The Avengers

[swan_tower]

I'm not usually much of a shipper (in the fanfic sense) . . . but I want ALL THE HAWKEYE/BLACK WIDOW FIC NOW.

Ahem. Apart from me loving those two and wanting them to get their own movie, I thought The Avengers was quite excellent. Once I have it on DVD, I may well sit down and try to pick apart just how the writers managed to balance their script. Superhero movies have foundered before on the "too many heroes/villains" problem, but this one did a remarkable job of giving each character a meaningful role, without letting the pacing bog down in side tangents. It's helped, of course, by the fact that they're operating off a whole slew of individual movies -- but that doesn't account for all of it, because you can do that and still have a terrible team-up (just look to comic books for proof). This one handled things very deftly, I thought, and I'd love to dig into how.

And now, I crash. Because I survived my first kobudo seminar today (though I'm not sure my feet did), and have earned my rest. :-)

Comments

[tooth-and-claw.livejournal.com]

I could write some but it would be strictly BFF rather than OTP. Because, OH MY GOD, they were friends! A male/female friendship!!! No romance! WHAT.

[xahra99.livejournal.com]

There's a few posts over on on io9 that I thought analysed the movie well;as well as Joss Whedon's love for the Hawkeye/Black Widow pairing. It's even canon! I doubt they'll get their own movie, though, which is a shame. I'd love to see that, even if it was only 120 mins of Natasha being awesome and Renner shooting things.
Ah, well at least we only have to wait until August for more Renner in Bourne.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I like the BFF angle, too -- but that's because friendship-based romances are my favorite kind. I love the way they work together, I love the fact that they clearly have this long history, and I vastly prefer those things to the sort of romance where they bicker all the time (Pepper and Tony) or they met two days ago (Jane and Thor). So as far as I'm concerned, it can be BFF and OTP at the same time. :-D

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Links? (I'd go looking myself, but the next couple of days are going to be B.U.S.Y.)

[xahra99.livejournal.com]

I'm having problems enbedding links so here goes:

Several Reasons Why Avengers Kicks Ass That You Haven't Already Heard:
http://io9.com/5907585/several-reasons-why-avengers-kicks-ass-that-you-havent-already-heard

What's In Store For Black Widow After The Avengers:
http://io9.com/5906870/whats-in-store-for-black-widow-after-the-avengers-plus-peter-jackson-defends-his-the-hobbit-footage

Joss Whedon Dissects the Family Dynamic of the Avengers
http://io9.com/5906755/joss-whedon-dissects-the-family-dynamic-of-the-avengers

A Guide To The Avengers For The Extremely Confused
http://io9.com/5905354/a-guide-to-the-avengers-for-the-extremely-confused

and, for shits and giggles, Why Hawkeye Is The World's Worst Archer.
http://io9.com/5893693/is-hawkeye-from-the-avengers-the-worlds-worst-archer

Such a geek, I know.

[xahra99.livejournal.com]

I put up a post with the links, but it's gone to the spam filter. If you can't find it let me know.

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

Wheedon is pretty desperate to to a Clint and Natasha w/Fury SHIELD movie. So who knows?

[xahra99.livejournal.com]

Any refs for that? I've read a few articles on io9, but nothing definite

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Danke! (And yes, the spam filter ate it because it had too many links.)

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I'd be ALL OVER THAT.

[pirateveronica.livejournal.com]

Once I have it on DVD, I may well sit down and try to pick apart just how the writers managed to balance their script.

pretty sure its the magic of Whedon. :P Too much awesome in one man!!

My favourite part was how badass Black Widow was. I knew Whedon wouldn't let us (re: his obsessive fanbase) down in that regard. In the hands of another director, her character would have been just the T+A 'romantic' sap who always needed saving. But instead we got this total badass of a woman who was so strong and competent and confident and integral to the narrative. She was given a backstory, flaws, etc. The whole package. And! aside from Hawkeye, she was the only basic-human Avenger with no special tools or toys and yet she held her own against all these superpowered male characters.

So much awesome.

And ScoJo did a great job.

(also Loki was spectacular...that scene with him and Thor on the cliff kinda made me cry. Oh those two, so much angsty-goodness. I'm a sucker for sibling relationships.).

I also agree with your sentiment about every character getting a significant role; it was a complete team effort, every character getting space to grow and show off and interact with one another. (warning: more Whedon waxing: but thats a thing Whedon does best, these hodge-podge families made up of complex individuals who all manage to get a chance to shine in the narrative.


also....the explosions were awesome :P

[pirateveronica.livejournal.com]

omg yes.

[d-c-m.livejournal.com]

Yes! I want a movie with Hawkeye and Black Widow along with Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Agent Coulson.

Now. :)

[d-c-m.livejournal.com]

YES!!! I think ScoJo is a wonderful Black Widow! I agree also with what you wrote, what a relief! ScoJo said the same thing in an interview. :)