I think we need to chill out about The Avengers

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   innersmiffposted 11 years ago

   Anybody claiming that The Avengers is the best film they've ever seen obviously has not seen many films, or has an extremely short memory. I'm pretty sure these people were the same ones who were saying that Avatar was the best film ever, and before that The Dark Knight, and before that The Lord of The Rings, and so on and so forth. I think it's a reflection on how fickle we are as a culture that we get so bamboozled by a film of reasonable quality that we believe it to be the best thing since sliced bread. I don't even see how you can declare a film to be the best ever as soon as you've seen it, on principle. If you're judging a single experience in comparison to your entire life you have to spend some time at least thinking about it. At least enough time for the initial emotion of the experience to mellow. If then you still look back on it with fondness that exceeds that of other experiences then yes you can say it is the best ever.
   
   Beyond that . . . it's a damn comic book movie. A pretty good one, granted, but seriously? I think even comic book nerds and teenagers need to think about this a little more. It's a golden era for this kind of film, but if we ever get such a thing as the 1990s again, they need to expand their cinematic palette so as not to despair at the lack of choices and turn into middle agers watching Ghostbusters every Friday night.
   
   Ranting aside, what do you think? lol

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      jenb0128posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't seen The Avengers yet, but I felt the same way about everybody's obsession with Avatar. I enjoyed it, but didn't think it was the "OMG! Best movie ever!" that so many other people seemed to think.
      
      I still believe that honor goes to The Lord of the Rings.

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         innersmiffposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Well . . . if you are going to do that at least you've chosen the best out of the films mentioned. Lord of the Rings was my favourite film when I was younger
         
         I'm in kind of a weird place with Avatar. I got annoyed with people calling it the best movie ever as well, but also with the people beating it to a pulp. I think it's a perfectly sound film. There was an awfully big backlash when it made so much money and I think a lot of people went over the top in criticising it!

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            jenb0128posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            LoTR will probably always be toward the top in my list of favorite movies. I'd be embarrassed to admit to how many times I saw Fellowship of the Ring in the theater - let's just say I had a long break between classes that semester, and there was a theater near the campus that conveniently had a Fellowship showtime during that break (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).
            
            I must have missed out on the people beating up Avatar. I heard a few criticisms here and there, but nothing too bad (just that the story was nothing unique). Seeing it ripped to shreds probably would have annoyed me, too.

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   prettydarkhorseposted 11 years ago

   To each according to his/her own criteria of what is considered a best film. Depends on one's preference or the things one values.

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   Shanna11posted 11 years ago

   Clearly you are not a girl.
   
   I would gladly have Loki's extremely attractive babies. He's the sole reason I enjoyed that movie. I'm swooning just thinking of his little smirk..... Mmmmm....

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      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I figured Thor would have been your pick.
      
      
      @PrettyDarkHorse- Awesome profile pic.
      
      @OP- Is not reasonable for one to already know what is/was the greatest movie they have seen in their life, before they even walk through the doors? Of course. Then you're not going to tell me that it isn't possible for someone to assess the movie after they have watched and then determine if it IS a better movie than things seen before.
      
      No emotions needed or would get in the way.

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         Shanna11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Mmm, Thor is too noble, without being a "hot noble" like Capt America. Plus, I go more for the dark hair/rebel thing.
         
         I don't normally do the whole fangirl thing, but Loki is SO worth it.

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            Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Good to know. It might be knowledge worth keeping for future recollection for other purposes. Thank you.

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               Shanna11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Unless you plan on kidnapping Loki (Captain America would also be acceptable) for me, then I think I should be somewhat apprehensive.... D:

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   livelongerposted 11 years ago

   I guess I haven't being hearing all the effusive praise...
   
   I thought it was an enjoyable action flick, but not nearly the best movie I've ever seen.

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   DS Dubyposted 11 years ago

   excitement over anything is a healthy reaction and a great way to show emotion. If people want to express how much they love the movie then that's awesome. I'd much rather see that then read somebodies rant about how much they hate something, all that shows is a persons inferiority and jealousy. If they love a movie, even only for a short time, then let them. Nobody forces anyone else to read their praises. None of this is meant towards you in a bad way, but freedom of speech is our right, and so is expressing our thoughts and emotions regardless of how many people have already expressed the exact same thing. Just my 2 cents.

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   innersmiffposted 11 years ago

   @Cagsil and DS Duby (hopefully this answers both points)
   
   Your mindset and emotional state before you watch a film is completely different to how you are when you leave. This is significant because even though your emotional reaction to a film is one of the most important things, if not THE most important thing you get from it, it is not the most ideal minset to be in when judging it against all of the other reactions you got from every other film you've ever seen. You can not say you are not swayed or at least influenced by the emotional reaction you've just experienced or even still experiencing.
   
   This is my main point. If people like or dislike The Avengers, good for them. Saying you loved Avengers is a perfectly legitimate reaction; I'm saying that you can't judge other films without bias when you are in that emotional state. For me, a list of my favourite films would have to be deliberated over for about 6 months before I could get it down to at least 20, let alone the best film ever. That is mostly because I'm a massive film nerd but even comparitively, your average person can not choose a film they saw yesterday as the best film ever after judging all films equally. "Avengers was awesome!" Great. "Avengers is the best film ever made!" don't be silly.

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      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      BS. It is as I stated. People already have a preconceived notion of what they consider the best film they have watched before ever entering the building and can make a rational, not emotional decision on what they consider the best movie they have ever seen.
      
      To think otherwise is completely foolish.

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         innersmiffposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yes but the emotional state is different as you leave the building. Before you go in, you are relatively calm and not as attached to the previous experiences you have had as all you have is the memory of them. To compare those memories to an emotional reaction you are experiencing right at that moment is not an objective comparison. In short you can not be as rational as you were before the screening since emotions are inherently irrational and can bias your decision.
         
         I'm not sure how foolish that is, it's perfectly consistent. Have you not been so overwhelmed by a film that you need a while to figure out how you feel about it?

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   FatFreddysCatposted 11 years ago

   I still haven't seen The Avengers, though I definitely want to and I'm sure I'll enjoy it whenever I do.
   
   However, the best movie I've ever seen is still "RoboCop."

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   mega1posted 11 years ago

   look, I never, ever say this?  but this forum thread discussion of movies is the BEST I have ever in my ENTIRE life read -  and I am very picky these days about forum threads.
   
   however, I have not seen Avengers yet - maybe this weekend,
   
   I'm just saying - this thread is AWESOME and also AMAZING!!  don't you all agree?

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   sabrebIadeposted 11 years ago

   For comic book fans (or is it comic book nerds?) it is awesome.
   Joss Whedon didn't let us down and actually came through with a movie that could have went south very quickly if done wrong.
   I've been reading comics since the 60s and this is the movie I always wanted to see.
   It wasn't perfect, but he came as close as I think he could with the source material.
   
   And by the way....I am middle aged and I still do like Ghostbusters.
   I just watched it again the other night.

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      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed. It was a great movie too.

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      innersmiffposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not arguing with that in the slightest. But the best motion picture ever?
      
      I like Ghostbusters too.

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    Stevennix2001posted 11 years ago

    First of all, I would like to ask a question.  Who cares?  Seriously, who honestly cares if a few people want to call "The Avengers" the best superhero movie of all time?  Or one of the best for that matter? I personally don't care.  Over my time from writing reviews on this site, I've come to learn that reviewing films is very subjective.  Granted, i do try to be unbiased as humanly possible, but even I'll admit that sometimes personal biases do come into play; which is normally the case for most film reviews if you ever bother to analyze other critics like I do sometimes.  lol.  Not to sound egotistical, but I'm just saying.
    
    I thought "The Avengers" was a great superhero film to be honest.  Would I say it's the best one ever made?  Not really because I can still name five that are way better, but for what it was, and considering all the characters it had to deal with, it's really not that bad of a film at all.  Hell, I liked it a lot, and thought it was a great film.  Granted, it's not the best superhero film that I've ever seen, but it was still a fun movie to watch nonetheless; which is basically all you can really hope for in a movie having to deal with various different complex main characters, and a lot of tie-in subplots.
    
    as for what the general public thinks, you have to keep in mind that movies are subjective to a lot of people. like what i may find entertaining, someone else may see it as a piece of crap.
    
    take my father for instance, he thinks "Undercover Brother" should've gotten like all these Oscar nominations; including Eddie Griffin for "best actor."  Don't ask.  Personally, I thought the movie was a piece of garbage if you want me to brutally honest.  But then again, who am I say he's wrong? It's just his opinion.  I certainly don't agree with it, but that's just me.
    
    I thought the "lord of the rings" trilogy was one of the best fantasy series of films that i've seen, and i found "inception" to be one of the deepest science fiction films out there.  Yet, i often find other hubbers stating how god awful those films are.  Therefore, who's to say that any of us are wrong?  As it's just our own opinions in the end, as it's all subjective anyway. 
    
    In the end, who really cares?  I don't.  Hell, if i got this pissed off over what people liked in movies, then i'd be a nervous wreck right now over why in the hell people still see those god awful twilight films...AUGH!    there, i'm done ranting.  

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       sabrebIadeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       "Undercover Brother" was awesome!
       LOL

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       innersmiffposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah, I don't deny their right to an opinion, I am simply questioning the rationale behind their opinion simply because it's a film they've just seen. The overriding emotion and memory of any film is the one you've just seen, so to lay any judgment on it in comparison to others is a little premature, and especially if you're placing it as the best film anybody has ever made ever.
       
       So basically, think about how you felt when you finished watching Dark Knight, and then come back to me in a years time and tell me if The Avengers the best movie ever. My wager is that you won't, but if you do then fair enough.
       
       I'm not debating about the film itself necessarily in comparison to the films I think are the best. I thought The Tree of Life was surely a masterpiece as soon as I saw it, but I needed the time to think about it and the emotion from it to mellow before I could judge it in comparison to others.
       
       I think people are missing my point here.

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    jacharlessposted 11 years ago

    Doesn't matter, Scarlett Johansson is in it.
    Since North she has been amazing.

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    Dallas Matierposted 11 years ago

    You know a movie I always found to be overrated, and really kind of dull? 'Citizen Kane'. I mean... great, it was his sled... wonderful.
    
    Not the most useful comment to start with, maybe. But, really, the point is that different people have different standards. Maybe the people claiming that 'The Avengers' is the best thing they've ever seen are just overly excited about how well it turned out, and they'll settle down - or, maybe it actually is the best movie they've ever seen. For a life-long comicbook fan, a film that manages to perfectly capture the feel of the comic books they love would have to be pretty damn exciting. Fans of fantasy novels might hold the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy up as the best thing ever. Fans of Japanese animation might argue for 'Akira' or 'Ghost in the Shell'. And, so on.
    
    As long as no one tries to claim that it's 'Titanic', I really don't care what people think the best movie ever made is.

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    The Jetposted 11 years ago

    The Avengers was a great, epic Summer Blockbuster. It felt more like a marketing gimmick than a profound film, which is fine. There should be more than one type of cinema. As long as you had fun watching the movie, enjoyed your time, was emotionally connected -- great. The movie did its job right.
    
    The Dark Knight Rises, however -- will be the best of two worlds in my view. Nolan knows how to mesh profound characters and storyline with the commercial epic seamlessly. Definitely a very different film from The Avengers, that you can't compare the two. It's like comparing Twinkies to Ho's Ho's. They're both cool.

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       DS Dubyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, the Dark Knight Rises will be epic and very sad at the same time, knowing it will be Nolen's last Batman film.

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    Courtney_CollinsDposted 11 years ago

    Honestly, Lord of the Rings put me to sleep. I'm not going to say avengers is the best movie ever but its been the best I've seen this year so far. However I haven't gotten to mib 3 yet.

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    mr williamsposted 11 years ago

    Avatar was great, not the best. I personally didn't think too highly of Avengers

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       Johnathan L Groomposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       i agree!

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    Johnathan L Groomposted 11 years ago

    that's correct!

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