Avengers 2 reviews starting to trickle in...

[huedell]

Wow Hue...I wasn't wrong when I said you are hard to please with Superhero Movies(not meant as a slam, just a statement of fact). I don't think it was necessary to announce that the Falcon is African-American...it's pretty obvious he is black.

And (I don't mean this as a slam towards you either Bat), after reading your post, I can see how we're never really gonna "be all we can be" as far as "movie critique debaters". If all you got out of my critique of Falcon's role in TWS as far as him being African American is that I was disappointed that they didn't mention that very fact (skin color)... then there's a huge disconnect in how you read my posts. I described it in a way where there'd be more than a guy with a line of dialogue to the effect of "That Falcon guy is black!" which is what I get as your POV of what I was trying to communicate from your "it's pretty obvious he's black" comment. It's okay. I won't take it personal!

[The Bat]

So you're saying you're disappointed that The Falcon didn't have a bigger role and more dialog in the movie. I can understand that. Ya know, before the WS I didn't even like the Falcon as character...but the Actor who played him did such an awesome job, he made a fan out of me. Would I have liked to see more of him the movie...Hell YEAH!

[huedell]

So you're saying you're disappointed that The Falcon didn't have a bigger role and more dialog in the movie. I can understand that. Ya know, before the WS I didn't even like the Falcon as character...but the Actor who played him did such an awesome job, he made a fan out of me. Would I have liked to see more of him the movie...Hell YEAH!

It's not the AMOUNT of dialogue. Yes, I would've given him a bit bigger part if given free reign. But that wouldn't be necessary to severely improve Falcon's presence in TWS movie.

However, I could rewrite every scene Falcon was in, keep the same exact amount of lines of dialogue, and not make those scenes any longer than they are in the actual movie cut. I'd work in themes of "the unfairness of rights inequality", "the need for a brotherhood of all mankind and not just gravitating towards a certain group" and "integrity vs. loyalty"----

and, I'd start the rewrite by making Sam Wilson an ex-military guy (just like in the actual movie) who wanted to make a difference felt by Americans who have been unfairly shortchanged and otherwise knocked-around by a lacking in our government's processes---and so now Wilson would be making up for lost time, time he spent away from city politics while he was on the battlefield, by now being more hands-on with U.S. citizens via orchestrating government programs---

Instead of "working with traumatized veterans (like in the actual movie)", Wilson would now be working with financially or otherwise disadvantaged civilians.

Not only would that career make him a more admirable character to the everyday movie-goer, and not only would that give more dramatic conflict to Wilson's decision to "re-militarize" (so to speak) by working with Cap and temporarily putting his "hands-on" job aside, but it also would have been truer to the original character, to boot!

THEN I would have Wilson focusing his frustrations over these issues by Wilson seeing the frustrating issues of military destruction, America, Russian, or otherwise manifested in this mass-murdering "Winter Soldier" secret agent----Wilson wouldn't care WHAT government organization TWS worked for, to Wilson, TWS would be viewed as the product of everything that's wrong with government focus---less military focus---more focus on rebuilding our way of life to aid the disadvantaged of every race throughout our country, and the world.

THEN, of course, I'd have Wilson secretly discover TWS's former/present relationship with Captain America ----and then when Cap fought TWS at the end, I'd have the Falcon track down Cap (and in turn TWS) and show up halfway and seem like Falcon's going to turn the tide of Cap getting his butt kicked---instead, BOTH Cap AND Falcon get their butts kicked by TWS, TWS winning the final battle just like in the actual movie---but then, also just like in the actual movie, I'd have TWS sorta "come to" and rescue Cap from out of the river---and, at the last minute, Falcon from drowning/freezing or whatever in that river too.

I think that would've made for a MUCH better use of Wilson----and you wouldn't have had to lengthen the movie in any way---nor would you particularly have to give Falcon more lines of dialogue. You'd have to TWEAK the existing dialogue though---and, of course he'd have more screentime during the end battle where usually it'd just be Cap and TWS getting the screentime.

[hedrap]

Hue - that's a very good point about sidekicks. I never considered how they just glossed over it all. But like Mandarin, they have no interest in touching a third rail.

...the recent RDJ blowup at the UK reporter has me wondering who actually decided to forgo Demon In A Bottle for IM3. Favreau was all for it before he walked. Shane Black blamed Disney, Fiege was vague - "love the story, but..." - don't know if he ever explained further. I'm wondering if RDJ didn't want to do it.

[huedell]

Hue - that's a very good point about sidekicks. I never considered how they just glossed over it all. But like Mandarin, they have no interest in touching a third rail.

...the recent RDJ blowup at the UK reporter has me wondering who actually decided to forgo Demon In A Bottle for IM3. Favreau was all for it before he walked. Shane Black blamed Disney, Fiege was vague - "love the story, but..." - don't know if he ever explained further. I'm wondering if RDJ didn't want to do it.

Interesting.

'Bottle" would be a huge challenge. On one hand, the freshness of a divergent issue like that smack in the middle of the MCU would be awesomely satisfying if done right. But "doing it right" IMHO would likely shut-out a huge amount of their audience----a BIG "no-no" The mainstream, as it stands, doesn't go to see a MCU movie to bear witness to a "Just Say NO to alcohol" theme play out like a "Dark Mirror" beer commercial: "Buzz Kill"!

.... the current crop of MCU fans also aren't expecting such an adult theme so central to the film-----it'd be like a movie where Batman was openly dealing with the pitfalls of "sex addiction". Now THERE'S an action figure collection concept ready to pop!

With the "Falcon" issue in TWS, I tried to diagram it so that my suggestions to improve Falcon's role appeared to be less a "third rail" element than "making better use of a character you wanna have in there for merchandising reasons"----because, if you're not gonna do that, well, Falcon is really "just some guy that Cap just met with no discernable persona with a flying gadget"....he might as well have been Hawkeye----at least then, he'd be "the guy from the other movie who now can add a flying gadget to his arrow gadgets". In THAT example, then Hawkeye's presence carries more dramatic weight than Falcon's, if only for the inherent fact that we've seem Hawkeye hang with Captain America before.

[emeraldknight47]

I'm tickled ****less! Pete Travers, one of the only critics whose opinion I actually respect, just gave Age of Ultron a pretty damn glowing review! Count on my butt to be parked in the theater at least three or four times for this shindig!

[WannabeMego]

Oh...it's gonna be one of those threads...

My Opinion will be served post viewing, until then, everyone else's opinion (Critic & Otherwise) don't mean dookie to me.

Wink Emoji...Smiley Face...LOL

[Bruce Banner]

Received an email from Amazon inviting me to pre-order Avengers Age of Ultron on Blu-ray already. Apparently it will feature an extended cut with an alternate ending.

[MIB41]

Opening overseas totals... an impressive $201 million.

[Sideshow Spock]

[clemso]

I hope you all go out and enjoy Avengers AOU this weekend.

[emeraldknight47]

MIB41 and I were PLANNING on seeing it Saturday, but now I have to work, so I have a feeling I won't be seeing it until NEXT weekend

[cockyhoskins]

I'm planning to go Friday at 1:00

[enyawd72]

My wife and I are both taking Friday off. This is an event for us, not just a movie.