Friday, December 14, 2012

The Real Super Nitpicky Avengers Review






So I saw The Avengers again the other day and it got me thinking about my ‘super nitpicky’ fake review I did a few months ago. Well, I’ve decided to actually do a real super nitpicky review just for the lulz because there are things here to nitpick over, not too much but there are some things that stuck out to me. Now don’t get me wrong, I love this movie. As we all know, it kicks ass and is one of the few movies I’ve ever seen that really lived up to all the hype around it. Some these are meant to be as nitpicky as I could make them, some are things that should just be mentioned. I’m sure others who are die hard fans of the comics could probably find even more things to nitpick than I can. I’m not exactly super familiar with all the comics this movie is based on but I’m also pulling some common sense cards on this as well. Bottom line, don’t take this too seriously and enjoy this mini-count down. Oh by the way, if you for some reason have not seen this movie, be aware that there are spoilers in this.



5.  Black Widow X Hawkeye
Now this is really just a small thing since it is only a small scene in the movie where Black Widow and Hawkeye actually have a moment. However, I find this to be my least favorite part of the movie. It kind of stops the movie for a moment as it kinda sorta explores their past relationship with each other and the ‘you can tell there are romantic feels for each other.’ Thankfully, this scene is cut short and doesn’t have some lame forced kiss or anything. This might sound like I don’t like romantic scenes and that’s only half true. I like them if they are done well, however, in about 90% of movies they are not and are heavily coated with clichés. This scene was tip toeing in that direction but is short and the action gets going again right after this. I like I said, this is a very small thing that bugged me and I think there is probably going to be more development of the relationship of these two in future movies which would make more sense instead of the 3 minute Disney relationship it could have become with this scene. Also, why does Scarlett Johansson always look like she is lightly blowing when she is trying to look serious?

4. Weapons used in the final battle
Once again we’re back on Black Widow and Hawkeye. One thing that bugged me was the fact that they know they are going into battle with Loki’s forces and Black Widow just brings two pistols… Gee, don’t think you might need something a little more heavy duty when going up against an alien army? Like an assault rifle or machine gun? They just came from a Heli-carrier filled with weapons, she could have picked up something a little more than just two pistols. Also duel wielding doesn’t work so well in real life but it always looks cool so I’ll give it a pass. Hawkeye could have also grabbed something more than just his arrows. Yes, I know archery is his thing but taking a bow and arrow against an invading army with lasers is not the best idea. But hey, he makes it work anyway. What a trooper. Speaking of troopers, Captain America is someone with an even more improbable weapon. Yes, it’s cool how he uses his shield like a boomerang but he could have grabbed some guns before they left for New York! He’s a solider for Christ’s sake! He should know that being properly equipped is one of the most important things you do before going into combat. He should have known that and told Black Widow and Hawkeye to the same! Obviously, none of this really mattered in the end but I still have a bone to pick with Captain America.

3. Captain America’s new armor
This is one that really bugged me before I even saw the movie. They tell Steve Rogers they got him an upgraded uniform from what he had during WWII, yet it looks less safe than what he wore during the war. The armor he had in The First Avenger looked more legit than the PJs they give him in this movie. I was hoping he’d get the Dragon skin style armor from the comics. By the way, Dragon skin is an actual type of body armor that is highly effective I might add. Rogers has super powers but he’s still only human and his body needs protection and a super hero’s outfit should have purpose other than looking spangled. I wouldn’t be making a big deal out of this if they had gone into some detail on just how his new uniform was an upgrade. It looks like it is made out of very soft fabrics. I’m sure it’s more comfy than the leather looking uniform he had during WWII but I don’t think it’ll do much to protect from gun fire. Like I said, I wouldn’t make a big deal if they just EXPLAINED it better! …But at least they didn’t give Hawkeye his comic book outfit. I don’t think that would have translated well to live action…
HA!
Much better!


2. Character development
Now you could say that character development wasn’t the point of this film and that the development has been done in the past movies all these characters are from. But there some developments going on, two really.  While you can say that they all developed to work together as a team, the only two that really changed were Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.  Of course, Stark proves that he does what he does not for himself but is willing to sacrifice himself when he nearly dies hurling that nuke into space and Banner realizes that maybe he can live among society again. It also helps that Mark Ruffalo did an amazing performance as the Hulk and has been the best Hulk yet. However, there isn’t really any development in the other characters. Thor is still Thor pretty much. Captain America is still trying to adjust to life in the 21st century. Black Widow and Hawkeye are still assassin people. Yeah, they’re now worldwide known heroes and that’s about it. Obviously, I know that their characters will be developed much more in all of the sequels that are coming up.  However, you cannot deny that Stark and Banner tended to over shadow the other characters when it came to development and at some points, screen time. While I do feel that every character got a good amount of screen time, I would have like to have seen a little more development on a couple other characters like Thor and Captain America.

1. Simple Story
Now I make this my number one point because over the summer many people on the internet lands were trying to compare this to other super hero movies. Namely, The Dark Knight Rises. Comparing this movie to the DKR is rather stupid as the only thing they have in common is that they have characters from comic books in them. That’s where the similarities end. Dark Knight Rises is a whole different animal from The Avengers. But when you look at The Avengers it has a really simple story, as simple as they come really. Bad guy wants to take over the world, super heroes gotta stop him. Almost like this is a comic book or something! GASP! Now there is nothing wrong with a simple story if done right and it is done right here. Another good example of a movie with a simple story that works is Dredd 3D (Check the review I did for that movie.) Anyway, it isn’t the story that makes this movie good, it’s the characters and seeing them interact with each other. It’s like a super hero sitcom… with explosions. The way the characters interact is the saving grace for this movie and what makes it stand out. This movie could have easily sucked had the writing been terrible. I’m generally not a fan of Joss Whedon but he did a good job with the flow of the story and characters. Not to say there isn’t any cheese ball lines but nothing that feels out of place. Loki is the typical wants to take over the world bad guy but Tom Hiddleston’s performance makes him really fun to watch and actually kinda makes me think of a more subdued Mark Hammill Joker at times. Maybe that’s just me… Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with The Avengers’ simple plot. I just wish people wouldn’t go around comparing it to the much more complex Nolan Batman films.  Oh don’t worry, I’ll do a super nitpicky review of the Dark Knight Rises at a later date. 


No comments:

Post a Comment