I watched The Avengers again this afternoon. I know I said that I wasn’t going to but I love this film so I kinda couldn’t help it. I wrote an overview of my impressions of the film in the last post so this is just about those standout moments.
It’s a top 15, I couldn’t whittle it down anymore. Some are related and some probably should be separate points, but 15 seems like a lot as it is. Expanding it to a lot more than that would be a pretty non-memorable memorable list. It’s in the order that it happened in the movie, as putting them in order of best to least best is kinda impossible.
Top 15 moments
1) “Let me put you on hold.” said by Agent Romanoff to Agent Coulson. What’s funny about this is the juxtaposition of the fighting she does to Coulson, who’s bouncing on the balls of his feet like you do when you’re waiting in line. It goes from frantic fighting, to Coulson just standing there. It’s brilliant and I think it was on a trailer which is well deserved, after all they only put the best moments on the trailer. I tried to avoid writing those down as that’s just boring, it’s like I’ve not watched the movie but I saw the trailer then.
2) Captain Steve Rodgers hands Director Nick Fury 10 bucks. They’d had a bet that about something surprising him and the Hellicarrier did that. It was a silent moment, nothing was said and it just worked so well.
3) “You listen well brother.” said by Thor and then he’s tackled by Iron Man. “I’m listening.” Loki replies to the spot where Thor stood. Tom Hiddleston makes this line, the deadpan delivery is just brilliant. It’s funny but he’s not delivering it like a punch line.
4) “Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother.” Thor says when he objects to Bruce Banner calling Loki crazy. “He killed 80 people in 2 days.” is pointed out by Black Widow. “He is adopted.” is what Thor finishes with and with such perfect delivery. Honestly whoever wrote this script needs to keep doing what they are doing. The exchanges are witty, and fun, and quick and so very epic.
5) “You’re a monster,” Agent Romanoff says when she’s pretending to be upset by Loki’s tirade. “No you brought the monster.” is Loki’s retort and bang the kick-ass Black Widow returns. Just like at her introduction in this film she’s pretending to be vulnerable to extract information. It’s a novel interrogation technique and as I pointed out in the overview it has the potential to backfire. It was very kick-ass though how her whole posture changed. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
6) As I pointed out in the overview there wasn’t really time in this film to give Captain America the screentime, to show the devastation to be so far removed from everything that you know. The world has changed so much over the last century, more than it ever has before, so it must be very jarring beyond missing everyone you ever knew, or cared about. When they go to fix the engine and he looks helplessly at the relay system and says rather ironically “It seems to run on some form of electricity.” and he sort of shrugs his hand in exasperation. Tony Stark replies “Well you’re not wrong” and he must have explained off screen what to do. It’s a moment easily overlooked but ties in well to show that the Captain is more than just a soldier, he’s a man out of time.
7) Phil Coulson has been in a few of the Marvel films. He got a bigger part in Thor and here was his swansong. When he came in with that phase 2 weapon his delivery of “Even I don’t know what it does.” was perfect. I really will miss him as a character. His exchange with Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 “I heard you broke the perimeter.” “That was like three years ago where you been?” “I’ve been doing some stuff.” it’s just brilliant and delivered in much the same fashion. He finishes it after he blasts Loki out with “So that’s what it does.” and well I loved that.
8) Agent Coulson also wins the award for the corniest line in the movie. Though I nearly gave that to Tony Stark with “If we can’t protect the world you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.” I’m not sure how he kept a straight face saying that, it’s the one line I felt like Robert Downey Jr. had trouble with. Anyway Coulson says “It’s ok boss this was never going to work if they didn’t have something …” and the audience knows he means to say “to avenge” except he dies. I mean the title for the movie is cool, it’s The Avengers, and that is pretty epic. However, to have these lines in the movie to sort of justify it, well they are memorable for being corny and the film could have done without them.
9) Hawkeye only really worked while alongside Black Widow. However, his one moment where we might have connected with him was lost because Natasha Romanoff stole the show. “You know what it’s like to be unmade?” and then she softly says “You know that I do.” and the connection is made with her. I love the Black Widow character and after watching the film for a third time I love her even more. We so definitely need a Black Widow movie there is so much potential there.
10) The other good Hawkeye moment is on the battlefield. Black Widow remarks that it’s “Just like Budapest all over again.” and he looks at her sideways and says “You and I remember Budapest very differently.” that just really makes me want to see Budapest, to know what happened there. I won’t object if we have a Black Widow movie and it’s a Black Widow/Hawkeye movie. Show us their adventures I love spy stuff, it’s why I’m such a huge fan of Alias, despite really not liking the main characters in it. The world needs more good spy adventures and they really do have the setup to be something quite incredible.
11) There’s the scene where Captain America runs down to the beleaguered police officers and gives them orders. One of them, the senior officer so perhaps a Sergeant goes “Why the hell should I take orders from you?” then the Captain bashes a few aliens. The officer turns around and repeats the orders that Rodgers gave him. It’s funny but not in a way to break immersion. I can see that happening as if a guy in a costume turned up would you take him at face value? However seeing that he’s not just some crazy guy, or if he is he’s a capable crazy guy, would mean that in the face of not knowing what to do you’d follow the strongest lead.
12) “Thor’s taking on a squadron down on 6th.” “And he didn’t invite me.” Tony Stark really does have the best lines which is why hardly any of them are included on this list. Should I really write out pretty much everything he said in the movie? This is a moment of levity amongst the fighting that is probably pretty true to real life. I think soldiers really do have exchanges like this, even though running to battle is probably the last thing that they want.
13) Captain America and Black Widow are fighting on the ground, they know they need to close the portal and Black Widow volunteers to go, the problem is she needs a ride. However, the aliens have these cool hoverboard things that we should total invent. She asks the Captain to give her a boost. “Are you sure?” he checks “Yeah it’s going to be fun.” she says which is just brilliant. Have I mentioned how much I love her character?
14) Thor and the Hulk kill one of those big destroyer things. Although it’s not spelled out I’m pretty sure from seeing it in other movies that it’s supposed to have crashed into Grand Central station. They’re standing on top of it, just pausing from the fighting for a moment I guess. Then the Hulk just sideways punches Thor off the creature. It’s brilliant, a funny moment, and it’s nothing but supposed to be funny, in the middle of the fighting and devastation. They were losing at this point, they would soon be surrounded, getting beaten down. It’s little moments like this juxtaposed in the middle that make this film as epic as it is.
15) “I am a god you dull creature and I will not be bullied by..” Loki proclaims in his arrogant speech making way and then Hulk picks him up and smashes him. He bashes him around like a rag doll and then walks off leaving him on the ground moaning. “Puny god.” Again this is another funny moment in between all the serious fighting but it has it’s serious undertones. The Hulk can talk sense, perhaps when Banner chooses to become the Hulk, rather than involuntarily loses control, he does retain control and keeps his mind. They really need a new Hulk movie to properly explore the way Ruffalo plays the character which is brilliant. He has the hesitation and the unease, and the nervous scientist, and the hero Hulk part down perfectly.
What I didn’t mention
1) Pretty much every Tony Stark line. The world needs more Tony Stark. Everything he says is funny, irreverent and just absolutely perfect. Maybe I should go watch Iron Man again for more of a Tony Stark fix. He’s just epic like when Loki tries to mind control him but it doesn’t work because of his arc reactor. “This usually works.” Loki says, another awesome character that one. “Well performance issues not uncommon.” is just so typically Tony Stark. When he bursts onto the scene in Germany and he puts AC/DC on or on the Hellicarrier where he notices that guy playing a game. That was so funny particularly afterwards when the man in questions looks around and then puts the game back up on his screen. Look up awesome in the dictionary and you would see a picture of Tony Stark.
2) The Hellicarrier is very cool, that can’t be denied. The reflector panels might make it invisible but surely people can hear the engines, also it’s still made of metal so wouldn’t it still show up on radar? I mean it’s invisible to the naked eye from the ground but it’s not invisible if anything flies near it. It sort of begs the question what is the point? Not to mention how vulnerable you are in the air. If anyone attacks you you’re trying to fight them and not fall out of the sky. Still it’s a lot cooler than the usual fortress in the ground. Plus I do love the X-Jet technology of vertical take-off.
3) Samuel L Jackson is 63? I read this today and I couldn’t believe it. I mean aside from the guys tendency to pull his handgun when it won’t do any good, he was awesome in this film. I know I suck at estimating people’s ages but I would have pegged him in his 40’s, not his 60’s. He must have a very good makeup artist, or good genes and have one of those timeless faces.
Have I mentioned how much I love this movie? I really can’t wait until the next one which I think is Iron Man 3 – yay more Tony Stark! The problem is that’s not until next May! May I tell you! How can we wait another 9 months? I really don’t want to have to wait another 9 months for another film. I get that these things take a long time, particularly if done right but they should invent some kind of time turner, that way they could make them quicker. I guess I’ll just have to rewatch Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers multiple times to keep me going.
Long live The Avengers! Oh and please can we get a Black Widow movie?