The Avengers, again

[starlady]

I went to see the movie Friday night again, with awesome fan people. I enjoyed it just as much the second time around--it was not a completely sold out theater, however, and the crowd was pretty good but nowhere near as good as opening night. There is a reason I am willing to deal with the lines and the crowds and the whatnot of opening weekend for event movies.

This time around I spent a lot of time scrutinizing the ring on Pepper's left hand--I'd seen a post referring to it as a rather large rock. It's clearly not actually a diamond, but some sort of metal twist (this would be more fitting as an engagement ring from Tony, anyway, really), but it is indeed quite large. So…Tony and Pepper, quite possibly engaged.

At some point I realized that if I could bring myself to ship Pepper/Tony/Steve it would basically be the equal and opposite of my one true Sherlock Holmes ship, namely Holmes/Watson/Mary. Moody genius played by RDJ! Blond former soldier who's smarter than he looks! Blonde woman who's ridiculously awesome and competent! It's almost enough to tempt me to write crackfic for it, I tell you.

I feel like Coulson is probably not dead, given the very high probability that Fury is playing several very long games at the same time. That said, I prefer it if he is dead, as much as I love Coulson.

I do think it's really ironic that they got Joss Whedon of all people to direct a movie about teamwork, given Whedon's pronounced anti-authoritarian streak (as a comment I don't have the time to look up once wisely put it, if you're a group of more than eight people in Whedon-ville, you're automatically evil or incompetent or both). But then I thought that really, Joss Whedon is the only person to direct a movie about superheroes learning the value of teamwork. If it weren't a Whedon movie it would be completely repulsive--kind of like Marvel's Civil War, but without the plot twists that make that whole arc at least a little morally palatable.

I was still struck again by Steve, in costume, firing a machine gun in that scene on the helicarrier. When was the last time you saw a costume using guns? Batman would not approve! I'm not sure what it means, necessarily, but it's definitely a very striking moment.

The Batman reference isn't actually all that random. The first stinger made me think of one of Gordon's last lines in Batman Begins: "What about escalation?" You deal with the Chi'Taurri, then Thanos and the Skrulls want to tango. You deal with Thanos and the Skrulls, and then…where does it end? This movie could have gone there, but it didn't, but all that stuff is there, anyway. Very interesting.

Also, jesus fuck, when the aliens attack Midtown I am not going to sit at my sidewalk cafe and finish my sandwich! I am going to get the fuck underground ASAP, what the shit. It's not like that area isn't lousy with subway entrances!

Comments

[recessional]

Well, and because it's a Whedon movie, there's a pretty explicit note that while they're learning to be a team with EACH OTHER, they're very wary of their military overlords. (Which is why I think if Fury ever wants to maintain any control over them, and Coulson ISN'T dead, he's a total thick-skulled idiot for letting them think he is - none of these people HAVE to work with them, and he leads them according to their goodwill.)

When was the last time you saw a costume using guns?

In Captain America? ;)

[seekingferret]

Something I haven't really discussed with anyone even though I made a mental note to discuss it with people was that that Avengerverse Midtown NY felt really alien to me, and I know Midtown NY really well. I haven't seen people talking about how Avengers handled NY, but in general my feeling was no, that was a detail Joss glossed over. I think I need a rewatch focused on trying to find even one landmark I recognize.

[starlady]

That's one of the areas I know best, and some of it seemed fairly accurate, for a Hollywood movie anyway. Stark Tower has apparently replaced the MetLife building (to which I say good riddance), and I have actually been in that bank--though it was still a TD Bank the last time I was there. I don't really spend any time on the section of Park south of the station, though; I'm always walking over from the Library and Fifth Avenue.

[starlady]

…Does he actually use a gun in costume in the movie? I should rewatch. I don't remember it being as striking in that film, anyway.

I agree with you about Fury and Coulson, but I don't know if Hollywood will.

Awesome icon, btw.