalo's the hottest man alive in 2006.
Whatever I hoped, I got more than I dreamed. This is the Hulk movie I wanted, really. Even the stupid CGI cartoon made my gut twist and just made me want to cry. I realize the part where he hit Rogers and thrashed Loki about were supposed to be funny, but they just made me want to cry more. (It was because he was such a mindless animal, and so childish--which, I completely understand, is why those parts are funny. Just, to me it was so so so sad. All I could think was, "That poor man," and I don't mean Loki.)
I just. He's just so doggishly accepting. And there was that part when he talked about committing suicide and everyone looked at him and he had to explain it. And then there was the fact that the whole movie was about using him; he's a weapon. He did it to himself. Then there was that part where he started getting a little frustrated and everyone was looking at him in horror, and he realized he was holding the scepter. I just love him. I just want to watch that movie, forever. I think part of the reason it makes me so so so sad is that I don't know how to get more of it.
And part of the deal with this, and with characters like this, is that I identify. I always feel so silly when I say things like that (and identifying with Angel, too) because uh, obviously I don't turn into a green killing machine. But I am angry; I'm just randomly angry and annoyed at people for no reason, and I just want to be good. I try really hard to be good, and it's really damn hard.
That said . . . this movie has very little thematic resonance. There could have been some good stuff about the meaning of freedom, about how little and how destructive man is, how fucked up we are. There could have been some good stuff too about power, who should have it, and how to control it, but this stuff took such a far back seat that it was barely addressed. However, I would rather it be barely addressed than to be addressed in the way, say, Iron Man 2 addresses it. Generally the ethics in super hero movies really bother me, and yet I had very little problem with this one--because of the way it was comicbooky, because it didn't take itself too seriously. It was okay just to kill the bad guys, which isn't my favorite kind of movie, but a lot of fun, nevertheless.
Now I have to find the Hulk fic. I despair of finding stuff that actually has what I want; this is the first time I've ever gotten what I want out of the character and I'm terribly afraid that it was just a magical confluence of elements that I'm not going to find elsewhere.
The scenes in which everyone sat around and talked, or the Avengers interacted with each other instead of bad guys, were the best scenes. I wish we could have a whole movie of just that. While I think Whedon loves the action and gadgets and superpowers, I do think he had to put more of those in than he probably would have were he not making a big budget blockbuster. Thinking about the ways people have to compromise in order to get to make tv/movie/play in a franchise/etc sometimes makes me sad.
The plot was ridiculous and contrived and very silly. I've never seen a movie with aliens that was so very much not about aliens, however that aspect felt very comic booky. In fact, the parts I liked less (the action and gadgets and superpowers) all felt very comic booky, by which I mean they were way better than the action/gadgets/superpowers in any of the individual Avenger films. The action was fun, instead of trying to be serious; everything was very big and kept getting bigger in a way that was almost campy. If you have to have huge action sequences with stuff blowing up everywhere, I want it to be done like that.
I also really liked how I felt that the person who wrote this had a good handle on the characters. There was so much back story between Natasha Romanova and Barton; I love how it was written in and acted out so well without all the details being explained. I also really appreciated the little things, such as Romanova getting to fight and be a badass, but also looking tired by the end and like she was getting her ass kicked. Someone obviously remembered that she doesn't have superpowers.
Speaking of Romanova, she was utterly boring in Iron Man, and one of the most interesting characters in this. I not only found her wonderfully written; Johansson did a wonderful job of being warm in the right spots and completely cold in the others, of being smart and capable and strong, but also, yeah, a little scared when she is going to die. I kind of resent the fact that we didn't get a movie about a girl Avenger before this; hopefully this movie can stir up some interest.
I wish Loki had been more complex, because the actor playing him is truly compelling and amazing. I wanted to feel for him, even though the script kept telling me not to. I did very much appreciate Thor's obvious feeling for him, and thought that that relationship was very interesting, though it didn't get much time.
Thor himself didn't get much time, and didn't get to have "moments" with the other three Avengers the way Stark, Rogers, and Banner did with each other. At times I was a little sad about this, because Thor is hilarious and there was a lot of hilarity, and I just wanted to see this crazy caveman in that mix. However, when I thought about it, I was very glad that Thor got a little less time, because he stands a little apart: he is an alien. His brother is an alien. This is his world encroaching on Earth, and he is trying hard just to take everything back to where it came from. I kind of want more of Thor completely not relating now.
Speaking of not relating, Rogers' "I got that reference!" was my favorite line. I appreciated Rogers' interactions with Stark. I kind of want more of that, because that argument they were having before the ship got attacked was awesome--and then the way they worked together was awesome. I totally get why so many people ship it and I think it's really interesting, but this movie really only scratches the surface of all the potential good stuff in that relationship. Another thing I loved was the way Rogers got to be "in charge" at the final battle--he is the one with army experience, after all.
Was I the only one who thought, "Whedon's finally answering the cavemen vs astronauts question!" when Stark and Thor were fighting?
Speaking of Stark, he was the smartest, funniest, and most entertaining character. Basically everything he said made me snorfle, and he was adorable with Pepper, and the part when he realized he's actually Loki is priceless. He should steal the show, and I appreciate very much that he didn't, partly because my very favorite part was watching this very self-involved man realize that he has to be the team player, because this team is so fucked up, no one else can do it.
The whole Agent Coleson thing was very dumb, but I mostly thought it dumb where the vintage Captain America cards were concerned. Not like Rogers needed that incentive; Rogers is such a good guy, he'd've done the right thing without prompting. Stark didn't need that incentive, because Stark didn't know Phil's name until Pepper told it to him--and that's the whole point. Stark has trouble remembering other people, besides a very select few, exist. He lives the life he's chosen partly to remind himself, imo. Stark is just such an interesting, fucked up, complex, enormously clever and witty character, just a bright shiny thing that is so obviously the best; I don't understand why a character like that is still so very much not my favorite.
I go for the serious ones who are hardly ever funny, and when they are it's darkly. I like the ones that brood all the time, and hate what they believe themselves to be, and try to make up for it by removing themselves from everything good. I like it when they sit and think about how bad they are and try very very hard to be good, and fail.
I loved the Hulk when I was a kid. I loved everything about it. I loved the way he ripped out of his clothes and was just so angry; I loved the lack of self-control. When the Eric Bana movie came out I was really excited, not just because it was Ang Lee, but because I'd realized the show I'd watched reruns of when I was a kid was pretty silly, the concepts were still cool. It wasn't the lack of self-control I was looking forward to so much as the dude attempting to remain in control, repressing everything he felt.
I hated the first Hulk movie, but still got really hopeful about the next one. I like Edward Norton, and thought that he could do interesting things playing someone who was really super repressed and conflicted. I hated that one too. When they cast Mark Ruffalo, I tried not to be too hopeful, because I'd pretty much concluded I was never going to get what I wanted from the Hulk. It was hard not to hope, though, since I pretty much decided Mark Ruffalo's the hottest man alive in 2006.
Whatever I hoped, I got more than I dreamed. This is the Hulk movie I wanted, really. Even the stupid CGI cartoon made my gut twist and just made me want to cry. I realize the part where he hit Rogers and thrashed Loki about were supposed to be funny, but they just made me want to cry more. (It was because he was such a mindless animal, and so childish--which, I completely understand, is why those parts are funny. Just, to me it was so so so sad. All I could think was, "That poor man," and I don't mean Loki.)
I just. He's just so doggishly accepting. And there was that part when he talked about committing suicide and everyone looked at him and he had to explain it. And then there was the fact that the whole movie was about using him; he's a weapon. He did it to himself. Then there was that part where he started getting a little frustrated and everyone was looking at him in horror, and he realized he was holding the scepter. I just love him. I just want to watch that movie, forever. I think part of the reason it makes me so so so sad is that I don't know how to get more of it.
And part of the deal with this, and with characters like this, is that I identify. I always feel so silly when I say things like that (and identifying with Angel, too) because uh, obviously I don't turn into a green killing machine. But I am angry; I'm just randomly angry and annoyed at people for no reason, and I just want to be good. I try really hard to be good, and it's really damn hard.
That said . . . this movie has very little thematic resonance. There could have been some good stuff about the meaning of freedom, about how little and how destructive man is, how fucked up we are. There could have been some good stuff too about power, who should have it, and how to control it, but this stuff took such a far back seat that it was barely addressed. However, I would rather it be barely addressed than to be addressed in the way, say, Iron Man 2 addresses it. Generally the ethics in super hero movies really bother me, and yet I had very little problem with this one--because of the way it was comicbooky, because it didn't take itself too seriously. It was okay just to kill the bad guys, which isn't my favorite kind of movie, but a lot of fun, nevertheless.
Now I have to find the Hulk fic. I despair of finding stuff that actually has what I want; this is the first time I've ever gotten what I want out of the character and I'm terribly afraid that it was just a magical confluence of elements that I'm not going to find elsewhere.