I wasn’t too enthused about seeing this film because the trailer made it seem like it was basically a comedy, but, while there are light and comedic moments (which I did appreciate), they don’t make up the entire film. I quite enjoyed it overall. Psycho (1960) is my favourite Alfred Hitchcock film, and I loved seeing all the scenes of them making it. I kind of wish there had been more. I liked how it opened and closed like an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Anthony Hopkins was excellent and completely disappeared into the character. The rest of the cast were fine too. The major thing I wasn’t that keen on was how it focused so much on Hitchcock’s relationship with his wife. It just wasn’t all that interesting to me. Oh well, it’s still a very solid film about a legendary filmmaker.
First off, I must say, when I became truly interested in this film was when Joss Whedon was announced as the director. I’ve been a huge fan of his for many years, and I knew he’d be the perfect person to do this. I’m still bitter that he wasn’t offered X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). I was really glad to find out that he wrote the screenplay too. I’ve enjoyed each of the preceding films, each to a different degree. In saying that, I’ve never been a big fan of any of the characters. Growing up, I wasn’t really into comics, but I did like heroes like Batman, Spider-Man and the X-Men. However, bringing them all into one movie is so awesome and something I would’ve loved as a kid. And I loved this movie as an adult. It was really, really great. For the first 30 minutes or so, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. It can be slightly confusing if you’re not familiar with the characters and the other films. When it really came together for me was when the Avengers literally came together. Having all these characters in one place was exciting. I loved how they all related to each other in unique ways. Their interactions were one of my favourite things about the film. There’s a lot of tension between them; they’re not the most unified of teams. I really liked that they all got their moments to shine. None of them felt superfluous. I was originally disappointed that The Hulk had been recast, but after seeing this, I’m glad he was. Mark Ruffalo was perfect and showed how miscast both Eric Bana and Edward Norton were. All the actors were great. Scarlett Johansson is hot. Sorry, I had to say it. Lots and lots of action. All of which was well-done, and exciting, and visually impressive. The final battle could’ve gone on a whole lot longer and I would’ve been fine with it. The film had a decent running time which I really liked, and, again, I could’ve done with more. The movie is full of Whedon’s trademark wit. Myself and everyone around me were laughing many times throughout. Robert Downey Jr. was made to deliver Whedon’s one-liners. It had plenty of Whedon’s touches, which pleased me immensely. What else? Oh, I don’t know, it was all fantastic. I’m sure there are many things you could criticise about it, but it’s just an amazing comic book movie. It knows what it is and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I’m keen to see more movies in this series, whether the characters are separate or not.
You know, the first half of this movie wasn’t too bad. I enjoy a good utopian/dystopian story, even if it isn’t very original. However, the second half ruined everything by becoming a typical shitty Michael Bay action movie. Anything good about the storyline was just destroyed by Bay. The dialogue was hideous. The humour and one-liners made me cringe. The music was lame and predictable. The Microsoft product placement was embarrassing. The biggest reason to watch this film for me was actors like Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean and Steve Buscemi. However, they couldn’t push past the bad screenplay and direction. The plot has similarities to the book and film, Never Let Me Go (2010), except that story is executed brilliantly.
It’s looking pretty good, I think. It’s so good to see what Joss Whedon can do with a huge budget. I don’t always go for blockbusters, but I’m looking forward to this one.
With this, I have now watched every Coen brothers film. I can’t say this was one of my favourites of theirs, but, as with all their films, it was really good. It’s a kind of film-noir and as well as being set in the 40s, it seems to try and emulate the films of that time too. The black and white cinematography was absolutely gorgeous. Some shots, especially with the use of shadows, were stunning. It also has a great cast giving great performances in the typically quirky Coen brothers fashion. I can’t wait for their next film!
When Iron Man (2008) came out, it seemed to be very popular, so I was pretty excited to see it. However, when I did, I was disappointed. It wasn’t bad or anything, just not the greatness I kept hearing about. I don’t remember it so well now, so it’s hard to compare this sequel with it, but I guess they’re about the same in my mind. This film was enjoyable enough. Robert Downey Jr. is wonderfully charismatic, of course. And, wow, Scarlett Johansson is so hot. My interest waned a little in the middle, but it had some decent action scenes and it was fun overall. The ending and the post-credits scene got me excited to see Thor (2011) and the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and the film that brings them plus other characters all together, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012).
Wherein I write about films I've seen and whatever else...
