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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:


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.

6 comments:

Richard Wein said...

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.

Russell Blackford said...

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).

Russell Blackford said...

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.

Mathew Varidel said...

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.

ColinGavaghan said...

'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!)

Svlad Cjelli said...

"an all-stops-out skirmish on the streets of a busy city"

A what what in the how, now?