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Eyrie Productions, Unlimited
Gryphon
Charter Member
22422 posts |
May-01-15, 02:47 AM (EDT) |
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1. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #0
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Hmm... I've been on the fence about going to this one, partly because I haven't actually seen any of the Marvel films since, well, The Avengers. I'm not sure why, I mean, I have all four! I just haven't watched them. Partly, I was very not whelmed by the trailers for Iron Man 3 and the first episode of Agents of SHIELD, and I kind of resent that very-comics-like assumption the series is making as it gets bigger and bigger that of course you've seen all the others. And the TV show. And the other TV show. And the other other TV show, or actually it's not a TV show, have we even figured out what we're calling stuff that's only online, bearing in mind that we'll be stabbed if we start throwing around the word "webisodes"?* Anyway. That was, ironically, part of the beauty of the thing in the beginning, was that it was like reading comics except without all the baggage. :) Mainly, though, I think I can't get around the fact that when I went to see The Avengers, I was conscious of a markedly nonzero chance that it might actually be the last movie I ever saw, and... well, it would've been OK in that role. Y'know? There would have been many things to regret, but "The Avengers was the last movie I saw" wouldn't have been one of them. So on some level, it seems like going back to the franchise would kind of be... I don't even know what. This train of thought turns out not to really go anywhere, sorry. Anyway, that was three years ago and it wasn't the last movie I ever got to see, so I should probably just move on. More immediately, I know two non-spoiler, in-the-ad-campaign things about it and neither one is really all that interesting to me: - It's about Ultron (obviously); and - Oh good, the Maximoffs, that's what I needed to make my day complete. (Plus, it's fairly obvious from the sting at the end of the first one that the next one's going to be some variation on The Infinity Gauntlet - bleh - and I read somewhere that Captain America 3 is going to be sonofabitching Civil War? Colon-q-fuck-that. It's time to start looking for the cord that stops this train.) However! Yours is a recommendation I respect, and for some preposterous reason my mother wants to see it, so I probably will end up going sometime once the semester is over. Which leaves me with a question that only someone who has seen it (and probably them) can really answer: Before I do that, should I set aside eight to ten hours of my life and watch Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy first? (I'm not watchin' two seasons of Agents of SHIELD, that's not even on the table. :) --G. * EXCEPTION: The judges would grudgingly accept that a Spider-Man online "TV" series could justifiably be called "webisodes". -><- Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/ zgryphon at that email service Google has Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam. |
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Matrix Dragon
Charter Member
1893 posts |
May-01-15, 03:34 AM (EDT) |
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2. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #1
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Winter Soldier's the only one I'd say you need to watch. It's got some plot points that set up the state of the world as of the beginning of the movie. Iron Man 3, you don't need to worry about too much. The only stuff that follows through to this movie is that Tony had some PTSD from the events of the Avengers, but more or less got over it. The same goes for Thor 2. The only things that matter there is that the Bifrost is fixed, Thor and Jane are properly dating now that he can visit Earth more often, and one of the Infinity Gems appeared in that movie, and Asgard locked it up somewhere safe. Guardians, I'd think you'd enjoy, but it's got no connection to Avengers at all, except for another gem showing up there. And that's only referenced in AoU as 'Okay, seriously, why are all these things showing up now?' Agents of Shield you can safely avoid. It's done the occasional movie tie-in, but it's always been the show reacting to the movies, not the other way around. Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter |
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pjmoyer
Charter Member
1856 posts |
May-01-15, 10:06 AM (EDT) |
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6. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #2
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LAST EDITED ON May-01-15 AT 10:12 PM (EDT) I'm replying at work, so I can't check the number of times I've watched each movie in the theaters. I'll update when I get home.Now, with updates! The first Avengers was a 4 watch. >Winter Soldier's the only one I'd say you need to watch. It's got some >plot points that set up the state of the world as of the beginning of >the movie. Agreement. It's a solid conspiracy thriller, happens in DC, and is an effective tentpole with regards of "State of the MCU", affecting things across the board. Watched it 4 times. >Iron Man 3, you don't need to worry about too much. The only stuff >that follows through to this movie is that Tony had some PTSD from the >events of the Avengers, but more or less got over it. I wouldn't say the PTSD totally gone (since it sort of informs why Tony's done what he did in AoU), but you can skip it if you don't feel driven to watch. That said, the Iron Legion sequence is sweet. And JARVIS and Tony won that one! This was a 4 watch. (mind, I also watched Pacific Rim 4 times.) >The same goes for Thor 2. The only things that matter there is that >the Bifrost is fixed, Thor and Jane are properly dating now that he >can visit Earth more often, and one of the Infinity Gems appeared in >that movie, and Asgard locked it up somewhere safe. I liked Thor 2 for more of the views of Asgard, but in overall impact it can be skipped (save for the end film events, of course). This was a 1 watch, actually. >Guardians, I'd think you'd enjoy, but it's got no connection to >Avengers at all, except for another gem showing up there. And that's >only referenced in AoU as 'Okay, seriously, why are all these things >showing up now?' Guardians is an EPU space epic, honestly. It's got alien races! Prison break-outs! Outer Space worldbuilding! A big bad to definitively squash and a heroic space legion! An in-movie soundtrack! You'd almost expect "Featuring The Art Of Noise" in the end music credits! (If you heard that in Chris Pratt's voice, you're on the same wavelength as I am.) This was a 4 watch, surprisingly. Loved it, would watch again. Mylene does not have Peter Quill's number in her rolodex, she was just using him for his mixtapes. >Agents of Shield you can safely avoid. It's done the occasional movie >tie-in, but it's always been the show reacting to the movies, not the >other way around. I like it, but I admit to have held through the rough spots in order to get to the awesome in the later parts of season 1 and season 2. It's always been a bit rough around the edges, though being able to see the solid fallout to later movie events at the "ground level" is interesting. And it's laying pipe for later movie events (though it's hampered in its way by the movies not really being able to acknowledge their contributions in turn). It's honestly the only series on TV I'm watching right now, so... Agent Carter was awesome, but it's a period piece. Short though, which makes for tight storytelling. I can't weigh in on Daredevil because I don't have Netflix. Still debating on it (and whether the following series are also good -- if AKA Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are well received, then that'll probably push me over to getting Netflix to watch them). It's more gritty, and is directly dealing with the fallout of the Battle in NYC, but it's at a ground-level and people don't directly refer those events (just explaining why Hell's Kitchen has regressed). In my opinion, Age of Ultron is probably going to be a 3-watch. --- Philip "Ohhh.... so that's what Theta Protocol was about!"
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Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here" Fandoms -- Fanart -- Fan Meta Discussions |
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Mephron
Charter Member
1896 posts |
May-01-15, 06:50 PM (EDT) |
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16. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #6
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>>Winter Soldier's the only one I'd say you need to watch. It's got some >>plot points that set up the state of the world as of the beginning of >>the movie. > >Agreement. It's a solid conspiracy thriller, happens in DC, and is an >effective tentpole with regards of "State of the MCU", affecting >things across the board. Watched it 4 times at least, I think I got >it up to 6 but I'd need to double-check. Indeed. It's got a great superhero/spy flick thing going on. Plus the Strucker stinger. >>Guardians, I'd think you'd enjoy, but it's got no connection to >>Avengers at all, except for another gem showing up there. And that's >>only referenced in AoU as 'Okay, seriously, why are all these things >>showing up now?' > >Guardians is an EPU space epic, honestly. It's got alien >races! Prison break-outs! Outer Space worldbuilding! A big bad to >definitively squash and a heroic space legion! An in-movie >soundtrack! You'd almost expect "Featuring The Art Of Noise" in the >end music credits! > >(If you heard that in Chris Pratt's voice, you're on the same >wavelength as I am.) It was great. It was something we'd do as a side-story somewhere, with a bunch of people doing things, and the Valiant comes across the Milano in the middle of some crazy heist against, like, the Cylons. >I can't weigh in on Daredevil because I don't have Netflix. >Still debating on it (and whether the following series are also good >-- if AKA Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are well received, >then that'll probably push me over to getting Netflix to watch them). >It's more gritty, and is directly dealing with the fallout of the >Battle in NYC, but it's at a ground-level and people don't directly >refer those events (just explaining why Hell's Kitchen has regressed). Daredevil is goddamn DARK. There is limb-breaking that is not hidden. It's TV-MA for a reason. They do mention the "Battle of New York" and the "Incident", but it's more to explain as to why there's so much construction going on. (And to be honest, after years of Robert Goren of the NYPD, seeing Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin, and some of the stuff he does (going from being tender and awkward on a date to absolutely shocking violence) is briliant work. Charlie Cox is a great Daredevil. Not 100% sold on Foggy, but Foggy has always been kind of comic relief, and it really doesn't ring well in the situation. Still, it's worth watching, and I'm looking forwards to the other series that are coming. -- Geoff Depew - Darth Mephron Haberdasher to Androids, Dark Lord of Sith Tech Support. "And Remember! Google is your Friend!!" |
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Wiregeek
Member since Mar-13-14
159 posts |
May-01-15, 09:25 AM (EDT) |
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4. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #1
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My personal take on the MCU as a whole, as well as on the comics, is that if I _have_ to eat various other properties to understand what the hell is going on, OK*. But I'd prefer to just consume what's in front of me, and enjoy it on its own merits. There's no part of the MCU that has failed the "on its own merits" test for me. The characters are big and fun and true-to-the-spirit-of renditions of their comic selves, as far as I can tell. And they're so lovely to watch. There's some truly good casting going on, and almost everyone gets a moment or two to shine. I can without reservation say that I have had a grand old time with the Marvel Cinematic Universe properties, and I am looking forward to re-watching, well, everything in prep for AoU. *Who's this pink gal? Utena? Isn't that an anime**? **Wait, they're wearing airplanes as pants? |
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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1197 posts |
May-01-15, 11:08 AM (EDT) |
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8. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #5
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So, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang? --- "She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards. boom boom |
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CdrMike
Member since Feb-20-05
900 posts |
May-01-15, 10:46 AM (EDT) |
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7. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #1
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I have to agree with the recommendations to see Winter Soldier, not only because it's necessary to understand what's going on in AoU, but because it's a good spy novel sorta story. No points for guessing who the Winter Soldier really is if you've kept even moderately up with comics in the last two decades. Iron Man 3 is one of those films that I could only really stomach once, not because it's bad, but because the tone is too bleak compared to the previous two films. Downey Jr. continues to be awesome as Stark, there's still plenty of quips and humorous moments, and overall it's an enjoyable film. And I'll add one item that was missed on the list of things this film brings to AoU, and that's that Tony's suits can now be AI-piloted. The Dark World is a love it or leave it film. It's not a bad movie, at least in my opinion, but it's just not as strong as the others in Phase 2. Perhaps there's some sort of big pay-off coming up in Ragnarok, but right now it seems to be more a film that was moving things along than a story I could really get into. And Guardians is an awesome film, worth seeing even if it isn't relevant to AoU. I like to think of it as the palate cleanser of Phase 2, sort of the light-hearted action film that the first Iron Man was. When you see it, you'll understand why a lot of us who saw it back in theaters think that it's like James Gunn accidentally tapped into the UF-verse. After you've made your way through those films, Age of Ultron is definitely worth seeing. Ultron is one of the most insufferable villains Marvel has ever created, but James Spader makes him awesome. And the Maximoffs end up being one of the best parts the film. Plus, the Hulkbuster scene is every bit as amazing as the trailers promised. There's really no reason I can think of not to see it. -------------------------- CdrMike, Overwatch Reject "You know, the world could always use more heroes." - Tracer, Overwatch |
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CdrMike
Member since Feb-20-05
900 posts |
May-01-15, 12:09 PM (EDT) |
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13. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #11
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>Spader's performance is really, really impressive, considering 98% of >his role hinged on his vocal delivery, and he nails it to the wall. > >"Oh, sorry, I'm sure that'll be fine." I've caught a bit of him on The Black List and he is the kinda actor who was born to play magnificent bastard roles. Being a CG character did not in any way hamper him. -------------------------- CdrMike, Overwatch Reject "You know, the world could always use more heroes." - Tracer, Overwatch |
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pjmoyer
Charter Member
1856 posts |
May-01-15, 01:46 PM (EDT) |
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15. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #7
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>I have to agree with the recommendations to see Winter Soldier, >not only because it's necessary to understand what's going on in AoU, >but because it's a good spy novel sorta story. No points for guessing >who the Winter Soldier really is if you've kept even moderately up >with comics in the last two decades. What's cool is that the subtitle actually more applies to Steve Rogers...
Quote
These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
(The American Crisis, Thomas Paine)Since Captain America is NOT one to shrink from the service of his country... >And Guardians is an awesome film, worth seeing even if it isn't >relevant to AoU. I like to think of it as the palate cleanser of >Phase 2, sort of the light-hearted action film that the first Iron >Man was. When you see it, you'll understand why a lot of us who >saw it back in theaters think that it's like James Gunn accidentally >tapped into the UF-verse. And you just can't go wrong with raccoons. Even if he's not technically a raccoon. --- Philip
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Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here" Fandoms -- Fanart -- Fan Meta Discussions |
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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1197 posts |
May-02-15, 09:08 AM (EDT) |
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20. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #18
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"This is not going to go away." --- "She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards. broose broose y y u do broose broose broose stahp pls my heart |
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Phantom
Charter Member
160 posts |
May-06-15, 12:31 PM (EDT) |
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27. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #1
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>Which leaves me with a question that only someone who has seen it (and >probably them) can really answer: Before I do that, should I set aside >eight to ten hours of my life and watch Iron Man 3, Thor >2, Captain America 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy >first? (I'm not watchin' two seasons of Agents of SHIELD, >that's not even on the table. :) > >--G. The simple answer is no, you do not need to watch anything between Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. You should not be missing anything vital to the movie itself. You also do not need to have seen any of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thanks! Phantom "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes
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Phantom
Charter Member
160 posts |
May-06-15, 03:13 PM (EDT) |
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29. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #28
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>I'd disagree - Winter Soldier does cover a few useful plot points. >Mind, I managed by reading the Wikipedia plot summary, but if Gryph >has the video on hand, why not do it right? > >Peter Eng >-- >Insert humorous comment here. Depends on what you are referring to. I didn't see much from Winter Soldier directly in A:AoU. I am interested it hearing more. We can take the discussion into PM, so as to not risk any spoilers. Thanks! "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes |
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BobSchroeck
Charter Member
2258 posts |
May-06-15, 06:05 PM (EDT) |
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31. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #1
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>Which leaves me with a question that only someone who has seen it (and >probably them) can really answer: Before I do that, should I set aside >eight to ten hours of my life and watch Iron Man 3, Thor >2, Captain America 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy >first?I just got back from seeing it two hours ago, and after finally reading this thread, I agree with the general consensus: Winter Soldier is useful to have seen; Guardians of the Galaxy has no bearing on Age of Ultron but is a must-see, basically "Marvel does UF"; Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 can be ignored. And don't judge Agents of SHIELD by its first episode or three. It's written like an anime -- it takes a few "meet the team/learn the setting" episodes before the main plotline kicks in. And then, as someone noted above, the awesome kicks in as well. Also -- nothing in SHIELD is a trivial or forgettable detail. Nothing. The collection of Chekhov's Guns in this show looks like the "armory" scene in The Matrix. -- Bob ------------------- My race is pacifist and does not believe in war. We kill only out of personal spite. |
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The Traitor
Member since Feb-24-09
1197 posts |
May-07-15, 02:07 PM (EDT) |
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34. "RE: Avengers: Age of Ultron"
In response to message #24
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He burnt out from a 28-hour marathon? That's cute. --- "She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards. |
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version 3.3 © 2001
Eyrie Productions,
Unlimited
Benjamin
D. Hutchins
E P U (Colour)
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