REVIEW: The Avengers

The Avengers - 2012

Director - Joss Whedon

Written by - Zak Penn and Joss Whedon

Staring - Robert Downy Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston and Samual L. Jackson

Plot - S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team, The Avengers, to fight against Loki, who is threathening to take over Earth.

Going into The Avengers I'm sad to say, I wasn't really really pumped for it.  I was excited to see it however, but wasn't on the hype train.  Overall it was a good film that brings what it promises.  It is filled with  non-stop action, a major star cast and a decent plot. But there were a few things that I couldn't help but hate in it.


I love the direction, Joss Whedon did a great job.  I noticed a lot of nicely positioned camera angles that complimented the story very well.  Visually this film was great, the CGI wasn't bad, there were a few bits when they were flying that looked bad though.


The acting was the best part of the film for me.  I think the writers did a great job in incorporating all the characters in the film as much as they could.  But I cant help but think that some characters like Thor where under used surprisingly...  I would have loved to see a cameo from Natalie Portman to tie in with Thor, I felt like that would have added a bit more to his screen time. I also felt that Cobie Smulders' character Agent Maria Hill was quite useless.  However,  I do have a feeling that she might make an appearance in the next Captain America film.  I smell a new love interest in the air, due to her and Captain America eye balling each other off, so I'm letting her awkward role in this film slide. I was surprised that there wasn't much romance in it, but I think that this element would have taken to long to develop and take away interest into the main plot.


The writing was okay, I'm sure if you grew up reading the comics that some of the content would be right up your ally, but sometimes I didn't understand what was going on.  It was great to see Captain America grow into the role of the leader of the Avengers, this development is present in the film and is worked in very well.  The best thing about the writing was the humorous lines of dialogue that was present, the film didn't take itself to seriously which i liked.  This worked well in a film like this,  I found that The Hulk generated a lot of laughs as well as Iron Man. 


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I thought the character of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) seemed a bit goofy in the film but I grew to like him a lot more then I had expected.  From what I had seen of his cameos in the other films I didn't find him very interesting.  But in The Avengers his character had a engaging touch to the audience due to his fan-boy love of Captain America and the way he cherished his collectible cards.  Basically, he was set-up to die. I felt that the audience I was with really felt bad when he died.  I'm glad his character was developed in this film the was it was.


It would have been good to incorporate another villain into it too,  but I guess at the end they introduce the possibility of another film with introducing some alien dude that people believe to be Thanos.


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If its action that you want, an all-star cast, references from the comics with a humorous touch - this would be the film for you.  I don't think fans of the comics will be disappointed. I don't think it was the best superhero movie of all time (I'm a DC person) but I can see why people think it is.




Best Part: The Hulk's fighting style.
Worst Part: Don't understanding some of the content.
Memorable Quote: Tony Stark: No offence, but I don't play well with others.  Steve Rogers: Big man, in a suit of armour... take that away, what are you? Tony Stark: Uh... genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist...

7.5/10

Ringer (Review)

I have only just started watching the show Ringer in the last couple of weeks.  I have made up my mind in saying that I enjoy it, it has flaws but I still like it.

I am a huge Sarah Michelle Gellar fan (thanks to Buffy) and wanted to checkout her latest TV show.  When I went into watching it I didn't really know what to expect.  The after the first episode I was left wanting more and continued to watch.  I found this to be so during the end of each episode, all you wanted to do was watch the next one and find out what is going on. 

It has a wonderful cast, SMG is great in her role/s, a recognisable Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor Cadbonell and a reasonably new face Kristoffer Polaha. I love the doppelganger story line, SMG does a great job and the crew do a great job of editing everything together when both of them are in a scene.

The show is indeed plot driven and the mystery regarding the plot intriguing but I can still understand why many people have a problem with the show.  The show has a lot of things that it needs to explain to make sense so therefore has many flashbacks and does pull a few things out of left field making you think "as if" or "whatever".  In saying this I believe that because it is the first season introducing the characters pasts influence there present behaviour and therefore are needed.  But the flashbacks do tend to get annoying since they happen so frequently.

Another thing is the  subplots within the show ignited by minor characters for example Juliet,  I just hope that everything that happens in the show will amount to something and not just be there to add more things into the show to make up the time.

I do agree that the show carries elements of soup opera and melodrama but I think it works well and will attract audiences.  I would compare its melodrama to shows such as One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars, these are all shows that at the end of each episode I was left wanting more or to find out what happens next.

I am only half way through the season but I am looking forward to finishing it.


In saying all this I hope it is renewed, I believe a second season is what this show needs for everything to come together better.  My only worry is that how much of a story does it have left to tell.

Rating: 6.5/10
Fav Ep to date: That's What You Get for Trying to Kill Me

Tell my in the comments what your thoughts are on Ringer?  Do you like it, loath it or think it deserves a second season.

Holidays..

So, it's currently halfway through the first holidays of the year and I feel like I have amounted to nothing!  I feel guilty that I am not going as much homework that I am meant to be doing but I also feel guilty for not having more fun and getting out there and doing anything.  Yes, it is relaxing but I feel like I am wasting it :(  Anybody else feel like this sometimes?

The thing I am the proundest of this holidays woud have to be this:

I think this is the highest score I have got for a letter :)