Posts Tagged ‘Marvel’

The Avengers Movie Review

The Avengers had a lot to live up, four years of anticipation leading to this one film, and that’s not even counting all the years fans of the comic have been waiting. With enough attention given to each character, the sharp performances that create these characters on screen, and the epic nature of the action therein, the experiment Marvel Studios has conducted finds its result. This one film has so much riding behind it that it’s a wonder anything as grand and awesome as The Avengers movie we’ve gotten is possible at all. This isn’t the end, though. Another post-credit sequence sets the stage for what is sure to be The Avengers 2. If that future film delivers similar entertainment value, by all means Marvel Studios should assemble away

Chris Evans as Captain America. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. And they’re all under one roof. Since 2008, The Avengers has been on the minds of moviegoers everywhere. Thanks to deft screenwriting and a grandeur Joss Whedon brings to its execution, that film is here, and it delivers. It may not be the most accomplished of comic book movies or even the best Marvel Studios has to offer from recent years, but The Avengers blazes a trail like few others, satiating the appetites of superhero junkies the world over.

Padded though it is – Much of that comes from building the aforementioned characters as well as various others – the story is somewhat stripped of convoluted twists and overly expanded ideas. Loki, the God of Mischief played once again by Tom Hiddleston, has found his way to Earth. His alien benefactors wish to invade our planet, and the one item Loki needs to open a portal to their world is in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D. Naturally, once comic book ink starts hitting the fan, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, brings his Avenger candidates together to try and thwart Loki’s plan.

It’s realized very early on in The Avengers that Whedon was a great choice to handle this material. The man who brought us Serenity and “Firefly” clearly knows how to construct a team-oriented narrative. He has a grasp for relationships, which characters get along with which, and which of these superheroes literally go hand-to-hand in steam-blowing combat. Each of them have their built-in qualities that obviously must be addressed. Steve Rogers/Captain America is still playing the “fish out of water” role while he adjusts from a 70-year nap in a block of ice. Bruce Banner/Hulk, after being pulled in by S.H.I.E.L.D. from hiding, is just trying to keep himself calm. The arrogance level between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Thor is enough that it’s a sure sign these two will butt heads even though Stark’s cynicism puts him in the driver’s seat for comic relief.

The action is paced smoothly, smaller battles coming in here and there before major set pieces begin showing themselves at the mid-way point. However, soup to nuts, The Avengers looks and feels like an action movie. Much of the film involves two or more characters bickering and bantering, but unlike some of the pre-Avengers movies, the scope when things being to explode is undeniable here. When Loki’s plan begins moving and the Avengers are forced to suit up and save the world, it feels precisely how it should feel. The world is at stake, this group of special individuals is the only thing that can save it, and some of them may be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. Whedon knows emotional weight when it comes to group efforts. Serenity and the state of the crew when that film was over is a testament to this opinion. This movie is a must see and clearly one of the best movies of the year.

Impressive Official Poster for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

I’d been wondering when we’d see a poster for this movie, but I was definitely not expecting something like this! ComingSoon has debuted the first teaser poster for Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and it’s a gorgeous bit of artwork. It’s basically just got a sneering Nicolas Cage as Balthazar showing off his magical dragon ring that identifies Jay Baruchel as the “chosen one,” or whatever it is. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, watch it here. This kind of reminds me of Drew Struzan’s paintings but it’s actually just a dark and sleek photo with some nice color touch-up work. However, I really am very impressed by this. Check it out below!

A sorcerer (Nicolas Cage) leaves his workshop in the hands of his apprentice (Jay Baruchel), who gets into trouble when the broomstick he put a spell on to do chores for him somehow develops a mind of its own.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is directed by veteran filmmaker Jon Turteltaub, who also directed 3 Ninjas, Cool Runnings, The Kid, and both National Treasure films previously. The screenplay was co-written by Carlo Bernard (The Uninvited) and Matt Lopez (Bedtime Stories). This is based on the story that first appeared in Disney’s Fantasia. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will arrive in theaters everywhere on July 16th this summer.

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Second Featurette for Nimrod Antal’s Predators

Our very first introduction to Robert Rodriguez & Nimrod Antal’s Predators was through a sneak peek featurette, so it’s only fitting we follow up the trailer with yet another new featurette. The video comes from Germany (via YouTube) but isn’t dubbed, so it is watchable and in high def, too. It mainly contains some interview segments with Rodriguez and Antal as well as some new footage, including dialogue from Danny Trejo. I totally love the Japanese guy too, I can’t wait to see him fight with his samurai sword, that will be badass to watch. The more I see from this, the more excited I get, I think it looks like it could be awesome.

Watch the second featurette for Nimród Antal’s Predators:

Predators is being directed by Nimród Antal, of Kontroll, Vacancy, and Armored previously. The screenplay was co-written by newcomers Michael Finch and Alex Litvak and is based on early draft written years ago by producer Robert Rodriguez, who also worked with them on the script. This is a reboot of the Predator series created by Jim & John Thomas and directed by John McTiernan in 1987. We’re not sure what the actual plot is, but all we need to know is that it’s about a bunch of badass elite warriors who fight a bunch of predators out in the jungle. 20th Century Fox is bringing Predators to theaters worldwide on July 7th this summer.

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New Iron Man 2 Viral Updates: Fans Buzzing About AccuTech

We’ve been keeping tabs on the Iron Man 2 mini-viral launch this past week, but nothing too exciting has really happened (or so I claim). Earlier in the week, SlashFilm found a website for a Stark Industries spin-off company (aka subsidiary) called AccuTech that has somehow become the primary focus of the entire viral. Packages started showing up with boxes of cheesy AccuTech swag, but then everyone started picking up on the logo, which seemed to be a little too similar to The Avengers logo which also consists of an “A” inside of a circle as well. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but that seems to be the biggest buzz related to this viral.

You can visit the full AccuTech website here: starkexpo2010.com/accutech/. I’m surprised they couldn’t buy their own URL, but that’s besides the point. There’s a video introducing a “HazTech Exoskeleton” on the site, which many believe is another viral hint at something in the movie. You can also read through the rest of the minimal amount of information found there. Marvel.com also posted a new letter from Tony Stark himself that talks about the Stark Expo returning this year (refer to starkexpo2010.com). Other sites buzzing about the logo similarities include CHUD and BleedingCool, so I’ll leave all of that speculation up to them.

So far I’m not really that impressed with this viral campaign for Iron Man 2. The websites are pretty dull and its all about speculation and stuff like “could this be that armor from that scene in that movie?!” I wish they had a more solid direction and more for us to latch onto and interact with as it builds, but that’s all we got, so check out the websites above. As always, if you find anything new anywhere, be sure to let us know!

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Logan Lerman Frontrunner for Spider-Man!

Back in February, we passed on reporting rumors about Logan Lerman meeting with Sony to potentially be cast as your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler in the Spider-Man reboot. Shortly after the news swept the web, it was squashed by THR just as quickly. At the time, the news had hit a bit too soon since the studio hadn’t even closed a deal with director Marc Webb yet, but now the exact same casting rumor is back with a vengeance as HitFix has learned exclusively from their source that is apparently close to the production that Lerman is “almost 100% locked” to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in at least three forthcoming movies.

If this is true, Lerman will have beat out other mentioned big actors like Anton Yelchin, Jesse Eisenberg, Patrick Fugit and Johnny Simmons. And if the film (written by James Vanderbilt) will be taking cues from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics as it has been reported previously, then Lerman, who is the right age and has already led a big budget film (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) seems like the best choice (at least from the top list) to take on the arcs of Spider-Man that not only deal with his action-packed clashes with super-villains, but his teen angst as an average high school kid endowed with superpowers. This will differ from the struggles of Sam Raimi’s development of Peter Parker who only seemed to remain in high school for plot progression’s sake before he was off to college in Spider-Man 2, and swing dancing school in Spider-Man 3.

And honestly, as far as talent goes, Lerman seemed like he was holding back in Percy Jackson. For most of the problems in that film, I blame Chris Columbus for making what could have been darker, grittier material into such a blatant attempt at family fare that scaled down the impact of a lot of different character building plot points (mainly Percy’s angst with his mother’s decision to stay with hismdrunken step-father). But with Marc Webb at the helm to turn this twisted mess of an angst-ridden teen into a superhero, rather than try to make a superhero have the woes of an everyday teen, we’re in for a different Spidey as a more grounded superhero, which in the case of a huge reboot, seems like the right decision. So what do you guys think?

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Joss Whedon or Peter Sollett Might Direct Marvel’s Runaways?

Though the news of Joss Whedon’s potential to direct The Avengers came on April Fool’s Day, LA Times was happy to confirm news that seemed too good to be true. Whether he ends up directing the superhero movie or not, it looks like Marvel really wants him for something as The Playlist reports Whedon is also in the running to direct an adaptation of Marvel’s Brian K. Vaughan-written comic book series Runaways, which is briefly described as The Breakfast Club with superheroes. Meanwhile, Deadline has exclusive news to the contrary as they report Peter Sollett (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) is negotiating to direct.

If you’re unfamiliar with series, it follows a group of kids (seen above) who just so happen to be the offspring of super-villians and are endowed with their own powers for evil. However, the kids don’t want any part of their parents diabolical plans and wish to use their powers for good along with exposing their parents for the villains they are. Calling themselves The Pride, they’re housed in a secret lair under the La Brea Tar Pits

Maybe it’s just because I want Whedon to remain available to feed the dreams of directing The Avengers, but I’m inclined to find Deadline’s scoop on this project a little more reliable. I don’t mean to discredit The Playlist at all, because they’ve certainly had more than their fair share of accurate and reliable scoops, but Mike Fleming has plenty more insiders and his reputation certainly precedes him in finding accurate scoops.

Sollett being chosen over Whedon might indicate their desire to keep this more grounded to the characters (which is definitely the best part of Runaways) rather than a predominantly FX-heavy superhero bonanza, which is exactly what The Avengers will be in the end. But at the same time, Whedon’s involvement with a movie the size of The Avengers is bigger than anything he’s ever done, so Runaways might suit him better in that regard. After all, Whedon did write some issues of the comic book series when Brian K. Vaughan was unavailable, so we’ll just have to see how all this plays out. Stay tuned as more info becomes available.