The Avengers (2012)

[Dandontdare]

Aside:  it's my son's 6th birthday on Saturday and I've bought myself Avengers Lego which I might let him play with.

FTFY

[TordelBack]

Aside:  it's my son's 6th birthday on Saturday and I've bought myself Avengers Lego which I might let him play with.

FTFY

HULK SMASH PUNY DARE! 

[maryanddavid]

Just back from the cinema, Brendan and myself, and what a cracker. Really enjoyed it, even more so seeing the absolute amazement on his face.

[Mardroid]

Booked seats for my mate and I for the morrow. I was thinking of just going 2D, save money. But then I thought... why not.

So far the only real experience I've had with 3D is on the telly (a 3D film on ordinary telly with coloured glasses I mean) and a cinema experience a few years back with roller-coaster, underwater and 'coming 'atcha' stuff. (I.e. not an actual movie as such.) So I'm look forward to this. Hoping the specs will work okay over my glasses.

[Mardroid]

Really looking forward to this today!  I recently bought Thor and Captain America to fill in any gaps. I've seen Thor. Captain America arrived really late... then it turns out my PS2 can't read it.  (I doubt I'll send it back though, as a quick test showed my laptop can play it fine, suggesting the fault is with the PS2, which to be fair is a dusty old first generation model. It still plays most DVDs thought but it can be a bit tetchy, often skipping when it CAN read. Note to self, maybe upgrade?)

Anyway, meeting my friend for the 5.15pm showing of Avengers. I was hoping to cram Captain America in before then, although I'm not too fussed. I'm sure I'll be able to pick up what's happening, and I can always catch up the rest later.

[SmallBlueThing]

Really hope you enjoy this, mardroid. It's been ages since i saw a film i know i can recommend to anyone without fear of reprisal. Anyone know how much filthy lucre its taken worldwide to date?

SBT

[radiator]

Approaching $1.2bn.

It's bound to make a shit-tonne on DVD/Blu Ray as well - I know I'll be buying.

[SmallBlueThing]

When it starts to make that much, it just gets silly. (and makes the claims that piracy is 'killing' film look a little... alarmist). Im always astonished when films make over a billion- it's such a big number. But things like avatar and titanic, with their multiple-billion takes- is that including home video? And if not, does anyone know how many units they shifted?

And with this amount taken by The Avengers, would it be too much to hope for an Invaders movie, set in the second world war? I know captain america kind'a jumps it- but there's a way around that, surely. I need to see namor, toro and baron blood!

SBT

[JamesC]

You could always just replace Cap with Union Jack (as the 'British Captain America').
According to Wikipedia, J J Field's character in 'Captain America: The First Avenger' was supposed to be Union Jack anyway.

[radiator]

When it starts to make that much, it just gets silly. (and makes the claims that piracy is 'killing' film look a little... alarmist)

It's kind of naive to point at one hit film and suggest that piracy does no harm.

Just because Adele continues to shift millions of CDs week in, week out doesn't mean that sales of music CDs overall haven't been utterly eviscerated by online piracy. The same is true of films, though perhaps not as significantly, at least not yet.

But things like avatar and titanic, with their multiple-billion takes- is that including home video? And if not, does anyone know how many units they shifted?

Sales from rentals, VoD, and home formats aren't counted when measuring box-office, but it's fair to say it'll add pretty big chunk to the overall take. Merchandise for The Avengers will also earn massive amounts of money. It's fair to say Disney's purchase of Marvel was a wise move.

It's worth pointing out that all the hyperbole of 'Avengers is the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time' should be taken with a pinch of salt. As I understand it, cinema's true glory days are long, long passed - adjusting for inflation, nothing released in the last few decades could compare with the box office receipts of something like Gone with the Wind for example.

[Frank]

It's worth pointing out that all the hyperbole of 'Avengers is the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time' should be taken with a pinch of salt. As I understand it, cinema's true glory days are long, long passed - adjusting for inflation, nothing released in the last few decades could compare with the box office receipts of something like Gone with the Wind for example.

This analysis by Bloomberg supports the argument Radiator makes. If you regard the fruits of the Spielberg/Lucas money tree as rare mutations, most of the films on that list are ones that manage to appeal to both sexes equally or to kids.

The Avengers seems to have discovered a formula that works for all three groups, and from what I've read here, the female part of that equation seems to be down to the prominent role given to Black Widow and the fact that Joss Whedon knows how to write and direct parts for beautiful women that give them more to do than jiggle for the camera.

It would be nice to think that the success of The Avengers means that Whedon will get more personal projects off the ground and that studios will try to make films- like The Godfather and The Exorcist- which appeal to both men and women because they have great characters and involving stories, rather than because they've been focus grouped to target a specific audience.

[ming]

I liked the film but I feel there was a missed opportunity for some product placement with the 'Avengers Assemble' title.

I'd have loved to have had a scene where Thor, Iron Man & Co. make a trip to Ikea, then spend many happy hours putting together some flat-pack furniture only for Hulk to get bored and smash it into matchsticks.

[SmallBlueThing]

They also missed the opportunity for product placement regarding jeans. We could have had a long sequence, close up on their cheekily rolling bums, as they wander slowly along a street.

Captain America could have shouted "Avengers: Ass-amble!"

SBT

[Mardroid]

Okay, seen it at last!  While I found the start a bit odd (mainly due to not having watched Captain America, I think) I enjoyed it a lot.

I think it may have been a mistake to watch it in 3D though. I found the screen a bit fuzzy (even wearing glasses) and while some of the 3D affects were great it didn't add a whole lot to the film in my view. And the fuzziness made some things hard to follow. (I think the cinema should have switched off more lights to make the contrast on screen more apparent too.)

I was one of four people in the cinema. Mind you it was the 5.15pm showing so I imagine most people were on their way home from work.

It wasn't the best film I've seen, but it was a great action superhero film... which is what it's meant to be.

I look forward to catching the DVD and seeing it in 2D.

As for the post credits sequence: [spoiler]I liked it, but I didn't get the character or the reference. If there was one.[/spoiler]

[Roger Godpleton]

Battleship got owned.