Re: The Avengers News Thread

[non_amos]

I saw that last night after work but didn't feel like doing anything about it (tired). But yeah, that's freakin' awesome man! I also saw that Superbowl teaser that ends with the HULK! Really getting stoked for this one. The skepticism ain't running high here like with duh Nolan flick.

[thecolorsblend]

I saw that last night after work but didn't feel like doing anything about it (tired). But yeah, that's freakin' awesome man! I also saw that Superbowl teaser that ends with the HULK! Really getting stoked for this one. The skepticism ain't running high here like with duh Nolan flick.

And technically shouldn't we be more concerned about Avengers? A bunch of superhero costumes with bright primary colors on the same screen together directed by Joss Whedon? And yet, the movie gives every impression that it'll kick unprecedented amounts of ass because everyone involved is committed to making it the best it can possibly be... and on the comic book's own terms rather than changing the material to suit their sensibilities.

TDKRises... well, not so much.

[non_amos]

I saw that last night after work but didn't feel like doing anything about it (tired). But yeah, that's freakin' awesome man! I also saw that Superbowl teaser that ends with the HULK! Really getting stoked for this one. The skepticism ain't running high here like with duh Nolan flick.

And technically shouldn't we be more concerned about Avengers? A bunch of superhero costumes with bright primary colors on the same screen together directed by Joss Whedon? And yet, the movie gives every impression that it'll kick unprecedented amounts of ass because everyone involved is committed to making it the best it can possibly be... and on the comic book's own terms rather than changing the material to suit their sensibilities.

TDKRises... well, not so much.

The thing is though is that some douchebag 'reporter', film critic, whatever, will still probably rip this film to shreds upon actually seeing it & still praise Nolan! You know, the sort of things you'd expect to read over on the forums at duh Homopage only this time it's supposedly coming out of the mouth of someone reputable, like that douchebag over at Rolling Stone, Peter Travers.

Without trying to write my own 'fictional' synopsis of this, just imagine comments like "What?! That BUFFY guy?!" Incidentally, without checking, I almost guarantee you that you could find something like that at duh Homopage. Anyway, this 'critic' will go on to say things like, "Downey looked lost in this film", or he might just as likely say, "Downey was the only redeeming factor in this film." Certainly he'll pounce on Samuel L. Jackson for 'indulging childhood fantasies' but not delivering the goods in the film. He'll no doubt go on to say that the plot was 'straight outta the comics' but 'has no depth', that the villains/aliens are 'too CGI' & 'too formulaic'. The character interaction seemed 'forced' & what-not. The guy will probably even condemn the Hulk like previous films but hearken back to the 'good ol' days' of Bixby/Ferrigno. He may even compare it to like Whedon was trying to do it 'Buffy-style'. He may even compare it to TRANSFORMERS as mindless 'popcorn' fun.

But on the flip side of this, the same 'critic' will turn around after the fact & praise Nolan for TDKR. Comments like, "After the death of Heath Ledger I didn't think Nolan could pull it off a 3rd time but boy! He pulled a coup de grace!" He'll no doubt go on to even praise Tom Hardly in his portrayal of duh hulking 190-lb 1/6 scale Hardly Bane. He'll without a doubt show a picture of Jeep Swenson to show how not to portray the character & probably negate the comics version in general. Because after all, this is 'cerebral' in duh Nolan flick. He'll not only praise Nolan but probably the majority of the cast, including Morgan Freeman. If anyone gets tomatoes thrown at them, it'll probably be Christian Bale.

So this 'critic' will portray the Avengers as being a 'cliche comic-booky' film while practically handing the Oscar to Nolan. I just wonder how said critic will review the new Spiderman film?

EDIT TO ADD: What's up with certain words that I type have ads connected to them? I didn't do that! That's like what happens at duh Homopage.

[webhead2006]

haha ya we will probably see that happen. As for the ads thing i havent had any problems like that.

[thecolorsblend]

So this 'critic' will portray the Avengers as being a 'cliche comic-booky' film while practically handing the Oscar to Nolan. I just wonder how said critic will review the new Spiderman film?

Critics have long been elitist. There's this perception out there that the original Star Wars trilogy got oodles of better reviews from critics than the prequels did. But it just ain't true. If records be checked, what you find is that a lot of critics savaged the original trilogy. And on what grounds? Not being "sophisticated" enough.

Peter Biskind: "When all was said and done, Lucas and Spielberg returned the 1970s audience, grown sophisticated on a diet of European and New Hollywood films, to the simplicities of the pre-1960s Golden Age of movies… They marched backward through the looking-glass." The film industry was dying back then, people weren't going to the movies because most of them were depressing as all fuck but then here come these hip, young gunslingers who made fun matinee films... and they got burned in effigy for it in some quarters.

There's a tendency in Hollywood to look down one's nose at "low brow" entertainment. People can point to the success of TDK and all that jazz as much as they want but, for most Hollywood folk (critics, filmmakers, producers or whoever else), "comic book" means "Adam West"... and that's the best case scenario.

End of the day, middle America goes to the movies to have fun and be entertained... and the critics fucking resent them for it. The type of asshole critic you're talking about epitomizes everything I hate about Hollywood.

[webhead2006]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=53937

THE AVENGERS Super Bowl 10 Second Teaser Tops 1 Million Views In 24 Hrs
Released on Tuesday, the teaser for The Avengers Super Bowl TV spot, which will air this Sunday, has already topped 1 million views!
Graphic City aka Mark Julian - 2/2/2012

The Avengers Super Bowl commercial which was released about 24 hours has over 1 million views, 1.5 million to be exact. The Tuesday release was the first look at Loki's invading cabal [although you still can't tell who they are] and the internet is abuzz once again with rumors and speculation. Hopefully, the full tv spot this Sunday will provide a definitive look!

Also this photo was online the other day of a shot of the Aliens in avengers seen during the tv spot:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=53867

Closer Look At The "Enemy Invaders" From THE AVENGERS
A zoomed in image (with a bit of sneaky work done) from yesterday's Super Bowl tease gives us our first inkling of what these invading creatures from The Avengers will look like..
Mark "RorMachine" Cassidy - 2/1/2012


As you can see they seem to be travelling three to a ship, have a brownish green hue and be wearing some type of armor. Their features still can't be made out in any great detail but they certainly don't resemble Skrulls, Kree or any other Alien or inter-dimensional beings I can think of from The Marvel Universe except perhaps The Badoon (thanks ScarletSpeedster0:), a reptilian alien race older than both the Kree and Skrull who have been known to be "conquerors of worlds". They have no comic affiliation to Loki that I know of but we all know that wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Marvel. What do you guys make of this?

Then i saw this other theory on cbm thinking the aliens may be these characters and not the Badoon:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GulfCoastAvengers/news/?a=53863

EDITORIAL: Did Yesterday's AVENGERS Teaser Finally Reveal The Mysterious Aliens?
Take a look at theory number 452 on just who Loki's mysterious "Alien" accomplices in the upcoming Avengers film may turn out to be.
Hawksblueyes - 2/1/2012
For over a year now speculation concerning the identity of the mysterious aliens in the upcoming Avengers film has run rampant. However, every time a theory starts to gain some sort of credence, some new bit of information surfaces that discounts our current train of thought on the subject. The Kree and the Skrulls have been shot down as Loki's misguided cohorts on a number of occasions.

Set photo's have shown men in mo-cap suits wielding strange sword and lance type weapons that seemingly fail to fit in with any of the known Marvel alien races weapons of choice. There have been unconfirmed reports from people claiming to have seen film footage that indicate the aliens differ in appearance from each other and wear strange armor. Again, head scratching time.

It's well known that Loki makes some sort of shady deal with an unknown being or beings after his fall from grace and flight from Asgard at the end of THOR. It's also well known that Marvel has plans for an expansion if you will, of their "Cosmic Universe" and a film featuring The Inhumans in the future. With it's split second THOR cameo and display at last years Comic Con, the appearance of the Infinity Gauntlet has led many to believe that Thanos and his motley army would be that guy. The Thanos theory has always sounded "off" to me for one simple reason. What would Loki promise Thanos in return for his help? The Infinity Gauntlet that sits in Odin's vault? From what we've seen and heard about The Avengers, Loki obtains possession of the Cosmic cube. The Cube is undeniably an extremely powerful weapon but in the Marvel Universe it doesn't come close to matching the Infinity Gauntlet, which makes it's wearer virtually omnipotent. Why would Loki promise the most powerful weapon existing in that universe to Thanos in exchange for one that doesn't compare? As much as I would love to see Thanos in the film and down the line, he doesn't seem to fit.

There is however, a being and a race created by said being, that does seem to fit everything we have seen or heard about this film. The High Evolutionary and his "New Men" or "Knights of Wundagore" (who are not aliens/differ greatly in appearance from each other/utilize unusual armor and strange sword and spear like weapons) seem to fit the news, rumors and speculation we've all read about over the course of the last year. He is an incredibly powerful individual who has been at odds with The Avengers (as well as almost every other Marvel hero) many times over the years. He has strong ties to most of Marvels "cosmic" characters (especially Warlock and The Inhumans). He has been in possession of the Infinity gems (he is the being who originally gave Warlock the Soul Gem). He has clashed with THOR many times (this could explain the existence of The Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's vault).

Now we get to the thing that placed me on this train of thought. As I stated earlier, there have been reports that the aliens in the film differed in appearance from each other and wear strange armor to go along with photo's that show them using swords and spear like weapons. Yesterday, we finally got our first look at these aliens using some sort of flying cycles. That is where the connection came in and everything else seemed to fit. The High Evolutionary's self created army, "The New Men" or "Knights of Wundagore" ride Atomic Steeds that seem to be an identical match for the flying crafts we viewed in yesterday's teaser.



Now remember, this is not "NEWS", only a theory and more than likely, I'm wrong on this BUT all the pieces seem to fit for this bad boy and his personal army to be the mysterious villain we've speculated so much about. If you're not familiar with The High Evolutionary, do some research and you may be surprised to find him lurking behind, observing, having a hand in or otherwise connected, to almost every single significant event (cosmic or otherwise) in the Marvel Universe. As always, voice your opinion below.

[non_amos]

Any way we can get a better look at that? I don't have a magnifying glass handy.

[thecolorsblend]

Any way we can get a better look at that? I don't have a magnifying glass handy.

I think the images are already at true size. Enlarging them would likely only result in distortion.

As to the conspiracy theory about who those aliens truly are, I'm not Marvel-literate enough to venture a guess. But I had kinda hoped for Thanos to pop up at some point. I wanted to believe that would happen. Can't argue that dude's logic though.

[webhead2006]

Ya its as big as possible for images sorry. As for me I personally wanted skrulls, but there rights issue is a bit conflicted on who has film rights to them. So I guess the bbadoon, or high evolunatry guys can work for now. Also thanos I think is still possible to tease to be a future baddie him or krang I would be down for sequel threat.

[webhead2006]

New loki image from shh:


Also two new poster/banners:
https://twitter.com/#!/RIMMK7

[thecolorsblend]

Can't remember if it's ever been discussed around here before but, um, is it just or are the colors on Iron Man's suit noticeably brighter? The red in the solo Iron Man movies tended more toward a deeper shade of crimson. Here... well, I'm not sure "fire engine red" is quite accurate but it ain't too far off either.

Not complaining, mind you. I think a movie along the lines of Dick Tracy that heavily emphasizes the bright "candy colors" that comics are best known for is a hell of a great way to approach the material since it somewhat forces audiences into the world you're building rather than trying to squeeze the stylized reality of comics into a realistic setting.

Point is I'm just asking...

[webhead2006]

The avengers spot just aired a few mins ago. Man it. Was wicked sweet. Here is an extended verison of it:

[thecolorsblend]

Saw that at a restaurant a while ago as I was reading some comics. It's so strange for a movie to get this kind of hype and to genuinely feel like it WILL live up to it. I can't remember the last time I felt this way about a movie. Someone older than me might say "not since Empire" but I don't go that far back.

So far, I have very few complaints about how Marvel is handling their business.

Loki- "We have an army."
Stark- "We have a Hulk."

[webhead2006]

Totally everything is looking good. Plus also come on the got the prime start of the summer movie slot. No way this ant going to do well.

[thecolorsblend]

Totally everything is looking good. Plus also come on the got the prime start of the summer movie slot. No way this ant going to do well.

No freaking joke. Avengers or no Avengers, I seriously think audiences are going to primed for this summer's offerings. It's just in the air. Every conversation I have at the comics shop, stuff you overhear other people saying, remarks civilians are making on facebook, it all points to this summer being HUGE. Not to go too far off topic but if TDKRises hits it big at the box office, I truly believe it'll owe more to a spillover effect than the movie itself being worth half a damn. Avengers leading the charge this summer is a-okay by me.

[webhead2006]

Yup, I. So can't wait to see how all the big films will do.

[webhead2006]

New promo art for avengers and harley davison motorcycles:
http://m.superherohype.com/news/articles/169507-new-promo-image-for-marvels-the-avengers

[non_amos]

I saw that earlier too. I'd like to make a comment though on the extended Superbowl spot. We saw the most of the Hulk that we've seen up until this point. It still wasn't much but it looked awesome! From what little I saw, the Hulk looks fairly realistic. It's like he's really there, not just inserted digitally. Of course, that no doubt comes from the mo-cap work that Mark Ruffalo did expressly for that purpose. Now I know we can't pass final judgment until we actually see the completed film but so far I'm impressed. And that new banner is good too, great marketing. Taking notes WB?

[Apologist Puncher]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/debbiedowner/news/?a=54485

Spoiler:

[webhead2006]

Just saw that news myself. I hope we get dam confirmation already.

[webhead2006]

Sfx artist on opening scene:
http://www.starburstmagazine.com/news/1954-movie-news-the-avengers-have-been-roughly-assembled

MovieNews:THE AVENGERSHaveBeen RoughlyAssembled

THINGS TO COME - NEWS

In an interview with Starburst for the upcoming DVD release of TAKE SHELTER, special effects supervisor Chris Wells dropped some interesting details about his latest project: THE AVENGERS.

Working at Hydraulx, the SFX company behind SKYLINE and BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, Wells and his crew are overseeing the much-anticipated film's opening sequence. 'We're doing what essentially boils down to the prelude of the movie,' he said. 'There's a whole intro that happens before you start even getting the titles and it's pretty big. There's nothing small in this movie. I went to a screening with all the temporary visual effects and it was pretty fleshed out. It's a long movie but it doesn't feel like it. Out of all the comic book movies and franchises I've worked on, this is the best one I've seen so far.'

Having worked on the X-MEN films, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, FANTASTIC FOUR, GREEN LANTERN and more, Wells knows his superhero stuff, although he claims to not be a big fan of the genre. Asked whether the film would be driven by action or the more character-orientated work that director Joss Whedon is known for, Wells gave an answer that will set a lot of fanboy minds at rest. 'I think they nailed both,' he said. 'Joss and I have worked on some projects before and he does a very good job with characters. Since this is the first time that we see these guys together as a unit, he had to address all their personal dealings with one another. I think he did a very good job of setting up the characters based on what we know from the Marvel franchise, integrating them together with all their differences and similarities and then getting on with business. And just when you think the movie is a character piece it just goes nuts.'

While Wells avoided giving away any details about the mysterious baddies of the piece and refused to be drawn on whether the much-rumoured Skrulls would be on villain duty, he did confirm that The Red Skull was not in the movie, cryptically adding, 'but that's ok because there's enough bad guys to go around'. Despite being somewhat weary of superhero films, Wells went on to state that THE AVENGERS has far exceeded his expectations and is destined to be a massive hit when released this summer. 'I promise you it's not going to be boring,' he said. 'This thing has gone so big that Marvel are dwarfing their other franchises. For people who enjoy the comics and haven't really liked the way some of the characters were treated in other movies, I think they're going to be a little more appeased by this one. Especially the Hulk. They let the Hulk be Hulk and that's great. He acts more like the comic book Hulk. It's fun. My biggest problem with every single superhero movie is I don't think the payoff ever matches the build up. This one definitely does.'

To read the full Hydraulx interview see Starburst issue 376 (on sale March).

TAKE SHELTER will be available on DVD & Blu-ray from March 19 and THE AVENGERS will be in cinemas on April 27 (UK) and May 4 (US).

[non_amos]

I'm really glad to hear this about the Hulk. "Just let the Hulk be Hulk." More in line with the comics. AWESOME! The Hulk is obviously my favorite comics character, that is, next to Superman of course.

It's also great to hear that this effects guy is so impressed with the Avengers film. It sounds like that it puts it's predecessors to shame. That we have a long film but it doesn't seem long. Sounds like you can stop checking the time on your watch or cell phone for this one.

[webhead2006]

Personally I hope its between 2hr 15min-2hr 30min range.

[Apologist Puncher]

http://latino-review.com/2012/02/17/photo-marvels-the-avengers-thor-triceps-extensions/

[non_amos]

Why is it that actors like Chris Hemsworth & Chris Evans can get pumped up for the roles that they are given, yet someone like Tom Hardly can 'claim' to have gotten pumped up & it's no such thing?! Sure, maybe he's a 'little' muscular, if you're thinking characters like Rey Mysterio, but certainly not Bane. And Nolan let him get away with it! But I feel that this will be to WB's chagrin too.

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