Avengers: Age of Ultron. Wow, how could they make an Avengers movie suck like this?

[Overmind One]

Unlike you naysayers, I enjoyed the whole thing and wasn't disappointed in anything but the non-very-end-the-movie teaser.

It has become a family ritual to hang out until the very end of the credits to see what I can expect in the future.

Who the hell do they think they are? DC?

For the record, you can't drag me to anything DC makes at this point. Colorless, humorless, doleful, and ultimately boring.

My favorite line in this film? "Oh, for god's sake..." It tied in very nicely with a certain scene in the first film.

They really had me slouching in the seat when the city took off. But seeing Nick Fury back in action was uplifting. Where was Coulson? Why are they still drifting back to the dead Cold War dynamic that no younger people can relate to? Sokovia? Really?

 

[Illiterati]

They really had me slouching in the seat when the city took off. But seeing Nick Fury back in action was uplifting. Where was Coulson? Why are they still drifting back to the dead Cold War dynamic that no younger people can relate to? Sokovia? Really?

So you can have something to be bitchy about, I suppose.

Yes, it was nice seeing Nick again. As for Coulson, he's got enough crap going on without having to deal with everything else.

 

[Joelist]

Hi Lit!

Like I said upthread, I didn't hate the film. But I also didn't like it like the first one, and to be honest it isn't even in the same ballpark as last year's Guardians of the Galaxy.

Ultron felt unfocused. It felt like it had too many characters to service (all the original Avengers plus new ones plus Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Ultron, Vision et al). And they all had to be serviced, which is also why the running time is up near three hours. Whedon tried, and for that deserves credit, but it just was not possible.

Guardians on the other hand kept its story focused and didn't overload us with characters. I might note neither did the first Avengers where outside the Avengers team the only other character that got real plot time was Loki.

If Marvel keeps going in this direction we're going to start seeing 4 hour long films with 20 characters et al. And as they have already announced Infinity War I think that may happen.

 

[Illiterati]

Of the three, yes, Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite. It has everything that agrees with my sense of humor.

That said, I also enjoyed the Avengers movies for what they are. I don't go in expecting Shakespeare, so I'm not disappointed in what I see on the screen.

Right now, there are some ultra-hyper-insane-feminist screaming bitches who are castigating Whedon and calling him a misogynist for the whole "monster" scene with Black Widow. I responded to a post about it on Facebook with the following:

"I think people are misreading the scene, as I believe what Black Widow is saying to Bruce is that her handlers turned her into a monster in the process of turning her into an assassin. Her goddamned evil Rooskie (TM) handlers' twisted reasoning was that by sterilizing her, it would lessen her chances of becoming attached to anyone or anything, removing a potential distraction and perceived weakness in her life, allowing her to become the coldhearted monster they needed her to be. Natasha saw her resulting cold-bloodedness as making her a monster, NOT her inability to have children."

 

[Joelist]

Welcome to the world of the internet based SJWs....

 

[Gatefan1976]

Of the three, yes, Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite. It has everything that agrees with my sense of humor.

That said, I also enjoyed the Avengers movies for what they are. I don't go in expecting Shakespeare, so I'm not disappointed in what I see on the screen.

Right now, there are some ultra-hyper-insane-feminist screaming bitches who are castigating Whedon and calling him a misogynist for the whole "monster" scene with Black Widow. I responded to a post about it on Facebook with the following:

"I think people are misreading the scene, as I believe what Black Widow is saying to Bruce is that her handlers turned her into a monster in the process of turning her into an assassin. Her goddamned evil Rooskie (TM) handlers' twisted reasoning was that by sterilizing her, it would lessen her chances of becoming attached to anyone or anything, removing a potential distraction and perceived weakness in her life, allowing her to become the coldhearted monster they needed her to be. Natasha saw her resulting cold-bloodedness as making her a monster, NOT her inability to have children."

Whedon has actually quit twitter over this stuff (not that I actually give a toss about twitter).
Quite frankly, the tone of -some- "modern feminists" disgusts me to my very core, and my feelings are not restricted to the battle of the sexes. It spills into "race relations", politics and anywhere there is "sides". Intelligent moderation has been forgotten in favour of revenge and payback.
The wheel just keeps spinning because not enough people are willing to get their bloody hand of it.

 

[Illiterati]

Whedon has actually quit twitter over this stuff (not that I actually give a toss about twitter).
Quite frankly, the tone of -some- "modern feminists" disgusts me to my very core, and my feelings are not restricted to the battle of the sexes. It spills into "race relations", politics and anywhere there is "sides". Intelligent moderation has been forgotten in favour of revenge and payback.
The wheel just keeps spinning because not enough people are willing to get their bloody hand of it.

Whedon has said that he actually quit social media so that he could focus on his writing with fewer distractions.

Whether this was the truth or not, I don't blame him for leaving. I stay on social media because I need to in order to keep and grow my fanbase. If I could get away with leaving it, I'd do it in the proverbial heartbeat.

 

[Illiterati]

Welcome to the world of the internet based SJWs....

Joelist, when I hear SJW lately, I think of the assholes on the Sad Puppy/Rabid Puppy front in regard to the Hugos.

Doesn't leave me with that fresh, feel-good feeling. Vox Day and his sycophants are ruining the Hugos with their gaming.

 

[Joelist]

Hi Lit!

To be honest I could care less about Vox Day, who it sounds like I would not care for if we ever met.

I was much more referring to the ever increasing phenomenom where basic differences of opinion turn into bloodsport. The whole "get offended and then personally attack your targets" mantra makes me sick. Part of why I think we have something special here at GateFans is we can actually have differing opinions while still according each other proper respect.

On to a different topic; who are your favorites in Science Fiction? Mine tend towards the older school - CJ Cherryh, Larry Niven, some Asimov and some Arthur C Clarke. Add in James P Hogan just on Code of the Lifemaker alone. Also Jim Butcher for the Dresden novels and Robert McCammon for the extremely freaky post apocalyptic novel Swan Song. There are others too.

 

[Illiterati]

Hi Lit!

To be honest I could care less about Vox Day, who it sounds like I would not care for if we ever met.

I was much more referring to the ever increasing phenomenom where basic differences of opinion turn into bloodsport. The whole "get offended and then personally attack your targets" mantra makes me sick. Part of why I think we have something special here at GateFans is we can actually have differing opinions while still according each other proper respect.

On to a different topic; who are your favorites in Science Fiction? Mine tend towards the older school - CJ Cherryh, Larry Niven, some Asimov and some Arthur C Clarke. Add in James P Hogan just on Code of the Lifemaker alone. Also Jim Butcher for the Dresden novels and Robert McCammon for the extremely freaky post apocalyptic novel Swan Song. There are others too.

I have a long list, but it includes Heinlein, Niven, McCaffrey, McCammon, Farmer, Nye, Friesner, and many others.

 

[ecgordon]

I'm fairly old-school myself in regards to SF books. In alphabetical, not preferential, order: Brian Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Asimov, Bester, Blish, Bradbury, Clarke, Clement, Delany, Dick, Ellison, Farmer, Gerrold, Haldeman, Heinlein, Herbert, Laumer, Leiber, Le Guin, Niven, Pohl, Silverberg, Simak, Spinrad, Sturgeon, Tiptree, Vance, Varley, Wolfe, and Zelazny. Plus I could have included several other lesser known authors. There is so much classic stuff I still haven't gotten around to, I don't know if I'll ever catch up on more contemporary writers. Side note: I've written articles on 21 of the writers named above for my site, plus reviewed individual books by some of them and many others.

I will be voting for the Hugos this year for the very first time, mainly because of the Puppy campaign. At first I said I was doing it so that nothing on their lists wins, but then I realized that would be just as bad as what they are trying to do. I'll try to read as much as I can and judge everything as honestly as I can. The awards committee is supposed to send out reading packets to those who have already joined the Sasquan convention, but I'm not sure how much that will include. I had already bought Kindle versions of Ancillary Sword and The Three Body Problem. I read and reviewed the former last week, and I'm almost finished with the latter. Hopefully I don't have to buy too many others since I'm on a limited budget for everything now.

OK, hijack over, back to Ultron. I'm not sure I understand the complaints leveled against Whedon in regards Black Widow. She kicks ass as well as any of the men, with just her own strength and resourcefulness, no super powers, and yet she empathizes with Banner/Hulk. What's wrong with that? My complaints are that he tried to do too much, with too many characters. He may have written witty dialogue for some of them, but I missed a lot of that due to the overbearing soundtrack and the poor sound system in the theater I chose. Until I can see it again, I have to say it was not as good as the first film, especially in the way the team acted towards each other in the quieter times, which were some of the best moments in the first one.

 

[Illiterati]

I'm fairly old-school myself in regards to SF books. In alphabetical, not preferential, order: Brian Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Asimov, Bester, Blish, Bradbury, Clarke, Clement, Delany, Dick, Ellison, Farmer, Gerrold, Haldeman, Heinlein, Herbert, Laumer, Leiber, Le Guin, Niven, Pohl, Silverberg, Simak, Spinrad, Sturgeon, Tiptree, Vance, Varley, Wolfe, and Zelazny. Plus I could have included several other lesser known authors. There is so much classic stuff I still haven't gotten around to, I don't know if I'll ever catch up on more contemporary writers. Side note: I've written articles on 21 of the writers named above for my site, plus reviewed individual books by some of them and many others.

I will be voting for the Hugos this year for the very first time, mainly because of the Puppy campaign. At first I said I was doing it so that nothing on their lists wins, but then I realized that would be just as bad as what they are trying to do. I'll try to read as much as I can and judge everything as honestly as I can. The awards committee is supposed to send out reading packets to those who have already joined the Sasquan convention, but I'm not sure how much that will include. I had already bought Kindle versions of Ancillary Sword and The Three Body Problem. I read and reviewed the former last week, and I'm almost finished with the latter. Hopefully I don't have to buy too many others since I'm on a limited budget for everything now.

OK, hijack over, back to Ultron. I'm not sure I understand the complaints leveled against Whedon in regards Black Widow. She kicks ass as well as any of the men, with just her own strength and resourcefulness, no super powers, and yet she empathizes with Banner/Hulk. What's wrong with that? My complaints are that he tried to do too much, with too many characters. He may have written witty dialogue for some of them, but I missed a lot of that due to the overbearing soundtrack and the poor sound system in the theater I chose. Until I can see it again, I have to say it was not as good as the first film, especially in the way the team acted towards each other in the quieter times, which were some of the best moments in the first one.

The man's said that he's finished overseeing/directing the movies. I'm sure that he realized early on that he'd bitten off a big piece of that Marvel meat, and it was time to let someone else have a bite.