"...And then shawarma after."

My original plan was to see The Avengers on Sunday. However, after sitting in front of my computer at work all day Friday and reading the multitude of comments on Twitter about how good the movie was, I decided that I needed to see it Friday night. Then, because it was SO GOOD, I saw it again on Sunday :o)

Don't worry, I will warn you before I get to the spoilery bits.....

When Loki teams up with an unexpected army, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D) Director Nick Fury must bring together a group of super humans to defend the Earth. This team consists of Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rogers/Captain America, Thor, Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye. After working out their differences with each other first, they then have to figure out how to defeat Loki.

The acting in this movie was all-around fantastic. There was not a weak link in the group, but it was really the supporting roles that stood out to me the most. We know from previous Marvel films that Clark Gregg is a great Agent Phil Coulson, but he was especially fantastic in The Avengers. Although he was not in a majority of scenes, he had his share of hilarious lines. I was also especially impressed with Cobie Smulders, who plays Agent Maria Hill. I love her on How I Met Your Mother, but she kicked a lot of ass in this movie...literally. I was also excited to see other Whedonverse actors Alexis Denisof, Ashley Johnson and Enver Gjokaj.

Of course, it would not be The Avengers without the Avengers themselves. We have seen Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in their roles as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Loki respectively and they all continue to be fantastic. However, this is the first time Mark Ruffalo played the role of The Hulk. I did not actually see the previous Hulk movies (mostly because they did not get very good reviews) but I thought Ruffalo was a welcome addition to the team.

And now on to the more spoilery parts of my review. If you do not want anything ruined then I suggest you STOP READING IMMEDIATELY.

For those that have already seen the movie, please continue....

"You know, for a crazy homeless person, he's pretty cut."

I thought that Thor was a lot of fun. Going into it, I did not realize how much of the movie would take place in his home realm, Asgard. The trailers make it seem like it would be mostly about his time on Earth, but I would say it is split pretty evenly between the two realms. The mythology of the character is interesting, for those of us who have not read the comics, and at no point was I confused about what was going on. Sometimes with the origin stories, the film makers try to cram too much information into the film and it muddles the storyline, but I did not find that with Thor.

The special effects were excellent and the realm of Asgard was pretty awesome looking. I kind of wish that I could live there. And while I did end up seeing it in 3-D, I do not think it is necessary. Although, I never really think 3-D is necessary, and certainly not IMAX 3-D. I do not feel that 3-D really adds anything to the experience, except that you have to wear annoying, bulky, plastic glasses for two hours.

Chris Hemsworth is very nice to look at, especially shirtless. It is also nice to see that he can do more than just crash a Federation starship into a Romulan mining vessel. He did a very good job carrying the entire movie and I look forward to seeing him in other projects. However, I do have to say that Vincent D'Onofrio will always be Thor in my heart :o)

In terms of the rest of the cast, everyone else's performances were on par with what you would expect from them. Kat Dennings stood out to me because she is hilarious and Tom Hiddleston was also excellent as Thor's brother, Loki. As with the Iron Man movies, make sure you stay until the very end of the credits for your Nick Fury cameo. 

If you like action movies, or even if you just like hot guys, then I would highly recommend seeing this movie. It is entertaining throughout and definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

xoxo
c


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"I have learned that you make your own happiness...

...that part of going for what you want means losing something else.  And when the stakes are high, the losses can be that much greater."
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The two movies I am most looking forward to that are opening this weekend are Thor and Something Borrowed.

Thor is based on the comic books written by Stan Lee and produced by Marvel Comics. He is cast out of his own realm by his father to be sent to live on Earth.and taught humility. He lands without his hammer, the source of his power, and can only retrieve it by proving himself worthy enough. Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth, who you may remember as George Kirk from the latest Star Trek movie. I have never read any of the comics, but if it is anything like the previous two Iron Man movies, Thor is sure to be highly entertaining. It will be followed by another Marvel character, Captain America, later this summer and both will appear in The Avengers in 2012.

Trailer #2
Thor at MOVIECLIPS.com

Something Borrowed is based on the book of the same name by Emily Giffin. On the night of her 30th birthday, Rachel has a few too many drinks and ends up sleeping with her best friend's fiancee. At first she tries to forget about the fling, but soon realizes that she has feelings for this guy. Rachel struggles with figuring out if she should be with the man she loves or stand aside and watch him marry the best friend who has always taken the spotlight from her. Rachel is played by Ginnifer Goodwin and best friend, Darcy, is played by Kate Hudson. I am not expecting anything other than the typical stupid romantic comedy, but sometimes those can be fun too :o)

Trailer #2
Something Borrowed at MOVIECLIPS.com

While I will probably see both of these movies, regardless of what the reviews say, they currently stand on opposite ends of the spectrum on Rotten Tomatoes. Thor is at 84% and Something Borrowed is at 15%.

Other movies opening this weekend include: The Beaver, Jumping the Broom, Hobo With A Shotgun and Last Night

xoxo

c

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