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Monday, May 7, 2012

The Avengers Was So. Boring.

I went to see The Avengers last night. Everything I'd read told me it would be "pure fun." Also I'm a diehard Buffy fan (see: my SMG scrapbook), and I really love Joss Whedon.

But I forgot that Whedon takes a really reeeeaally long time to get going on a story. He's so painstaking with his character interactions and he wants you to know enough about them to appreciate the nuances of their interactions. Great. Awesome. He respects his characters and his audience!

Unfortunately, a slow burn isn't so effective in a movie.

I was so bored at The Avengers. Really really bored. I was painfully aware of the time, aware of the people around me, aware of the innane excuses for some fanboy fights between superheros that made no sense ("WHY are you fighting in the woods right now!? Loki could get away!!").


I actually started fantasizing about leaving about halfway through. That never happens to me! Never.

It did pick up in the final third and suggested that Whedon had finally hit his stride and that a (I mean, let's face it, it'll happen) sequel would be much better from the get-go. I thought the fights were really well-choreographed, especially at the end when they made sense.

I'm also pretty sure there were a lot of film shots specifically meant to be loving, tongue-in-cheek send-ups of other movies (LoTR, Independence Day...I'm probably not a high enough level fan to pick out many of them).

In my opinion, the movie really only glittered and felt like "pure fun" when Robert Downey, Jr./ Tony Stark was on screen. He's really on a roll and Stark is such a great character. It had more heart, too, when Scarlett Johansson was giving us insight into Black Widow's backstory. But when both of them were gone, I felt my interest lagging.

Are Curt and I the only ones who found this movie super(hero) boring??


16 comments:

  1. LOL, when I saw your title, I thought, "No it wasn't! I liked it...after I woke up, about halfway through".
    So, yeah. A little slow at the beginning. And RDJr was the bomb. And I want more Scarlett. Instead of doing my own review, I think maybe I'll just link to yours!

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  2. I'm relieved that I'm not the only one. I wonder if people are being overwhelmingly positive because it does end on a really solid, exciting note that leaves the audience feeling Good.

    Also, link away if you like!

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  3. It was boring and I wish Loki one.

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  4. You are not the only one. Do not be afraid to speak your mind and give an honest opinion. We have a right to our own opinions on art,film,music,etc. I too was bored somewhat. I actually thought Thor was more entertaining. I don't think Avengers was a bad film by any means. It was good for what it was. I think it served its purpose and did have some really fun scenes. I thought it was a good decent summer film. I just didn't leave the theatre feeling blown away.

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  5. I agree with you 100% I will not see this movie again. I will watch X2 or the Dark Knight when it's on cable, but if I see Avengers is playing; lets see what Family Guy reruns are on.

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  6. I walked out halfway through. Soooo boring

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  7. ugh, what pointless juvenile drivel....i might have liked this if i were still 13 years old.

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  8. Well, I will say that the film seemed to be made with love. Whedon has been very open about being a fanboy himself, and it's obvious that the movie was made for the fans, rather than as a money-making mess. *cough*Transformers*cough*

    However, that doesn't mean it's a great movie. I think it just shows how far our collective bar has fallen, when everyone is falling all over themselves to lavish praise on a film that while good, was not consistently great.

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  9. Just saw The Avengers. It's a boring film. The plot is ridiculous and the character's allegiances are always under question. Seriously overrated. The SFX are impressive but they don't make up for the flaws in the storyline.

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  10. so boring fell asleep, had the misfortune of being sent dizzy having to see it in som really awful 3d, at no point was i engaged nor did i ever care about any of the characters, iit must have been less than 20 minutes in when i was thinking to myslf, "when can we go home" thank god my brother paid for me, waste of his money instead of mine

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  11. Just came home from seeing it, Jennifer. That scene you mention, I turned to my friend and said, "When they ask, 'Where's Loki?' he'll have been gone for ten minutes." I really though Cap would go in to break up the fight, not join it.

    But RDJ was great, and I liked the interaction between Stark and Banner, and Stark and Cap, and Stark and Thor...you get the idea. I haven't really seen Iron Man 2 (Black Widow was in that, right?), but I thought it was interesting how she was used in this film--the big fight scene at the end when all she has is one dinky gun. Oy.

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  12. Overrated film. I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it boring.I'm a teen who loves watching movies but storyline and sceenplay always comes first for me. This is probably why I'm not fond of action films.I was sitting in theaters waiting for when Avengers would finally pull me in and amaze me. That part did not come until I saw Hulk bashing some villains at the end and that gauged my interest for a bit.This movie is nowhere near the level of films like Toy Story, Dark Knight,Avatar,Titanic,Inception or even 12 Monkeys,Minority Report,Dark City etc.Very disappointing film.

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  13. Thank you! Someone agrees with me! It's way overrated. I don't understand the hype. It was boring with a ridiculous plot.

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  14. Zzzzzzz. Formulaic and predictable. Filled with lame one-liners designed to elicit guffaws from the folks trained to guffaw on cue. To stay through the whole thing was an exercise in forbearance. What doesn't kill you only makes you...

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  15. Omg it so boring!!!Fighting not to fall asleep really. Am on the 100. min. right now and have the movie on while I am reading your and other posts on how boring it is...There arent many of those though...

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  16. Yes. Dull.

    I finally got a copy yesterday and was watching this morning. Got up to the 'kneel!' bit in Berlin (or where-ever) and just wasn't interested enough to watch any more.

    They tell me the end third looks amazing but I was watching and wondering how someone could spend so much on a movie and still have it look so cheap.

    Still, at least RDJr is always fun to watch.

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