Previous Post Quote: 1. The movie was too short. It was densely packed, well paced, and included many good scenes, but this is one story that deserved an extra twenty minutes to decompress. How ironic that I should be complaining about the lack of decompression in an Avengers story! It was very watchable. Roll on the extended DVD edition. I can see this, but I could also see the set-up trying the patience of the more casual movie-goer. I'm not sure what I would really want to expand, personally... I thought the script offered a nice buffet of character and motivations, giving a little taste of each of them. I was pretty satisfied in general. I guess if I were to want anything expanded, it would have been Thor's side of things. We're left to make a lot of inferences and given some very simple explanations for his involvement. Quote: 2. Characterisation and interaction gave the movie heart and substance. Everyone, even some minor characters, got a story arc and a moment. I’d have preferred a snarkier wise-assier Hawkeye, but given the storyline there’s reasons for him not to be. He felt like he was coming around towards the end, so perhaps in the sequel he can be a little more of a smart-ass. Quote: 3. The visuals are almost universally excellent. A few slightly ropy CGI moments are masked by the sheer sweep of the whole, and some sequences are remarkable. Costume-wise, only Cap’s outfit was a slight let-down. Why bother changing from the original if you can’t make it look better on screen? What’s wrong with proper chain mail anyway? I have to say, I was quite happy with the 3D in this one (which is good because the only options at my local multiplex were 3D and Imax 3D.) I though the battle through the streets of NY looked pretty great as a result of it. I was really quite shocked at how much they had going on compared to every other Marvel film in terms of blockbuster action. I liked Cap's outfit a lot more when he lost the mask. I'd be fine with him staying without it in sequels, myself. It just doesn't make much sense when neither Widow or Hawkeye use any kind of face/head protection. Quote: 4. The rank-and-file villains were generic and forgettable but offered the level of menace they were supposed to. Their battle machines were ideal for showcasing a variety of hero smackdowns. Loki managed to be a creditable threat and a great foil for each of the heroes – he even got a one-on-one dialogue moment with each of them. The post-credits behind the scenes major adversary will be a game-changer. I quite liked Loki in this. His army made for fun cannon fodder. I would hope in the sequel that they would give us a few more villains for the team to face off against, though. I'm not talking about a random jumble of unrelated villains, but some substantial henchmen that can be more than just fodder. Whedon gave us this, in a way, but I can't really say more without spoilers. Quote: 5. The Hulk stole the show at the end. I've seen the suggestion that the popularity of the Hulk in this film is convincing Marvel to change their position and perhaps do another Hulk solo film after all. While I'm definitely more interested in one after seeing him in The Avengers, I have to wonder if perhaps less isn't more when it comes to the Hulk. Maybe he's like the wacky neighbor on a sitcom... great as a supporting character, but the show falls apart if you make him the focus. Quote: 6. The movie is very quotable. I actually thought it was quite restrained coming from Whedon... I actually expected more quips, especially after seeing reviews mention how funny it was. Quote: 7. There were a couple of things I’d have liked to see in there that would have made my enjoyment complete, but given how much good stuff there was in there, including some only-for-the-comics-fans bits, it seems churlish to carp. We may have to open the spoiler-filled thread to get into the various comic nods that were there. Quote: 8. In terms of pacing and content, this movie has relatively few slow-wow “widescreen” moments of the type comics tried to deliver with two-page panels that were popular in the early post-Busiek era, and hardly any of the talking-heads Bendis era material. In its frenetic, packed, detailed, multi-scene, heart-stirring, roller-coaster style this film was Perez all the way. Except for the big impacts, which were Kirby. Visually, I really liked it. I was a bit worried from early screenshots that it would all feel too much like sets, especially the SHIELD stuff, but by and large it worked for me. Quote: In conclusion: A very enjoyable film, well constructed and well delivered, that will have plenty of repeat viewing value. This is the movie Avengers fans always felt their heroes deserved and it has raised the bar on superhero films – and yet there’s still the room for an even better sequel. I'm curious where they go with the sequel. The post credit scene doesn't seem like it would offer something different enough.

I did enjoy the movie a great deal, and will probably wind up getting it on DVD. As early as ten years ago, I would have scoffed at the notion of a big budget Avengers movie even being made. It just seemed like the concept of uniting all this disparate heroes into one film and have it make enough sense for the average movie goer to buy it seemed implausible. But they pulled it off, and it was fun to watch.

As my thread title indicated, Tony Stark is clearly the star of the show, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because Robert Downey Jr has been great as the character. I also liked Mark Ruffalo as Banner a lot, and Jackson was fine as Ultimate Nick Fury. The guy playing Loki made the villain quite hateable, so he did his job. The others didn't have as much to do, especially poor Hawkeye, but I liked the set up of his and the Black Widow's relationship. Thor had some of the cooler moments in the film: when he first arrived and then his fight with the Hulk were great. Sadly, as much as he is my favorite character, Captain America seemed almost unnecessary. He didn't have any great lines or moments that would show the viewer why he's supposed to be the heart of the team.

The scenes with the characters interacting with each other as the team is being built and fighting amongst themselves was a treat. The assault on the Helicarrier was great and honestly, they could have stopped the movie there and set up the Avengers vs. Loki and his army for the sequel and I would have been happy.

Now comes the beef.

First issue: Agent Caulson dying. Whedon can't help himself can he? The need to kill a tertiary character in an abrupt, shocking manner must be wired into his DNA. That's not what bothered me, though. Caulson never really was all that interesting to begin with to me, so him getting a sceptre through the heart was no great loss. But the idea that it was his death that unified the Avengers to look past their differences and become a team was ridiculously heavy handed. Frankly, it made them look like dopes. Hundreds if not thousands of people had been killed by the villain before this. The villain manipulated and nearly killed the heroes themselves. Then there's the fact the villain is planning on taking over the entire world. None of these were a suitable rallying cry for the Avengers. The goof with his near mint trading cards buying it was. Stupid.

Second issue: The Evil Council's plan to stop the invasion. I get that its to set up friction between the establishment and the Avengers, because a movie can never, ever, portray any governing institution in a positive light without reminding people of Watergate, Iran-Contra, or the War or Terror, but man, Powers Boothe and company took it to the next level. Because it would have made a lot more sense to launch a bunch of nukes into the portal to blow up the aliens instead of destroying the city they were attacking. It also would have made the Avengers fairly superfluous, and given that the plot point shouldn't have been introduced at all.

Third issue: The post credit endings. Yes, the "court death" line followed by Thanos's sneer was a geek out moment if you are a comic fan, but I don't think the character is that much different from how Loki was portrayed in the movie to make him a more compelling villain for the sequel. I'd much rather see Ultron or a Masters of Evil. And the second post credit ending just felt like a big "F you" to the fans who stuck around through the credits to see it. Well "F you" right back, Whedon. From now on I'll just catch those Easter Eggs on YouTube after some enterprising young bootlegger with a camera phone uploads it.

Again, let me just say I enjoyed the film and my lengthy descriptions of the problems I did have with it shouldn't be construed as me burying it.