The Avengers (2012)

Running Time: 143 mins
Directed By: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston
Screenplay: Zak Penn and Joss Whedon
UK Release Date: 26 April 2012

Quick Plot: Earth is under attack from evil frost giant Loki, so Nick Fury realises it's time to round up the S. H. I. E. L. D crew of Iron Man, Bruce Banner, Captain America, Thor and co. in hope to avenge the earth (pun intended). Although throwing together a bunch of different superheroes might not run as smoothly as earth hopes.

Review: It’s every teenage boys dream come true. The greatest superheroes known to film are finally together and protecting mankind on earth in Marvels, The Avengers. Waiting for what seems like decades, Joss Whedon has grasped every ounce needed to complete the Marvel film to a fan boy’s expectation.

There’s nothing else quite like the Marvel cinematic universe, so the film itself is very cleverly crafted, with actors from other films and references left, right and centre it makes the film part of a famous series. Yet, it also stands alone as one of the greatest superhero movies to date. With four of the main character’s backgrounds already represented to us through 5 films, The Avengers starts in the deep end and the audience is already on the good side. Even if you haven’t seen the likes of Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk before (but if you haven’t, where have you been?!), enough is explained through short remarks and tiny flashbacks that everyone is up to speed and in the know of what exactly is going on.

The earth’s in trouble and Nick Fury knows it’s finally time to call in the big guns; the lost in time Steve Rogers, billionaire Tony Stark, the two men in one Bruce Banner, Thunder God Thor and S.H.I.E.L.D’s dangerous assassins Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton.

With more than one superhero on the scene, you’d expect the film to drag in certain areas and race through with others, but their time is spread evenly and it’s exciting. Introducing each character to most filmmakers would be a time consuming task for a feature, however their stories are woven in the plot, with tension between them all, helping the whole film to flow as one.

The entire cast is the glue to the film and if even one of them was played by someone else, I find it hard to believe the film would be the same. Evans, Downey Jr, Hemsworth and Ruffalo are incredible, like always, making their own character genuinely real for the screen; Ruffalo especially, as he is the new actor on the scene as Bruce Banner. 

This is the Hulks finest hour and it’s clear that from the mixed reactions to his own films, the Hulk is the best when he’s with the team. Both green and in human form, Ruffalo has fitted right into the role, delivering an immaculate portrayal.

Then, there’s probably the best assassin duo in the world; Black Widow and Hawkeye. Though they’re more unknown, they piece together with the team and get some impressive, all-out action in the film. Hawkeye’s bow and arrow pieces, with very smart camera angles, are absolutely unbelievable and, super or not, stand out. 

Loki in Thor was evil enough, but Loki in The Avengers is so wickedly demonic that he’s actually perfect. No one can argue against the fact that Tom Hiddleston is fantastic and in The Avengers he steps up to levels that simply don’t exist for some actors, proving that Hiddleston can range to different characters. His malicious words and threats are gripping, while also leaving him on the receiving end to one of the film’s funniest moments. Loki fits the role for best villain ever.

Now The Avengers is nowhere near a comedy film, but the humour it does entail is absolutely pristine. Whether it’s Tony Stark doing his best Shakespeare impression, or the Hulk getting angry with Loki, laughing is quite simply unavoidable.

If I were to be picky, the flaw would be the robotic villains. But even then, with everything else going on, all together they make it brilliant. Each and every action scene throughout is spectacular and gripping; however nothing tops the final battle sequence. 

In all honesty, The Avengers only needed a few slip ups for it to become a letdown but, of course, this is Joss Whedon we’re talking about. With the most characteristic, visually stunning actors around today, The Avengers has it all; comedy, action and all round faultless superhero clichés. It’s an understatement to call it perfect.

The greatest superhero film is now in existence and you’ll be a fool to miss it. 

5/5

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July Poll

Out of the following 10, who is your MOST favourite Superhero ? (Based on either films, comics, TV shows or just what one you prefer)

Superman	4 (5%)
Batman	27 (37%)
Green Lantern	1 (1%)
Flash	0 (0%)
Wonder Woman	2 (2%)
Thor	3 (4%)
Iron Man	8 (11%)
The Hulk	3 (4%)
Captain America	0 (0%)
Spider-man	24 (33%)

72 votes my goodness! That's so much more than I expected! Thank you if you voted.
No surprise really with the results, Batman is loved even though he may not be 'super' but more of a vigilante.
Spider-man in second which is no shock either because he's probably the most famous Marvel superhero. Funnily enough 2012 is bringing us the third installment of the Batman trilogy by Christopher Nolan and a reboot of Spider-man.
Iron Man is third which is awesome but Superman being only 4th is a slight shock.
Captain America and Flash have no votes which isn't odd apart from the fact I liked Captain America last week.
Not much of an analysis but there we go.

Thanks again to everyone who voted!

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Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Running Time: 124 mins
Directed By: Joe Johnston
Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan
Screenplay: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
UK Release Date: 29th July

Quick Plot: It's the birth of the first Avenger in 1942 World War II America. Small and weedy Steve Rogers is declined as being unfit for the US army but when Rogers undergoes a transformation for a top secret project to become a new brand of super-soldiers he gains powers he'd only dreamed of. Evil Red Skull leads the HYDRA organisation, threatens to take over America with his scientific experiments and who better to stop him than Captain America?

Review: THE AVENGERS..two small words that mean a great deal to little fan girl me, every single Marvel fan and the majority of all film fans. If you haven't heard anything about it yet then you've got to keep up, especially if you're a film fan. For newbies, The Avengers film is due for release next year and involves a few superheroes from the Marvel universe, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor etc. This isn't a post about The Avengers you'll have to research the rest if you really don't know.
Thor was fantastic and one of the best films I have seen this year, it really came out of nowhere considering the reception it received! X-Men: First Class I enjoyed a lot too, but probably more because of my fangirling. Instead Thor was a whole lot more entertaining, powerful and got Marvel back onto top form for their films. Captain America The First Avenger is obviously a different film that Thor and shouldn't be compared but as it stands Captain America is awfully long, making some scenes drag and although the acting, cinematography, story is great the film isn't exactly awesomely epic.
I remember when the film was announced. I wasn't excited until Chris Evans was attached and I probably got more excited after being within 3 metres of him last year. Last August, when I went to the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World premiere I saw Edgar Wright mention online that Evans was to attend because I had my doubts he'd be able to make it as Captain America was in production. He showed up and everyone screamed, even better his friend (possibly publicist) had a top with the Captain America/America flag on it. Sadly Chris didn't sign anything near where I was or take pictures but I saw him in the flesh and that is enough for me. Oh boy, this is irrelevant. I'll post a picture at the end of this review. Back to the film. I remember seeing pictures from the set and thought it looked fair but it was the first trailer that got me interested in the film. Then of course The Avengers announcement at last year's Comic-con helped a little too. Either way I was adamant to see this film.
It starts off with a great and indulgent first scene which to all Marvel fans will know it links to the last scene. Then after the eye catcher, the film moves to 1942 with an irritatingly long introductory scene which can't be blamed on the acting, instead the script. It's not a horrible script at all, the dialogue is good and it helps makes the characters likable, relatable and developed though I found the first half of the film extremely dull compared to the last half. Although entertaining, somewhat to understand the film as a whole and some great scenes for us to get a look into the protagonist's life and his transformation, it's still a little spiritless. The war theme is absolutely fantastic and works so well, although extremely unconvincing (fighting a evil Red Skull obviously isn't accurate to the War, but a few other factors fault it). But Captain America is a superhero film so I definitely think Joe Johnston and the team ought to have focused more on the superhero side than the War although the action isn't bad at all, in fact entertaining and adequate.
Steve Rogers played by the ever so perfect Chris Evans is now one of my most liked Marvel film protagonists. His story, though not as mighty as Thor, is emotional and impassioned, completely believable and relatable. When he's declined to be in the army, you know he's heartbroken and you feel for him, Evans gets your attention and you feel sorry for him. After the transformation, well..as a girl I probably enjoyed the transformation a little more than I should have but again it's emotional. He's got it, he can now help the world even more because that's what he wants. I'm a sentimental person and I found the message, especially between scientist Erskine and Rogers heartwarming and just right on the level of emotion for the film. Just after the transformation when Rogers makes his first heroic deed, you realise the action is about to begin for the film. I can think of no one more perfect to be Captain America at all. Though now of course Chris Evans has the responsibility of being both the Human Torch and Captain America for fans, I think he is the most perfect person to be them both. Evans is a great actor as it is, but he deserves a lot of recognition for his work as both small, weak Steve Rogers and bold, muscular Captain America. It's even as if he is playing Steve Rogers but then Chris Evans IS Captain America. It works that perfectly. A little after him being Captain America there is some really unnecessary scene that is meant to be funny but personally I could have done without it. It focuses on creating the 40s theme but I found it long winded. Later though is probably my favourite scene from the film, it's a quick shot snap of a scene- blink and you'll miss it- but when Steve Rogers gets into his gear, shield included, the theme of it is perfected and I'm going to be honest..I had shivers.

Peggy Carter by Hayley Atwell is sweet and likable, she's fierce and justified. Her and Rogers have their cute moments though their combine storyline is cliché, her character is developed enough that she's not typical or predictable. Dominic Cooper's Howard Stark has a small role but it's clear that Cooper has done his research into the character but also made Howard Stark his own. Stanley Tucci continues to prove he can play a wide range of characters, though his role is short it's great a meaningful similarly with Sebastian Stan and Roger's best friend. Hugo Weaving does what comes naturally to him and gives a great performance of Red Skull, purely evil and a top class villain.
The cast is utterly brilliant and I can't praise Chris Evan's as Captain America enough. But other than that, the film certainly isn't the best it could have been. Instead of the long beginning, the end could have maybe been longer with more screen time for Captain America showing off his agility and combat. But it's enjoyable nonetheless.
Like I previously said, nothing on Thor but Captain America: The First Avenger is a great Marvel film. There have definitely been worse but it's not one of the greats. All I hope for is Steve Rogers story is handled cautiously in The Avengers with a sensitive hold on the fact that the guy has been stuck in time for a while.
All great Marvel things as per, Stan Lee has a really great cameo which I think is probably up in his best ones and the film has it's funny parts, maybe not as humorous as most marvel films but it's witty enough.

3.5 / 5


Captain America: The First Avenger first trailer

Here are the pictures I got of the beautiful Chris Evans at last years Scott Pilgrim vs. The World european premiere.

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X-Men: First Class (2011)

'Mutant and proud'

Running Time: 132 mins
Directed By: Matthew Vaughn
Starring:  James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jason Flemyng, Lucas Till
Screenplay: Jane Goldman, Zack Stentz, Ashley Miller, Jamie Moss,
UK Release Date: Officially 1st June 2011

Quick Plot: It's 1962 and mutants are unknown to humans. With the evolution of human cells, more mutants are discovering their powers like Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lansherr did back in the 40s. Mutant Sebastian Shaw and his team of mutants are using their powers to their advantage to try and bring the human world to a standstill and let mutants reign. Overseen by a secret US government organisation, Charles and Erik join forces with other young special individuals, in hope that their new team can stop Shaw and Frost.

Review: 5 stars? Yeah sure why not, I enjoyed it, loved it and it's a new favourite film. Read on to see why.
 If you read my review of Thor you know I love Marvel. Marvel films for that matter, I have yet to read more comics. Even so, the stories and the superheros fascinate me. The X-Men trilogy are my favourite Marvel films and I'm not just saying that. I was never fond of Spider-man (although all that will change I'm sure..) and Iron Man and the Hulk are fantastic but it's X-Men that I've obsessed over for a few years now. Sadly as most of us know, X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasn't exactly the prequel film us Marvel fans wanted (I liked it because of Wolverine but it wasn't a good film) but I'm typing this as a proud Marvel fan: this is the film we've been waiting for. It's fast, exhilarating, classic X-Men humour, the characters are so sophisticated and yes the action is all there.
Matthew Vaughn is, in my opinion one of the most fantastic directors of today. Kick Ass, Stardust and Layercake are incredible and come on, you really can't get much more of a wider genre than that! Unless of course his next film is maybe a musical, horror or animation. His partnership with Jane Goldman is a beautiful team in it's self. Stardust, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class are all partly written by Jane Goldman who I'm going to be honest, I want to be. The way the story on screen is much more deeper and passionate than you first think really grabs the plot line for the audience and makes this collaborative film duo's final product perfect. Vaughn has a way of filming his films, with so much, power (hey maybe he's a mutant too?) and brilliance I even noticed a few actions were shot, edited and acted out in similar ways to Kick-Ass which you know has got to be good. Some of my favourite scenes were edited like Hulk was, as a comic book, with parallel editing (my media knowledge edging it's way in here) which I found more establishable with the superhero theme because you soon forget that at first after entering the film.

The thing I liked about this film is that it wasn't in 3D. Thor was and even in 2D I could tell from the scenes that would have powerfully been in 3D would have been good but X-Men: First Class still didn't need this. Vaughn isn't one for huge amounts of money, it's about making the cinematic experience for the audience worthwhile. A few months back I was reading an interview with Matthew Vaughn in Empire where he said that he didn't want to cast actors who looked like Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart instead cast people who he felt were Erik Lansherr and Professor Charles Xavier which of course is the right way to cast actors. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy take the iconic characters and take them back to where they originated. Why Magneto has so much anger, why Professor X is so kind and grateful to humans. The one thing I certainly enjoyed was their bonding. Erik and Charles are like any usual best friends, even brothers, but in First Class there was always that uncomfortableness between them on screen because of course deep down one is good and one is bad. But Fassbender's portrayal of a character I have always been weary of made me love his history, his sensitive side and the determination he has to be unique, to be iconic and use his powers to the best of his ability. Fassbender has certainly got a great career going, his small role in Inglorious Basterds was great as was  his fantastic role in the 2009 film Fishtank. But it's no wonder that I'm fascinated by James McAvoy as Charles Xavier. I've had a little McAvoy obsession going in the past few weeks after watching the delightful Starter For 10 and the surprisingly incredible Wanted, he really does have a talent. I bet that on the set of X-Men: First Class, without the effects and computer generated images, reading people's minds was tough. (Haha) To end this awkwardness..the lead roles are fantastically portrayed and Fassbender and McAvoy have done justice to the characters.
The younger actors were my favourites! Jennifer Lawrence for all you film fans out there must have by now heard the news of the truly great casting for her to be Katniss Everdeen in the great book trilogy The Hunger Games. Lawrence was even nominated for an Oscar last season for her fantastic role in Winter's Bone which she deserved just as much as Natalie Portman did for Black Swan I think. Mystique/Raven has been a character in X-Men I've never liked, I've hated her arrogance, her way of misleading genuinely nice characters and being the biggest suck up to Magneto but after X-Men: First Class I've got to be honest- she's my favourite character in the film. Her story is emotional, typical and it works so well but it's all down to the way Lawrence plays her, so passionately and effortless as if she's known her tale for a long time. Her bond with Professor X, Magneto and Beast/Hank McCoy really are beautifully crafted and delicate. This film really did make me like the later evil characters. Nicholas Hoult as Beast and even Lucas Till as Havoc were perfect. All the younger cast for that matter, perfectly fit their mutations and had their own individual minds that I think is sadly lost amongst most films nowadays.
I could go on and on about how I loved the cast, probably one of my favourite casts for a film this year in fact! But I'd be here all night. I've still got to mention the cameo. The other week my cousin and I were discussing what cameos we thought would be in it. My cousin decided on a very, very famous X-Men character that I wasn't really sure about but yes you guessed it- my cousin was correct. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about if you're reading this anyway, but let me not spoil it for those who have kind minds. Let's just say, the packed screen I was in, myself and my Mother were laughing..a lot. It's very smart and is probably..no wait it is..the best cameo of a film this year.

X-Men films have a reputation for being funny. Not laugh-out-loud-comedy-superhero-film-that-is-stupid but my type of funny. Reference funny. I can't repeat the lines without spoiling the film, but Charles Xavier, Magneto and all the other characters who later go on to appear in X-Men 1,2 and 3 make small references which are hilarious if you're a fan. Going back to my review of  The Hangover: Part II I said that it made too many jokes about the previous film and couldn't stand alone, you could say X-Men did this. Especially with the cameos, jokes and characters but X-Men: First Class can stand alone. The secondary characters and the fondness of the newly discovered mutations are the funny side of it and I heard a lot of adults laughing in the cinema laughing. If you're a fan you're obviously going to love it, it's a great new X-Men story, a fantastic prequel and who knows? Maybe an incredible start to a new trilogy but don't go mad if you haven't seen the previous films. You don't need to, this film stands alone and I hope it will forever be standing alone and not grouped up with the other films.
Yes the effects were a little dodgy (mostly on Beast) and yes the film isn't exactly the best way of telling the bromance of Professor X and Magneto, instead it travels slightly off task and plays it in a safer way than going all on on an extravagant storyline but it's excellent nonetheless. As a fan, I knew how the film was going to end but I didn't want it too. In my ideal world, X and Magneto would have become bestest friends forever and ever. Everyone would live happily ever after and humans and mutants would live in harmony. But this is a superhero film and nothing can ever be this ideal. Of course I wouldn't have really wanted it any other way.
Am still unsure about whether or not I would want another trilogy, I would probably be happy with it if it was Vaughn and Goldman but if this precious story gets into the wrong hands I will be very angry.
Thor and X-Men: First Class have set a level for Captain America and Green Lantern. I wonder if they'll even come close to being as good.


Everything you want a prequel to be. Funny, moving and a great storyline. The characters are unique and it's perfect for any X-Men/Marvel fan. But if you don't like superhero films. Don't watch it. Simple.
5/5

X-Men: First Class official Teaser Trailer

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Thor (2011)

Running Time: 114 mins
Directed By: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings,

Screenplay: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne

UK Release Date: Official release date is 29th April 2011

Quick Plot: Belligerent and powerful Thor and soon to be King of Asgard is banished to Earth by his Father for his selfish ways. With help of humans, Thor must be true to himself to get back to Asgard and fight his forever envying brother Loki.

Review: Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I thought Summer Blockbusters started for me once I saw Source Code, but now I must say it is official. Even though I rated Source Code 5 stars and Thor only 4, it still lives up to the Summer Blockbuster expectation and I think Thor is one of the best films I've seen this year regardless.
So to start on my non-spoiler review, I won't go into too much detail and ruin it but if you see Thor and you are a Marvel fan, be on the look out like you probably always are. And I will say this now in case I forget but please, oh please stay until the very end of the film for the credits. Last year when I saw Iron Man 2, my cousin and I were foolish and left once the credits started to roll only to come home to find a sensible person online telling everyone to wait until the very end. Luckily I watched the end credits Iron Man 2 (which I will post below) on youtube last week to make up for it (in bad quality but that's my fault).
Anyway, I first had my doubts of Thor if I'm honest. I LOVE Marvel films and am always excited for their next release but I haven't read enough Marvel comics to be an Avenger/Marvel wikipedia on them so the story of Thor wasn't something I knew a great deal about. Captain America, Iron Man, etc.. however I knew much more about but then after the first trailer of Thor my mind changed because Thor is a God. The God of Thunder to be precise. And Gods, myths and legends are something I always admire and love watching at the cinema. Thor however is in connection to modern day earth, looking after us from afar and the distinction between Earth and Asgard worked perfectly well. For those who are lucky and are not nerdy like me and didn't take part in unnecessary research into the production of Thor, Kenneth Branagh is new to directing this genre of film and I've got to hand it to him that Thor is fantastic and probably one of the best films I have seen this year!

I don't have to say anything about Natalie Portman to prove that because even if she was replaced with a terrible actress, Thor would have pulled it off because every aspect of the film is a grand achievement. I've just got to mention that Natalie was great as always just for me admiration but let's push her aside for a moment to talk about Chris Hemsworth as Thor. This has probably been one of the best film castings for Marvel in a long time because Hemsworth nailed everything about him. He's buff, solid, angry, powerful and this has started him off on something new. Kat Dennings too brings the humour to the film which I've got to mention because I'm a Dennings fan..go on hate me. I don't want to go on about it too much because my reviews are always bad because of this, but all the acting is great blah blah. Tom Hiddleston was also exceptional and I hope this brings him lots of other blockbuster and big budget films. The 'friends' or whatever they were of Thor's are all as great and have a good part throughout the film.
The sound effects were marvelous but I found the visuals extremely stunning. Thor is released as a 3D and 2D film. I watched it today in 2D because I think 3D is a waste of my money and 9/10 times 3D just makes trees, leafs and stars look brighter. With this I couldn't see any specific scenes that would have made any difference in 3D because I was hoping for a scene where Thor would maybe throw the hammer towards the screen but not a thing like this happened to my dissapointment. But regardless the special effects, especially when at Asgard were beautiful. The colours on both Earth and Asgard were vibrant and showed the newly reformed Marvel.
The film starts off with a pre credit scene of when three scientists in New Mexico are chasing a storm but instead find Thor. Then there is the long introductory to Thor, about his father and brother, the kingdom of which he lives with lots of action, battles and brilliant effects. Maybe there are much more greater scenes throughout, especially more epic battles and fights but I think the first few scenes is definitely what Marvel has been missing for the past few years with their films. Iron Man 2 wasn't a bad film but it got into the story too quick and lets us not begin with Wolverine..
I have yet to read this comic of Thor but I already think the plot is fantastic. Though I'm probably going to be the only one to admit it, Thor is very much similar to a feel good film. He's selfish and immature at first, no way fit to be a King but he learns how to respect people and when he finally has the strength to hold the iconic Hammer, you feel over the moon for him even though he is only a handsome fictional character. Thor too has funny lines, I laughed a great deal in this, maybe more than I did with Your Highness, the screenplay is quirky and the characters are funny.
A definite for Cineworld but most probably all cinema showings across the UK, you will be shown the X-Men: First Class and Captain America: First Avenger trailer which are both awesome in many ways and if you're anything like me, will get you right hyped up for Thor. Make sure you stay for the end credits and remember, keep an eye out for everything. But don't spend all your time looking I don't want anyone not paying attention to Thor too.
I have to recommend this film to everyone. Not everyone will enjoy it though. If you dislike superheros, action, myths and legends you won't like Thor but I'm not going to tell you to turn it away because I adored it and have fallen more in love with Marvel.

Thor was utterly perfect and so much more than I expect. I hope Captain America and X-Men possibly Green Lantern are just as exceptional and then I can assure you this will be a very good Summer indeed. I hope to see this film countless of times as it could possible be one of my favourite Marvel films..let us see how this year pans out.
Easily the film I recommend. Hopefully I will be seeing this film sometime soon again...

Thor Official trailer

Ending credits of Iron Man 2 that is used in Thor. 

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