- The Beginning
Yesterday afternoon, with nothing to do in the office, I stumbled upon the news that The Avengers was starting its public screening that day. A quick search on Weibo for nearby cinema schedules revealed a showing at 5:10 PM. I quickly grabbed Brother De and headed to the theater. However, to our dismay, while there were still a few tickets left, we were told that a 100 yuan deposit was required for the 3D glasses in the small screening room. Neither of us had brought our wallets, and by the time we ran back to the office and returned, the movie would have already started. So, we opted for the so-called “golden time” slot at 7:30 PM, with tickets priced at 40 yuan—a bit of a rip-off.
At 7 PM, we grabbed a quick meal at McDonald’s for over 10 yuan and waited to enter the theater. As the saying goes, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
- The Cinema
We chose a distant seat in the second-floor box, dozens of meters away. Although we had a bird’s-eye view of the entire theater, the screen occupied less than a fifth of our visual field, making it quite tiring to watch. Additionally, the 3D projector bulbs used in domestic cinemas are notoriously dim, resulting in a poor viewing experience. Many details were lost in the darkness, making it hard to see clearly.
- Combat Power
The storyline is a sequel to last year’s Captain America, but as everyone knows, Captain America couldn’t remain the sole protagonist in this film. His combat power also took a nosedive.
Speaking of combat power, the Hulk is undoubtedly No. 1 in this movie. Gods, alien armies, alien warships—all are mere ants under the Hulk’s might. How can he be so overpowered? What’s more puzzling is how the previously wild and uncontrollable Hulk, who attacked his teammates without mercy, suddenly became disciplined and only targeted the alien monsters. Was there a deleted scene?
Iron Man probably ranks second in combat power. As a masterpiece of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), his weaponry and power source are unparalleled. Taking on a few alien fleets single-handedly seems like a trivial task for him.
- Special Effects
ILM has done it again—utterly mesmerizing and unbeatable. Whether it’s large-scale machinery like the recent super warships, the spacecraft from Avatar, or the various robots from Transformers, or smaller items like Iron Man’s suit, the gadgets in Pirates of the Caribbean, or the gloves in Mission: Impossible, it seems there’s nothing ILM can’t create. In the movie, it’s estimated that the vast majority of scenes are ILM’s special effects. Whether it’s New York City, the giant “aircraft” carrier, or Stark Tower, almost none of the scenes were shot on location.
- The Villain
The main antagonist, Loki, looks much older than Thor. I initially thought he was played by an older actor, but it turns out he’s only in his 30s—quite mature for his age. However, according to the movie, Thor is Loki’s older brother, while in reality, the actors’ ages are reversed, with a two-year difference. That’s quite interesting.
- Blunders
While watching the movie, I mistakenly thought the actor playing the Hulk was Billy Zane, who played Karl in Titanic. It turns out it was the actor who played the police officer investigating the island with Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island.
Another major blunder was my habitual confusion between Robert Downey Jr., Al Pacino, and Hugh Jackman.
