Avengers Footage

[spydermann93]

Spoiler

thalaw, I took it as more or less just part of Cap's whole "doubting his own relevance in the modern world" thing.

Speaking of Cap... I dunno if it's just my own protestant upbringing showing through, but was I the only one who got a chuckle out of Cap's "There's only one God, and he doesn't dress like that" line?

I absolutely loved that part too!  I felt a little awkward that I was one of the few people in the theatre to actually chuckle at it though.

Spoiler

Haha, me too. When that part came on, and I laughed, my friend next to me gave me the biggest look of "seriously?" that I have ever had the pleasure of getting. He's a devout Catholic and he thought that that remark was so true, it wasn't funny. I, however, not being that much of a religious type (agnostic more than anything), thought it was pretty funny

[BentonGrey]

So, I saw it again today, and it is just as awesome on a second viewing.  I was able to get a better grasp on everything, I caught several small, subtle pieces of dialog I missed the first time, and I figured out how Hawkeye's quiver was working.  I had misunderstood it the first time.  That is really neat.  After watching this a second time, I REALLY want to see a movie starring him and the Black Widow.  Make it a S.H.I.E.L.D. flick or a solo adventure spy thriller, either way I think that'd be awesome.

Also, I was hoping a second watching would answer a question for me, but it did not.  Perhaps one of y'all has some insight (perhaps something in the special features of one of the DVDs or the like). 

Spoiler

In the teaser at the end of Thor, we saw Dr. Selvig called in by S.H.I.E.L.D. to consult on the Cosmic Cube.  We also saw Loki somehow influencing him, or so it seemed.  Loki shows up where Selvig's reflection should be, speaks a line, which is then parroted by Selvig.  However, that was never resolved in this movie, and Selvig didn't seem to be involved with Loki until he was possessed after the Asgardian's arrival.  What's going on there?

[spydermann93]

Spoiler

In the teaser at the end of Thor, we saw Dr. Selvig called in by S.H.I.E.L.D. to consult on the Cosmic Cube.  We also saw Loki somehow influencing him, or so it seemed.  Loki shows up where Selvig's reflection should be, speaks a line, which is then parroted by Selvig.  However, that was never resolved in this movie, and Selvig didn't seem to be involved with Loki until he was possessed after the Asgardian's arrival.  What's going on there?

Spoiler

Perhaps Loki used him as an unwilling/unknowing spy on the development of the Cosmic Cube. He waited until the right moment, and then struck when it was optimal. Loki's pretty sneaky with these things, and he may have not influenced Selvig at all (or he just subtly influenced his work), but rather just kept an eye on what he was doing.

[BentonGrey]

Spoiler

In the teaser at the end of Thor, we saw Dr. Selvig called in by S.H.I.E.L.D. to consult on the Cosmic Cube.  We also saw Loki somehow influencing him, or so it seemed.  Loki shows up where Selvig's reflection should be, speaks a line, which is then parroted by Selvig.  However, that was never resolved in this movie, and Selvig didn't seem to be involved with Loki until he was possessed after the Asgardian's arrival.  What's going on there?

Spoiler

Perhaps Loki used him as an unwilling/unknowing spy on the development of the Cosmic Cube. He waited until the right moment, and then struck when it was optimal. Loki's pretty sneaky with these things, and he may have not influenced Selvig at all (or he just subtly influenced his work), but rather just kept an eye on what he was doing.

Spoiler

Possible Spydermann, but that still leaves the question of how Loki ended up with a hold on him to begin with...

[Previsionary]

Podcast alert! Like most of the Marvel movies that have come out in the past 5 years, comic writers have played a large role in how the scripts are developed, draft after draft.

http://comicbook.com/blog/2012/05/10/the-avengers-comic-book-writers-had-pretty-extensive-input/

In a podcast interview with Eric Ratcliffe’s Why I Love Comics, superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis explained the role of the “Marvel Movie Council”–that is, a group of comic book experts including himself, Joe Quesada and Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley who were called upon to consult on the Marvel movies. 

“We read every draft of the script including outlines and give notes–sometimes written notes–followed by a phone call to discuss our notes. Sometimes with a filmmaker, sometimes without, depending on the level of critiques and as the script gets closer to final form we’ll come in and sit with the filmmakers.”

[oldmanwinters]

So, I saw it again today, and it is just as awesome on a second viewing.  I was able to get a better grasp on everything, I caught several small, subtle pieces of dialog I missed the first time, and I figured out how Hawkeye's quiver was working.  I had misunderstood it the first time.  That is really neat.  After watching this a second time, I REALLY want to see a movie starring him and the Black Widow.  Make it a S.H.I.E.L.D. flick or a solo adventure spy thriller, either way I think that'd be awesome.

Also, I was hoping a second watching would answer a question for me, but it did not.  Perhaps one of y'all has some insight (perhaps something in the special features of one of the DVDs or the like). 

Spoiler

In the teaser at the end of Thor, we saw Dr. Selvig called in by S.H.I.E.L.D. to consult on the Cosmic Cube.  We also saw Loki somehow influencing him, or so it seemed.  Loki shows up where Selvig's reflection should be, speaks a line, which is then parroted by Selvig.  However, that was never resolved in this movie, and Selvig didn't seem to be involved with Loki until he was possessed after the Asgardian's arrival.  What's going on there?

Spoiler

Yeah, I never really figured out the Dr. Selvig issue in my own head.  I thought it was as a weird way to end the Thor movie, actually.  Not being an especially well-read comic fan-boy my only knowledge of the character was limited to his portrayal in Thor, thus I assumed maybe his whole identity had been a masterful Loki masquerade.  Obviously that wasn't the case in The Avengers, but I think spydermann93's explanation is probably best.  Another possibility is that Loki never actually had an initial hold on him during the events of Thor, but was simply "prowling around liking a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" in a devilishly stealthy manner that left the humans unaware.  He deemed Dr. Selvig a strategic candidate for recruitment.  But it's been a while since I watched Thor... and I have no idea what the director was thinking with that scene. 

Also, I never even bothered to think about how Hawkeye's quiver worked.  Whenever I have to watch media dealing with an archer, I just assume he/she has a more-or-less unlimited supply of arrows and don't bother giving it a second thought. I'll keep a keen eye towards this when I watch it again however.

[Figure Fan]

Spoiler

thalaw, I took it as more or less just part of Cap's whole "doubting his own relevance in the modern world" thing.

Speaking of Cap... I dunno if it's just my own protestant upbringing showing through, but was I the only one who got a chuckle out of Cap's "There's only one God, and he doesn't dress like that" line?

I absolutely loved that part too!  I felt a little awkward that I was one of the few people in the theatre to actually chuckle at it though.

Spoiler

Haha, me too. When that part came on, and I laughed, my friend next to me gave me the biggest look of "seriously?" that I have ever had the pleasure of getting. He's a devout Catholic and he thought that that remark was so true, it wasn't funny. I, however, not being that much of a religious type (agnostic more than anything), thought it was pretty funny

I laughed out loud at that part too, but also rolled my eyes a bit. Captain America *would* say something like that, being the supreme boy scout/cheeseball that he is. Then I thought that maybe Disney wanted to make it clear that they weren't declaring their theological allegiance to Thor and the Norse gods of Scandinavia. But maybe I'm just being too cynical.

[thalaw2]

I laughed out loud at that part for and I was the only one laughing.  I couldn't stop laughing for a good while.

[Shogunn2517]

One thing I like to add, I know this might be a small thing, but I really liked the detail and consistency they had for characterization.

Spoiler

For example, In Thor, I thought Loki seemed more serious than I typically would think he is.  He seemd more bent on revenge than anything.  In The Avengers though, I thought he was more like a Loki I'd think he'd be.  Arrogant(threatening the Hulk/"I am Loki of Asgard and I am burden with glorious purpose!"), much less serious(his initial conversation with Thor) and... gleeful, especially in the pain of others.

Tony Stark was Tony Stark, but it took me until a second viewing to realize that since Iron Man 1, he didn't like to be handed things.  At first I just thought he was trying to be snarky and dismissive of Coulson, but it was who he was.

The comment Captain America made about the way God dress, I didn't mind it much at all because it seems like something Captain America would say.  He's from the 40s.  A time where God and religion had much more of a role.

Even with the Black Widow, the tidbits of information she dropped about her background.  She's russian, was not trained by SHIELD, started when she was a little girl, her bond with Hawkeye.  It was all there, but it was not too overt.  Enough to know the character.

One character, I don't think was too well developed was Maria Hill.  She had some shine and we had a bit of an idea of who she was, but I think a lot of her parts were delete.  She was supposed to be more of a stickler for the rules, by the book.  She probably was the one who called the Council on Fury at the end of the movie.  Not a complaint, but just an observation.

[XStream]

I am a Christian and I laughed out loud at Cap's God comment. I didn't take it as demeaning or anything. I thought it was hilarious, and a great way to characterize Captain America with one line. He was quick to answer, and was sure of his answer. He is obviously a man out of time, by his lack of being PC in his remarks. I think it was great characterization, and a funny scene.

I would love to have time to see this movie again. It was a fun ride all of the way through.

[Tawodi Osdi]

I saw it today.  Normally, I wait for movies to come to video or at least the cheap priced movie theater, but this one was worth seeing at full price.  After reading some of the comments, I regret not sitting through the credits, but I guess I will wait for the DVD to see that.

[Uncle Yuan]

So I have heard a lot of good buzz about Ruffalo's work both as Banner and as Hulk.  His seems to be the stand out role.  (Although this may well be because the actor was new and neither of the previous films set the same level of excellence the others did.)  I do find it odd, then, that Cap, Thor and Iron Man all have sequels in the works while there seems to be no love for the Hulk.  If Avengers continues to do well I wouldn't be surprised to see a Hulk movie in the intermediate future.

[Previsionary]

Actually, there is talk that a new Hulk movie may be on the horizon, and Hulk has had a TV and a cartoon show in the works for a while now, so he wasn't left out. The talk about him just isn't as rampant is all.

[spydermann93]

Actually, there is talk that a new Hulk movie may be on the horizon, and Hulk has had a TV and a cartoon show in the works for a while now, so he wasn't left out. The talk about him just isn't as rampant is all.

Ha. Rampant.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I do find it odd, then, that Cap, Thor and Iron Man all have sequels in the works while there seems to be no love for the Hulk.  If Avengers continues to do well I wouldn't be surprised to see a Hulk movie in the intermediate future.

That's because there hasn't been enough time for that yet.  They were already planning the other movies, but have just now gotten everything into place to actually make them.  They are only now thinking about a Hulk sequel, so it will be some time before anything definite can be planned.

[Talavar]

There's also the matter of the cold hard cash: the Incredible Hulk did not make back it's stated budget of $150 million domestically (the only Avengers lead-up not to do so), and only made $263 million worldwide.  Captain America the next lowest, with an announced production cost of $140 million, went on to make $368 million worldwide.  Prior to the Avengers, the Hulk just didn't seem to be the most bankable of the Marvel characters to hit the big screen thus far.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

It made money, but not as much as the other Marvel movies.  Same reason why TJX shut down the AJ Wright chain.  It made money, but not as much as their other chains do.  It's simple business.

But now that Hulk is suddenly more popular he could stand to do much better in the future.  I also didn't help that a lot of people were disappointed in the much earlier Hulk and stayed away from the newer movies because of this.  After Avengers though, I dare say any leftover bad taste from that is completely washed away.

[BentonGrey]

Yep, that almost happened to me.  I thought that Incredible was a sequel instead of a reboot at first, and I wouldn't have gone anywhere NEAR a sequel of that film.

[Tomato]

See, some people still swear by the first Hulk movie... I just can't understand it, personally. It was a film I originally saw as a child (back when I still thought B. Forever was a good film) and I don't remember having serious problems with it at the time, but on the insistence of someone on FR, I watched it again a few months ago... You think I Tomato rage on n00bs? I ranted at that fool for a good 30 minutes. The acting is horrible, the writing is garbage, the psuedo science doesn't make a lick of sense, the editing style was cute for all of two seconds before it became annoying and distracting, the cgi was stupid even for the time, Hulk getting bigger as he gets madder was dumb, etc. etc.

About the only thing better about Hulk over Incredible was Betty Ross. And really, when the ONLY highlight of a Hulk film is the token love interest, that's an EPIC FAIL.

[oldmanwinters]

I am really looking forward to the HISE spoof coming in a couple of weeks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r1lNgOiIyM

Their Captain American: The First Avenger video was pretty hilarious.

[oldmanwinters]

So somehow I ended up seeing The Avengers for a third time in four weekends; and I finally noticed that they mis-credited the Galaga video game maker. "NAMECO." Seriously?

[Tawodi Osdi]

I didn't even notice the mis-spelling of Namco, but I only seen the movie once.  The mis-spelling Namco might have been just an honest mistake, or maybe, there are copyright considerations that I know nothing about that may have affected the decision.  It's possible the name Galaga has gone public domain and the name Namco has not, but I have no idea how to look that up.

[Previsionary]

I present you with this: http://movieline.com/2012/05/25/david-hasselhoff-avengers-nick-fury-samuel-jackson/

Although Samuel L. Jackson has played S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and the record-breaking Avengers, his portrayal of the cigar-chomping Marvel Comics government agent isn’t definitive to everyone. Like, say, to David Hasselhoff — Baywatch legend, Knight Rider icon, and star of the upcoming Piranha 3DD — who donned Fury’s signature eye patch and scowl in his own 1998 telefilm, earned Stan Lee’s blessing, and claims that his is the “ultimate” Nick Fury.

“I didn’t see The Avengers yet,” Hasselhoff admitted to Movieline while discussing his appearance — as David Hasselhoff — in the R-rated sequel Piranha 3DD. “I love Sam Jackson, but you know… my Nick Fury was the organic Nick Fury that was written and discussed with Stan Lee before anyone got in there to change it. Nick Fury was written to be tongue-in-cheek, and he had a cigar in his mouth, he was a tough guy — he was cool.”

Hasselhoff says he had earned Lee’s praise for his turn as Fury, who comes out of retirement in the 1998 film Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. to battle HYDRA. So he was a little miffed to learn the character would be portrayed by someone else — even if that someone was Jackson.

“Stan Lee said, ‘You’re the ultimate Nick Fury,’” he remembered. “Avi Arad, when they bought it, said, ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to be the Nick Fury forever,’ and they lied. [Pause] But that happens to me all the time. That’s when you realize life isn’t fair.”

More at link

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

He was the ultimate Nick Fury, really?  I for one, was not impressed with his movie.

[thalaw2]

Agreed...I don't buy that either.  From what I remember about the 1998 version it sucked and I have no desire to see it again...and I'm a fan of the Hof.  I think Stan was just being kind.

[Tomato]

Well, obviously I need to go kill David Hasslehoff now. He has reached an unforgivable level of stupid.

[captmorgan72]

Say what you will of the Hoff, but nobody can eat a cheeseburger wasted like he can.

[Thunder]

Say what you will of the Hoff, but nobody can eat a cheeseburger wasted like he can.

I believe it was a chicken sandwich   

[Tawodi Osdi]

The Hasselhoff may fit the physical characteristics of Fury, but I just don't see him being macho enough to stare the likes Captain American and Thor in the eye and earn their respect.

[BWPS]

I am not buying any more of that man's albums if he's going to be like that!