Tag Archives: The Avengers

‘The Avengers’ trailer: Is that Fin Fang Foom?

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Okay, we’re plunging deep into geeky waters here.

A couple of days ago, Marvel released the latest trailer for “The Avengers.” The preview was a huge hit with fans — a record-setting 13.7 million views in its first 24 hours on iTunes — some of whom lay down their skepticism about the Joss Whedon movie thanks to the character moments and big action scenes included.

And what an action scene at the end of the trailer, as Iron Man is pursued through the concrete canyons of New York by a huge flying serpent thing.

There’s been a lot of speculation in the days since the trailer debuted online about just who or what the flying serpent is. Is it organic or mechanical? Is it a robot or a ship? (Some observers noted an earlier trailer showed alien warriors jumping from a ship that looked suspiciously like the serpent.)

Some of the guesses in the wake of the trailer were particularly geeky, harking back to the early days of Marvel Comics. Could the serpent be Fin Fang Foom?

Let’s all say that together. Fin Fang Foom. Fun, isn’t it? Fin Fang Fun, as a matter of fact.

For all those people who have spent their lives somewhat closer to the heart of reality, an explanation of who (what?) Fin Fang Foom is:

Fin Fang Foom first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1961 as a sort of talkative Godzilla character, a dragon/snake/whatever that reappeared later, when Marvel specialized in superhero comics. Fin — if you’ll allow me to adopt a familiar, first-name basis — fought the Fantastic Four as well as Avengers Thor, Hulk and Iron Man.

Do I really think Fin Fang Foom is in “The Avengers?”

Well, no. Not really.

As over-the-top as a bunch of costumed superheroes might seem, a talking dragon monster might be perceived as a little too … preposterous, shall we say?

I’m guessing the flying snake thing in “The Avengers” is just a particularly eye-catching transport ship for the legions of creatures (Skrulls?) that the good guys will be fighting.

If I’m wrong and Thor blurts out, “By Odin’s beard! That is none other than Fin Fang Foom!” you’ll know geek culture has ascended to the highest halls of Hollywood.

And the “Fin Fang Foom” prequel movie will be, by that point, inevitable.

‘The Avengers’ trailer … and that giant snake thing

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Wow.

The new trailer for Marvel’s “The Avengers” was released today and looks amazing.

The trailer offered us the first real glimpse of the scope of the movie, which opens May 4.

Sure, it’s a big superhero movie, based on the classic Marvel comic book, and features the leads from “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “Captain America,” “The Hulk” and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury to boot, all directed by “Buffy” maestro Joss Whedon.

But some fans have complained that previous previews didn’t give a real sense of the scale of the action, of the menace facing the heroes. After all, Nick Fury was putting this team together to take on a challenge that was too big for any single hero to handle alone, right?

So, without revealing too much about the plot or even confirming the space-faring villains (Skrull? Kree? Asgardian monsters?), the trailer puts the menace, the scope, the scale of the threat out there.

And it did it with that giant flying snake thing at the end of the trailer. Is it a robot? Is it alive? Something in between? And whose WMD is it?

Other thoughts upon watching the trailer for, like, the tenth time:

“We’re not a team. We’re a time bomb,” scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) says. Banner is the guy who Hulks out, of course.

Oh, and the Hulk. Not only do we see more Ruffalo but we see more of his big green alter ego. We see the Hulk smashing through a series of too-small doorways, as seen in an earlier spot. This time we see he’s following Black Widow. Has he wigged out and started chasing her? Or are the two making a hasty exit together?

Oh, and more about the Hulk. How cool is the moment when the Hulk comes out of nowhere to rescue Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) as he falls from the sky? And of course he does it in Hulk style, slowing his and Iron Man’s freefall by dragging the facade off several stories of a skyscraper.

Cap fights Thor. Iron Man fights Thor. Everybody knows that it’s a Marvel Comics standby to have heroes tussle before they get together and fight on the same side. So maybe that’s what’s going on here. Or maybe some of those heroes are controlled by … Skrulls?

Why are Hawkeye and Black Widow there? Some people can’t seem to get that a key to the Avengers team in the comics was that while some members were super-powered, others were not. The online bitching about the normal-powered Hawkeye and Black Widow being part of the team has been ridiculous. Ironically, the trailer addresses this, with Black Widow telling Hawkeye in effect, “We weren’t trained for this.”

Whedon and his team have, after months, really whetted our appetites for “The Avengers.” The trailer released today had me wishing May 4 was tomorrow.

‘The Avengers’ poster is assembled!

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The one-sheet — or at least one of the one-sheets — poster for “The Avengers” was released today.

The reaction on the Interwebz was funny.

“Oh my god, that’s a Photoshop nightmare!”

“Why is the Hulk so tall?”

“What is Captain America so tall?”

“Why is Iron Man and not Captain America leading the team?”

“Why do they all have their helmets and/or masks off?”

Hooboy.

The answers: Really, who cares how they put the poster together? The Hulk is tall because he’s a hulk, and he’s probably standing on something. Cap is so tall because he’s standing on something. Iron Man is front and center because he’s got the most movies in his franchise. They all have their helmets/masks off because Marvel wants people to recognize the actors. Why do you think Tobey McGuire’s Spider-Man kept getting his mask ripped off before the climactic battle?

Anyway, I think the poster looks pretty good.

The movie opens

‘Amazing Spider-Man’ has an amazing trailer

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Just a couple of days after the commercial for “The Avengers” — “We have a Hulk” — became my favorite minute of the Super Bowl, along comes a spider.

Well, a Spider-Man anyway.

The trailer for this July’s “Amazing Spider-Man” debuted online today.

Maybe I’m getting to be a soft touch, but I wasn’t looking forward to this movie at all and the trailer sold me.

The Spider-Man seen in the trailer for Marc Webb’s reboot is a familiar one to Marvel Comics readers. He’s young and smart and, maybe most importantly, kind of a smart ass. The Spider-Man from the comics was — and is — a quipster, the kind of guy who is prone to lobbing insults and sarcastic remarks as often as he shoots webs or throws punches.

Admittedly, it’s not the equal of having Spidey insult the Kingpin, but the moment in the trailer when our hero makes fun of a thief’s outfit seems like vintage Spidey.

I liked Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” movies just fine (at least the first two) and I’m not sure we needed a reboot. Sony apparently thought otherwise, launching the remake in part to keep a handle on the big-screen rights.

And I’m not sold on the “mysterious origins” of Peter Parker and his parents. I almost wish they hadn’t remade Spidey’s origin at all, or had simply retold it over the opening credits.

But anyway. The trailer is dynamic enough, and visually pleasing enough, that I’m now looking forward to this, right along with “The Avengers.”

Yeah. This is ‘The Avengers’

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Is the Super Bowl still going on? Because I stopped watching and went straight to my computer after the commercial for “The Avengers” aired.

We’ve seen some of the footage to be found in the “Avengers” Super Bowl commercial before, and a little bit — the repartee between Tony Stark and Loki — was convention footage.

But the best part of the spot? That shot of the team assembled, back to back, facing down a threat.

How many days until May 4?

Okay, so no Spider-Man in ‘The Avengers?’

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Joss says no.

We’ve mentioned in this blog lately the Interwebs rumors — based on a random comment in an interview with actress Jenny Agutter — that Spider-Man would make a cameo appearance in May’s “Avengers” movie.

This got everybody who wasn’t looking at porn on the Internet very excited.

Then, on Wednesday, during a Twitter chat with a few “Avengers” cast members, director Joss Whedon said this in response to a question about Spider-Man being in the movie:

“There is no Spider-Man cameo. But the Avengers do turn off the dark.” (Ha Joss! Broadway humor!)

Okay, on the face of it, that would appear to settle the matter. Joss says no Spider-Man cameo. And that’s perfectly reasonable. After all, different movie companies, yadda yadda yadda.

And I think he’s telling the truth.

But …

This is the devious genius behind the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series, after all. The guy who devised, or at the very least approved, the addition of fan favorite Amber Benson, who played Tara, to the show’s opening credits … on the same episode in which she was killed.

Talk about bait and switch.

So Joss says no. No cameo.

He didn’t say anything about an appearance of more substance than a cameo, however, did he?

Nah. Couldn’t be.

 

Spider-Man in ‘The Avengers’ — part two

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You know, at this point I’m choosing to believe Spider-Man is going to join up with — even fleetingly — his Marvel comics counterparts in this May’s “Avengers” movie.

That doesn’t mean it will happen. But wouldn’t it be fun if it did?

A while back in this space, I noted reports on the Interwebs that Spider-Man — the movie incarnation of which is owned by Sony — might appear in “The Avengers,” which is being made by Marvel’s studio arm and released by Disney.

Many folks with a lot more insight than me maintain that Sony is rebooting “Spider-Man” this summer only to keep their hands on the rights to the character.

And they note how hard it is, some apparent recent legal accord notwithstanding, for studios to play nicely together.

In the wake of the first round of pooh-poohing of the Spider-Man rumor, come stories today — in bestmoviesever.com and repeated on Comicbookresources.com — that Spidey really, truly is going to appear in the movie, even if it’s a glorified cameo like Wolverine’s appearance in last summer’s “X-Men: First Class.”

The above websites have all the speculation if you care to check it out.

Anyway, we all know that Marvel is building an intricate movie universe and that Sony wouldn’t mind some publicity for their “Spider-Man” reboot, which follows “The Avengers” into theaters by several weeks.

So will it happen?

We’ll find out.

Spider-Man in ‘The Avengers?’ Probably not. But …

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The Internet broke today.

And you can blame British actress Jenny Agutter.

In an interview with Radio Times, a Brit publication, Agutter noted that she has a small role in this May’s movie version of the classic comic book “The Avengers.” While on the set, Agutter said, she saw trailers for the actors playing Iron Man and Spider-Man.

Only one problem: Spider-Man isn’t supposed to be in the movie. The webslinger’s big-screen adventures — including the reboot coming out late this summer — are being made by Sony, while “The Avengers” is coming from Disney.

So is there some cross-studio crossover in the works? Have Hollywood moguls loosened their grips on their respective superhero tentpoles and allowed the kind of hero visitation the comics have always enjoyed?

Probably not.

Anyway, there was a LOT of talk about the possibility of a Spider-Man cameo online today. About twice as many people discounted the possibility as touted it.

I guess we’ll know for certain, though, when “The Avengers” comes out on May 4.

It’s too bad that movie rights to the Spider-Man character are owned by Sony, while Fantastic Four is owned by Fox and Iron Man, Captain America and all the other Avengers are overseen by Paramount and Disney.

Because one of the best things about the comic book universe has traditionally been that it is a shared universe. As seen in the vintage cover above, Marvel heroes regularly showed up in each other’s comics.

On the current “Avengers” animated series on Disney XD, a season-one episode featured the super team fighting some bad guys in the streets of New York City. Suddenly a burst of flame pummels the baddies. The Avengers look up and the Human Torch, member of the Fantastic Four, skywrites, “You owe me one” before flying off.

Then the Torch’s FF compadre, the Thing, shows up to clobber another bad guy.

It was a throw-away gag, sure. And there was nothing to lose compared to the high stakes of big-screen movies.

But maybe someday we’ll see that big old comic-book universe play out on the movie screen.

Will we ever see a ‘Justice League’ movie?

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I watched “Captain America” on DVD last night and really enjoyed the movie, which brought Marvel’s World War II-era hero to the screen this past summer, all over again. The little sneak peek at next May’s “The Avengers” movie was fun. To say I’m looking forward to “The Avengers” is an understatement. The fourth issue of the “Avengers” comic, the one in which the heroes thawed Captain America and he joined the team, was the first comic book I ever owned, kindly given to me by an older friend.

But as much as I’m looking forward to “The Avengers,” I’m puzzled as to why DC — an arm of Warner Bros. — has been unable to get a “Justice League” movie into gear.

It’s not like “Justice League” can’t be translated into other media besides comic books. The “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” series, set in the animated DC universe created with “Batman the Animated Series,” was a faithful adaptation of the comics. The “Unlimited” series expanded the membership of the League to include dozens and dozens of characters, both delightful and obscure (who would have thought of an entire episode built around hapless blowhard Booster Gold? Yet it was one of the best of the entire series).

And DC has also had good luck with “Justice League” animated in longer form, particularly “Justice League New Frontier,” a retro story based on Darwyn Cooke’s great graphic novel that set the hands of the superhero clock back to the 1950s and introduced Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman (not to mention a host of yes, obscure characters). Heck, even TV’s “Smallville” had a version of the League on a TV budget.

So there’s no reason a “Justice League” movie can’t happen, except:

– The Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale “Dark Knight” movies. With the third, “Dark Knight Rises,” coming out next summer, Nolan seems to be ready to wrap up his foray into the character’s world. Much has been made over rumors that Nolan and Bale don’t want their “realistic” Batman to be seen in the same movie with a bunch of other “fantastic” costumed characters. Of course, “Dark Knight Rises” features not only Catwoman and Bane in outfits that would turn heads on most sidewalks. So maybe Nolan is loosening up his standards.

– DC and Warner Bros. can’t seem to get any other characters launched. “Green Lantern” came out this summer and really wasn’t very good. “Wonder Woman” imploded and never got made. “The Flash” has been in the planning stages for years.

– They tried to make a “Justice League” movie a couple of years ago, even picked the cast and began pre-production. Actors like Armie Hammer were fitted for costumes. (Why hasn’t footage or pictures of Hammer in Batman drag shown up online?) But then a writer’s strike happened, production in Australian fell apart and, frankly, I wonder if somebody didn’t lose their nerve. Remember Nolan’s reluctance to have  a bunch of colorful costumed characters in the same room together? Maybe it was catching.

In the time it’s taken for DC and Warner Bros. to make a good “Batman” movie, begin another one, start work on a “Superman” movie and make a mediocre “Green Lantern” movie, Marvel — now part of Disney — has released two “Iron Man” pictures, a good “Hulk” movie, “Thor,” “Captain America” and is putting the finishing touches on “The Avengers.”

Will we ever see the members of the Justice League swooping down from their Watchtower to take on some globe-threatening menace?