The Avengers - A

Finally saw The Avengers on Thursday! (Well, I say "finally" even though it'd only been a week since it had come out. But in geeky anticipation time, it's a long time. XD I felt like the only geek left who hadn't seen it!) Have to say, it lives up to all the rave reviews. I give The Avengers a solid A.

LOL! Too true; too funny. We need more beefcake cheesecake in comics. XD

In the way that Iron Man was the perfect fun, action-packed (but still logical) comic book superhero summer blockbuster, Avengers was the perfect fun, action-packed (but still logical) comic book superhero team summer blockbuster. It was a really enjoyable movie with a sensible plot, good characters/actors, lots of action (but not over-the-top), humor (oh, quippy Whedon), and even romance (good chemistry all around; I love Tony/Pepper).

What impressed me the most was how balanced the movie was. Whedon did a really great job with writing, directing, and editing in order to properly showcase the large team of 7(!) super-egos (and several supporting characters) and make excellent use of the star-studded ensemble cast. @_@ Each hero had their moments, from heroic to funny to badass. And I liked their interaction with each other, both in conflict and bonding, that showed them growing as individuals and as a team. Even the villains felt fleshed-out and entertaining.

Wow, I can't think of anything I disliked about it. Avengers was so good, it made me want to watch all the solo hero movies, in order (fandom OCD). I liked the Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor movies, but I had skipped the Hulk ones because I never found the Hulk interesting until now. Kudos to the Marvel cast and crew for turning this DC comics fangirl into a movie Avengers fan.

That said, even though Iron Man was the perfect "fantastic fun" superhero movie, The Dark Knight was the perfect "real epic" superhero movie, smart, serious, grounded, thought-provoking, and evocative. And I expect The Avengers will be similarly matched by The Dark Knight Rises later this summer. ;P (Now if only DC would shape up and start making more frequent and quality solo hero movies to build up a Justice League one! Til then, we got RandomGuy's hilarious parody trailer. ;)

The Legend of Korra

I love this show so much. It's actiony, dramatic, romancy, funny, surprisingly dark and deep, and so beautiful. Avatar: The Last Airbender redefined American "cartoon children's shows" with its anime style, Eastern cultures-inspired world, and grand-scale storytelling, landscape, and score. Legend of Korra takes all that up to the next level. Mixing Western 1920s aesthetic, lovely painting backgrounds, better animation. More mature themes and complex plot about equality. Stronger focus on the art, action, and lighting direction.

The latest episode (6) blew my mind! Past and present shippiness, mysterious flashbacks, political intrigue, classism/racism issues, and the most awesome fight scenes! It's an amazing fantasy martial-arts epic. You can watch full episodes at nick.com.

[Spoilery Speculation] I think Asami is one of the motorcycle Chi-blockers, but she will be the baddie-turned-good who later joins Team Avatar. But it'll still end with MaKorra! Poor Bolin though. ^^;  Also, I read this one theory that I loved, in which Korra must sacrifice her Bending to become the spiritual Avatar that Republic City needs. It does seem to fit the theme and feel of the show. I'd love to see the poetic but tragic irony and dramatic scenes, but hopefully ending with a spiritual loophole that allows Korra to get her abilities back. But I'm sure I'll love whatever Bryke (the creators/producers/writers) gives. I just really want to see more Airbending training and philosphy, 40-year-old Aang flashback story, and the Anti-Bending Revolution and the questions it raises about social, political, and economic individuality, equality, and power. Ahh, we're halfway through! The finale is gonna be epic!

The journey home is never too long...

...when open arms are waiting there. --"The Journey Home" by Sarah Brightman
(skippable journal entry)