My apologies for the delay on this post, I started writing it a week ago and then life got in the way.
Summer movie season is officially underway as of last Friday night. One of the most anticipated movies of the year kicked things off in a big way. I got out on opening night to see The Avengers in 3D on an Imax screen. First let me say that this was an incredible way to see a movie. Big Screen, Big Sound, Big Fun!
We got our tickets a week in advance to guarentee sweet seats, and that was the way to go! Kudos to HFJ for hooking us up. Reserved seats at an Imax venue on Opening Night was pretty slick. No waiting in line, just cruise on in, in time for the previews and enjoy.
I had been anticipating this movie for at least a year, having seen all of the individual super hero movies that lead up to it, and I was not dissapointed.
Right away, let me say that while I am a huge super hero fan, and I much prefer the Marvel universe to DC comics, the individual heroes that make up the Avengers have never been individuals that I payed alot of attention to. With the exception of Iron Man, and really only because of Robert Downey Jr's 2 previous movies in the role, the other characters take a back seat in my mind compared to my favourite team, The X-Men. Now I know some people are going to get all fanboy on me about how Hulk, Captain America and Thor are huge iconic characters in the genre, but up to this point I have never really appreciated them. They just seemed really one dimensional. Hulk being the obvious exception to that statement, but "Hulk Smash" wears pretty thin after a while.
This movie changed that perception.
The characters are dynamic, complicated people, some of whom are still struggling to come to grips with their great power, and the responsibility that comes with it.
Full credit should go immedietly to Director Joss Weedon, for running with an amazing cast, and having the wisdom to include all the in jokes that the audience is expecting. Special mention for the falaffel scene that rolls post credits. If you left, you missed it, so sad.
In General the talent and special effects are incredible, and Robert Downie Jr. gets special mention for rocking out in the role of Tony Stark once again. BTW I read this morning that when all is said and done, he will have earned over $50 million for this role in this film, due to some very shrewd negotiating by his agent, much earlier in the franchise history. It all boils down to his earning a 4-5% cut of the box office proceeds. Not to shabby when you consider that The Avengers is set to settle in as the #3 highest grossing movie of all time, at around 1.3 billion dollars, not far behind Titanic and Avatar.
What really changed my mind about some of these Heroes is the team dynamic that this movie highlights. This movie takes that dynamic to a really cool place. Some of the combined powers are showcased, but oddly never during a pivotal moment, and the the banter between cast members is really fun.The Hulk/Loki scene is the best example of this in the movie, at my screening the entire theatre burst out in laughter and applause.
With an opening weekend box office take of over $650 million world wide, Avengers now holds the record for biggest opening weekend in history.
This film is easy to recomend: If you like fun, go see this movie.
