Ok, so I pretty much agree with most of the things said in this thread, except Buck's "desires". Seriously, what are you smoking, guy? Put that shit down..
The movie had a pretty decent plot, albeit very similar to Transformers 3, great character development, great acting, and great action. A++ flick and a great ****ing start to the summer.
There was wayyyy more comedy than I thought there'd be. Sooo many one-liners that had the theater cracking up from start to finish. And not just from Downey Jr either. Everyone got a decent amount of screen time and everyone shined. I was particularly pleased with Black Widow and Hawkeye. I was worried they'd be lame; but they were actually pretty badass and I never felt like they robbed screen time from the big boys.
Spoiler!
Speaking of the big boys: the Hulk. Ooooooooohweeeee! EVERY moment with him on screen was crazy epic. From the Thor fight (failing to pick up the hammer was a great nerd inclusion) and subsequently punching him for payback in the final fight, to rolling up on a scooter to the final battle- "That's my secret... I'm always angry" *stops giant worm thingy with one punch* LIKE A BAUCE!, and ending with the Loki "ragdoll" scene, which had to be the movie's funniest moment. Seriously, the theater laughed for like 30 seconds straight after that scene.
I also liked the fanboy/nerdgasm moments they had in the film. Hulk vs. Thor, Hulk trying to pick up Mjolnir, Iron Man vs. Thor, Thor putting the hammer down on Cap's shield, Cap commanding the Avengers on the battlefield. My personal favorite had to be the continuous scene of the Avengers in the final battle. You had Black Widow and Hawkeye doing their thing, Iron Man murking bitches in the air then lands and pulls a tag-team with Cap on the ground, then it pans up to the Hulk and Thor wrecking shit on top of that worm thingy. If there were any part in the film that I would have squealed, that would have been it. I could go on forever, but did you guys catch the news broadcast at the end? The politician was berating the heroes for trashing the city and disappearing, saying they need to be held accountable. That was an obvious reference to the Civil War and I think they set the groundwork for the Stark vs. Rogers dynamo in this film. Not to mention Thanos after the credits. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to move up to him so quickly. From the little I know, he's pretty much the biggest, baddest baddie. Hopefully they nail it as well as they did this one, however they proceed.
My one complaint I have, which isn't even really a complaint- just me nitpicking, was that they didn't really highlight Cap's abilities as well as they did Iron Man and Hulk. In the comics, Cap is probably the most respected character in the Marvel Universe based on his ideals, tactical ability, and combat prowess. They showed the first two in the film masterfully, but didn't quite deliver on the third in my eyes. In the final battle he just kind of becomes the unquestioned leader but they didn't do a great job of showing why that's the case. Why would a narcissistic, egotistical lone wolf, the God of thunder, and a pure rage monster even bother listening to his orders? I thought they needed a scene or two of Cap showing off his skills in battle that commanded the respect and attention of his teammates and they never really did that. Basically, I wanted to see Cap whoop more ass!
All in all, this film was ****ing great and I didn't have much to bitch about. My one 'complaint' was just me wanting too much from a 2 and a 1/2 hour film that already delivered on all possible counts. I'd recommend this to anyone and its definitely deserving of all the records it's breaking.
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