You are loved. (Taken with instagram)
Personal highlights: the SHIELD helicarrier (exactly, if not EVEN BETTER, than imagined; incredible set design); EVERY moment with The Hulk (and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner was pitch-perfect, using the first hour of the film to build up tension through his threatening hints of the utter destruction that will occur when “the other guy” emerges); the Black Widow v. Hawkeye scene; “full-tilt diva” Loki who manages to be both physically threatening and psychologically manipulative at the same time (a rare feat for villains!); two unexpectedly heart-wrenching scenes, one with Agent Coulson and the other with Iron Man; when Loki catches an arrow that Hawkeye fires at him (a great 3D moment); “He’s adopted”; and that’s all I can think of right now. You will be amazed.
Unexpectedly great: Scarlett Johansen as Black Widow.
Personal WTF moments that you should be prepared for: Cobie Smulders (Robin from How I Met Your Mother) as Maria Hill. Smulders holds her own as a supporting character and even manages to outshine Samuel L. Jackson at moments (really!), but, through no fault of hers, it was hard to not see Robin, the character that I have watched for all seven seasons in an action role (Robin, Agent of SHIELD - LOL). Would have been distracting but the film forces you to deal with it in the opening scenes, and gratifyingly, Smulders has more than enough screen time to convince you that she belongs in action movies (rather than on your TV screen at 1AM as you eat ice cream on the couch).
Make sure to stay for the credit scenes. Apparently, I left too early and missed the after-credit scene. If anyone wants to fill me in on what happened, message me!
See it in 3D because: you don’t want to miss the Spiderman preview in 3D. You really, really, really don’t. It’s actually amazing, focusing less on the storyline and instead highlighting what the aesthetic experience of Spiderman will be. With only a handful of movies that I believe have used 3D to their advantage, I was a 3D skeptic, to put it mildly. Simply, the 2 1/2 minute trailer was all it took to completely change my mind about the possibilities of 3D, really playing up the multitude of creative perspectives and angles that having someone who can swing from skyscrapers affords a director. If the trailer is an accurate indication of what the movie will be like, I’m SO excited for the release (even if there’s no MJ!) and I have no doubt that 3D will be one of the enhance the overall experience.
-GONZ
For the past 10 years of so, super hero films have hijacked our multiplexes. Technology has finally reached the point where a man in tights can convincingly make New York City highrises his playground and a scientist can transform into a living breathing green monster. What was once…
