UPDATE: The Avengers! The GREATEST CBM of all time! (so far...)

UPDATE: The Avengers! The GREATEST CBM of all time! (so far...)

On the 4th of April, I prognosticated the magnificence of the Avenger's in the editorial below. Now that I have seen the film, I substantiate my boast in six points!

Review Opinion
By headlopper - May 07, 2012 11:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Avengers



(There are fan's of all genres of film. People gravitate toward their favorite genre when a film of that genre premieres.
Of these genres , there generally is a 'great film' that fans of that particular genre point to.

For example, fans of romance will laud 'Gone with the Wind' or 'Titanic'.

Sci-fi fans(like myself) will cry loud and proud that 'Star Wars' 4&5 is the greatest. That's our boast of pride! There are many more, but that will suffice.

For Action/adventure , there's 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' or 'The Adventures of Robin Hood'(my personal favorite) or 'Terminator'.

As for horror, sh** that's an easy one: ' The Exorcist' , 'Night of the Living Dead' or 'Halloween'.

There are many dramas , but the 'holy grail' recognized by most are 'Citizen Kane' and 'Casablanca'. My personal favorite is 'Shawshank Redemption'.

Comedy? Anything classic Marx Bros. , 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', 'Airplane' or 'Blazin' Saddles'. Again, just a few mentioned here.



So where's OUR 'holy grail'? Where's the benchmark CBM that define's an ENTIRE GENRE by which ALL future CBM's will strive to emulate?
Well, so far there isn't any.

Everyone has their favorites-- 'The Dark Knight', ' Superman', 'Iron-man', 'Spider-man #2'(my fav!) or 'Blade', but there's no general consensus, as with these other genres stated above.

I believe(deep breath), this May 4th we will have our dream movie.

How many years have comic book fans and fanboy's alike been DREAMING of a movie of this magnitude.
It's been a fantasy for many years...for various reasons.

The technology wasn't sufficiently realized, or the funding wasn't available. The right people hadn't had their hands on the rights of the property, or the right people weren't involved.

Well , thank Odin all of these stars have aligned!

Alas, the poor DC fanboy's and comic geeks have yet to see THEIR dream come true with a 'Justice League' movie in the pipeline, but they can at least vicariously rejoice with ALL 'comic-dom' that the 'next best thing' will soon be upon us.

This is OUR movie! Made by a comic book company, directed by a comic book fanboy geek, and lovingly made by actor's who respect the source material!

This is the ultimate fanboy movie!
OUR CBM 'Star Wars'! HA!

Now I know some DC guy's will say 'TDKR' or 'Man of Steel'.

Really?

You think these films will define a genre?
No sir, they will not.

They're more corporate- for the general masses, but Avenger's ,although made to please the ticket buying public as well, has a depth that goes beyond profit...THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE! By MARVEl, by Whedon and by the actor's who put their heart into making a movie all fanboys and comic geeks alike can be PROUD of!

So in closing, prepare yourself world! Prepare yourself for OUR WORLD!
The world we've been enjoying through our silly comic books for YEARS!

Now world you will see what we've seen . You will know what we've known!

OUR HEROES KICK ASS! )

That was written a month ago. Why was I right?
Here's a check list:
#1. Realism- No cheese here. No camp. Just 'real people' acting as real people would when interacting with such a mix of dynamic idiosyncrasies.
#2.Character development- Some might say the first hour was a little drawn out, but I would utterly disagree. The character development was necessary AND interesting- a stroke of genius really, being that the majority of the viewing public doesn't have a clue what these character's histories are, or their personalities, so it was necessary to create some character foundation.
#3.Purposeful , relevant action- The action scenes weren't introduced for the sake of giving the movie-goer eye candy, but rather it was used intelligently as a plot device to further the story AND create a very human response from the Avengers which was meant to bond them as a team and to unite them to accomplish a common cause. This was the case during WW2,and also when a natural disaster occurs- the people come together to help everyone!
They set aside their differences and joined as one as a team... eventually realizing they had more in common than disagreements.
Again, genius!
#4.A terrific villain- Loki was perfect...and perfectly portrayed by Tom Hiddleston! He wasn't some slathering maniac with ugly features and no chance of redemption. No not him; you almost feel sorry for him! Almost pity him, which makes him all that more emotionally compelling.
I thought for a moment Thor may actually prevail and provoke Loki's conscientiousness, and he'd repent. He was the heart of protagonism; the Chitauri were used as a blunt instrument by Loki by which the Avneger's could exhibit their AMAZING abilities-!, and give the Hulk unbridled 'smashing' opportunities , which we ALL love!
35.The dialog- Funny, relevant, character appropriate and well balanced between all the character's. Just terrific and very entertaining!
#6.THANOS! Nuff' said!
#7.This editorial's long enough, so be my guest to add to the list...!

Thank you!

Headlopper

RUMOR: New Details On Why YOUNG AVENGERS Is Now CHAMPIONS; More On DAREDEVIL, HAWKEYE Season 2, And NOVA
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RUMOR: New Details On Why YOUNG AVENGERS Is Now CHAMPIONS; More On DAREDEVIL, HAWKEYE Season 2, And NOVA

VIDEO: The MCU's YOUNG AVENGERS Assemble For The First Time...Aboard Disney Treasure Cruise Ship
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headlopper
headlopper - 5/7/2012, 12:08 PM
@WesleyGibson- That's were my head was at...
headlopper
headlopper - 5/7/2012, 12:26 PM
@WesleyGibson- I about busted a nut when I saw him!

Marvel's going cosmic! Now they need to get the rights back from Fox for :
1. Silver Surfer
2. Skrulls
3.Negative Zone
4. Annihilus
5. The Inhumans
6.(intermission...SH**-!,THIS SUCKS!)
7.(okay, I'm back)
8. The Kree Empire
9.Silver Surfer, Galactus and ALL his heralds.
Ooooh...I'm gonna puke from disappointment!
All of these properties could be argued by Fox as being part of the Fantastic Four universe...and they'd be right unfortunately .

FOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe they could agree to some profit sharing contract ...I don't know.
JonasWepeel
JonasWepeel - 5/7/2012, 12:31 PM
There is so much more to list! I gotta see it again. I love all the small moments. So many great lines. I've already said "it seems to run on electricity." whenever someone asks me about computers. That one line really fleshed out the dynamic between Stark and Cap even though it was in the middle of a pretty big action sequence.
headlopper
headlopper - 5/7/2012, 12:46 PM
@yossarian- Thanx Yoss...

@JonasWepeel- Heading back Thursday for seconds...!
SolidSnake007
SolidSnake007 - 5/7/2012, 2:17 PM
Single Greatest Comic Book Movie Ever Made!!!!!!! I couldn't help creaming my pants, laughing hysterically, and fist pumping the air when hulk beat the shit out of Loki!!!!! And when I saw Thanos I couldn't even believe it!! So exciting!!!!! I don't have a single bad thing to say about this movie. Only great, amazing things. Every character was given justice. I loved every minute of this film.
antonio
antonio - 5/7/2012, 3:08 PM
@headlopper Annihilus isn't owned by Marvel?? Wha??
Gary8264
Gary8264 - 5/7/2012, 3:37 PM
Good job Bro, and I'll agree with every word. also, the shwarma (or whatever) at the end..... Damn fine way to end the movie, all beat up and just chillin'... "Make Mine Marvel"
headlopper
headlopper - 5/7/2012, 4:07 PM
@antonio- It's true Tony! He first appeared in FF annual #6, so he's definitely an FF character.

But Nova and the Zandarian Nova Force are not.

Maybe Marvel could - or will- go in that direction.
Still very cool.
Gerrit
Gerrit - 5/7/2012, 7:13 PM
The Avengers is the best CBM of all time. And my personal favorite movie of all time.
And the MCU would really get a boost if Marvel got the rights for Fantastic Four back. X-Men and Spider-Man aren't really necessary.
anathem
anathem - 5/8/2012, 11:38 PM
I find your post interesting and I think you make a good case, however, I find your premise flawed. There remains no gold standard in CBM's. For that matter, some of your other genre examples speak more about box office $$ than it does the greatest movie. We all have our opinions as to our favorites though.

The Avengers is a compelling argument for G.O.A.T. for sure! My money remains with the recent Batman franchise. A toss up btwn Batman Begins and TDK.

I can't deny that I grunted out loud several times during the Avengers though. Damn good kick-ass movie. I say the gold standard remains!
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