School of Movies

The Avengers

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This is the sixth and final of the official MARVEL superhero movie reviews for now. In the future we will be returning to Marvel with reviews of the Spider-Man and X-Men film series’, and maybe a few of the others like Daredevil, 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ang Lee’s Hulk. We will also be covering any subsequent movies from the Marvel cinematic universe including Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2 and the inevitable follow-up to The Avengers. But right now we’re focusing on this culmination of years of setup and expectation as The Avengers Assemble.

This is actually the first ever Gonzo show I’ve recorded where myself, my guests and the rest of the world have only just seen the film in question for the first time. in fact it launches in the USA tonight. This makes for a slightly different discussion, not least because this is also the culmination of four years of waiting, longer if you’re a Marvel fan. It is also a new beginning for comic book movies and my theory is that in twenty years this will be seen as one of the first truly successful crossovers.

Some of the things we didn’t mention on the show that need mentioning…

1. The Helicarrier was awe-inspiring.
2. Black Widow did her fighting without high-heeled shoes again and in fact pointedly picked them up afterwards.
3. It would appear that the Americans get a brief post-credits Easter-Egg so stick around until the very end. That goes for this spoiler-packed podcast as well.

Guests:

Nikki Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Captain America: The First Avenger

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This show covers the not the first but certainly the finest cinematic outing for the star-spangled man with the shield..

This was another tough movie to make happen considering America’s relationship with war over the past decade. If they had gone too patriotic the rest of the world would have hated it, too down on America and the domestic box-office would suffer greatly. In the end the smartest thing to do was to put Steve Rogers in the context to which his character was created. The simpler times of the 1940s where heroes were lantern-jawed and villains were hideous and motivated only by hate. It could have been disastrous. It wasn’t. Find out more inside, true believers!

To finish off we also talk about some of the best and worst MARVEL video games out there as well as some wild speculation on what might happen in The Avengers that will seem dated within hours once people start seeing it.

Neil and I also place a bet.

Guests:

Nikki Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Thor-

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This was a tough one for MARVEL. DC spent years developing the similarly magic-based superhero movie; Wonder Woman and ultimately stalled, ironically letting go the director of The Avengers. The rest of the established Marvels have their background in science, albeit fantastical science from the mind of dreamers. Thor has his basis in actual Norse mythology, given a space-age refreshing by Jack Kirby. The challenge was to sell modern cinema audiences this shining hero for the first time and make him every bit as believable as Iron Man.

Guests:

Nikki Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet

Iron Man

[Digital Gonzo 2012]

This first show covers Iron Man, arguably the best of the released movies so far. A critical and box-office high for Robert Downey Junior and director John Favreau and the beginning of a new renaissance of Marvel comic book adaptations.

Guests:

Neil Taylor of TheKiddDogg

Joshua Garrity of Cane and Rinse

Jerome McIntosh of GameBurst

Paul Gibson of Gonzo Planet