It is not often you can say this, but The Avengers is one $200 million-plus event flick where not a single cent has been wasted.
The special-effects work is spectacular, especially during two truly awesome set-piece battle sequences.
The first, aboard an airborne weapons carrier, is brilliant enough.
The second, an all-stops-out skirmish on the streets of a busy city, will leave viewers gasping.
Overall, The Avengers is a fist-pumping cause for celebration for comic-book hard-liners and action fans alike.
About Me
- Russell Blackford
- Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sun-Herald review of The Avengers
At this stage, I seem to be about the only person (at least of those expressing opinions on-line) who has any reservations about The Avengers. The reviewer at the Sun-Herald, Leigh Paatsch, apparently loved it without reservations:
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6 comments:
I was a bit surprised by your earlier comment, given that Rotten Tomatoes has a whopping 96% rating for the film. But as a big Whedon fan I expect I'll enjoy it, even if it is too heavy on the action. (I really want to see a Whedon musical!)
BTW did you see it in 3D? I've never seen a film in 3D, and was wondering whether to make this my first one.
I actually saw it in 2-D.
I had the choice, but I still tend to prefer 2-D ... with 3-D at its current stage of development. But by all means give it a try (and please report back on the experience if you do).
And again, I did actually enjoy it and would probably even watch it again. But I think it's flawed in ways that would make it a less attractive proposition to someone who is not already a fan of the characters. Judged by that standard, X-Men: First Class, for example, seemed to me to be much better.
But as I said in a discussion on Facebook earlier today, I had that lump-in-the-throat feeling at times while watching The Avengers. But then again those times tended to character beats that would be much less meaningful for someone who is not already a fan of Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, etc., etc.
X-Men: First Class was pretty awesome but in my opinion was on par with the Avengers.
By the way, I saw it in 3D. I think it probably heightened the experience but not by much.
'X-Men: First Class, for example, seemed to me to be much better.'
I agree entirely. There again, The Avengers was reasonably true to what I remember of the comics, i.e. all about the big, sprawling set-piece battles. And it was pretty enjoyable, on its own terms.
(I fear my expectations may have been skewed by Mark Millar's treatment in The Ultimates!)
"an all-stops-out skirmish on the streets of a busy city"
A what what in the how, now?
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