The Avengers just keep on being able to tease even more with the release of their second full length trailer that gives us an closer look at the team and their world under attack from the yet to be determined forces led by Loki.
The trailer sees members of The Avengers recruited to join Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D as the last hope for mankind. Naturally, members clash and fight each other, as well as delivering beatings to the alien invaders. New scenes show us longer shots of The Hulk, more but not enough of the enemy (if that makes sense), and a new base of operations for Tony in the form of...Stark Towers!
As always, there is a further tease in the last shot revealing a HUGE surprise with fuels further speculation on whom the enemies (not named Loki) are.
Imagine having an incredibly creeper stalker who is out to kill with a shiny metallic weapon. You would think of a maniac killer with a knife right? WRONG!
Instead we have a stalker intent on killing with... A Spoon. Yes, a spoon!
In this hilarious video, you will witness a man tormented by a spoon wielding weirdo who chases and relentlessly torments the poor guy.
And if you enjoyed that, theres the interactive game where yo choose from 4 ways to potentially put an end to the 'Spoon Killer' by playing the interactive game on YouTube titled Save Jack
2011 was a good year for movies. It was hit after hit with the blockbusters, but with 2012 just beginning, what are the big movies that everybody should be going to see?
Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit of Vengeance:
After the disappointing first movie, the sequel starring Nicholas Cage as Johnny Blaze returns in what looks to be miles better than the original.
The effects look far better than the original, and the plot looks to be rock solid this time around. The Ghost Rider character himself looks to have been improved, displaying far more range with his powers and abilities and looks to prove himself self as a more serious hero. Or anti-hero.
Hitting screens in February, Ghost Rider 2 is the first of a wave of superhero movies for 2012.
The Avengers:
One of the most anticipated movies of the entire year with a super cast and a whole host of movies to build up to this climatic superhero team up to assemble as The Avengers. Starting with Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel have been linking and dropping hints in all their superhero movies that this movie would one day come. and it has!
Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and The Hulk come together with Nick Fury to battle unknown forces led by Thor's brother Loki who may or may not have the Skrulls as part of his mysterious alien army.
The Amazing Spiderman:
The reboot of the already successful franchise, 'The Amazing Spiderman' retells the story and origins of Peter Parker. Seemingly based off the 'Ultimate Spiderman' storyline, the much younger days of how Peter came to be the hero he grows into is told through secrets and revelations that include his father and possibly Eddie Brock Senior. Does that mean hints of the Venom symbiote will crop up.
Gwen Stacy is the love interest rather Mary Jane. And rightly so. Her father, Captain George Stacy, also plays a more prominent role in the shaping of the webbed wonder. Quite possibly the underdog of superhero movies this year, but is one of the more intriguing of them all and could pull off a shocker.
The Dark Knight Rises:
The third and final instalment to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and it looks to be on form with the introduction of the mysterious Bane character. Selina Kyle aka Catwoman also makes her debut in the finale and looks to add to the chaos already ensuing in Gotham City. One question on everyones mind is whether or not Bane breaks Batman's back which is what he famously does in the comics, putting the Dark Knight out of commission for an extremely long time. Being set 7 years after 'The Dark Knight' adds plenty speculation to this but we'll have to wait until summer to find out.
The Expendables 2:
Stallone. Statham. Willis. Schwarzenegger. Lundgren. Norris. Van Damme.
...What else is there to say. An all star macho, testosterone filled action movie that has a super cast of legendary action stars. The sequel to the already successful film that boasted much of the same cast, this time around a few new names crop to add this already large team.
Purely for the die hard action fans, this is the perfect movie full of explosions, gunfire and muscle.
Chronicle:
Chronicle may not look like the most exciting film in the world, but the look and style of it has that appeal that makes you want to see and discover the mysteries and secrets it teases. A group of friends make a discovery which from the looks of it gives them powers. As they play around with their powers, one of them begins to embrace their dark side a little too much and begins to become a threat to his friends and everybody else, causing uncontrollable mayhem.
The documentary style may cause it to lack appeal, but its realistic approach could draw people in.
Prometheus: Anyone who watched and loved the 'Alien' film series, must watch this film. A prequel that tells the origins and initial discovery of the alien race and what seems to be their home planet.
Not much is being given away about this film, but has many talking about it. It wasn't until the release of he teaser trailer that it was confirmed that it even had any relation to the 'Alien' films, but now it has been, there is even more guessing as to what we will learn about the film.
Battleship:
First, toy creators gave us Transformers. And the films went to global success. Now they hope to replicate that success with a film based on the classic strategy game, Battleships.
Starring Liam Neeson and Rhianna (yes, the singer), Battleship is not exactly a game you would think could be made into a film, but it has. And it has seemingly done a good job of transferring itself to the big screen.
The official description states : "A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals" soyou see the link. What is impressive is how the story doesn't sound as ridiculous as you would think and the special effects are on the level of Transformer films.
With rumours of more films being based on games including Space Invaders and Asteroids, if Transformers and Battleship are anything to go on then they are more than welcome.
G.I Joe: Retaliation:
Another sequel where the first was regarded as a bad film. But this time around, it looks like they have picked on those mistakes and have made it less cheesy, and hardened up the storyline.
If anything the casting of the characters adds to the appeal and will hopefully motivate people to see if this is capable of redeeming itself after the first film.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Men in Black are back to protect the world..."
...Or should that be back in time to protect the world? As we see in the debut trailer of the third instalment from our alien fighting secret agents.
Returning after putting the boots to giant cockroaches and saving the world from a hot but deadly world destroyer, agents J and K grace our screens once more.
This time round sees J trying to uncover some well kept secrets whilst looking into the mysterious disappearance of K who has apparently been dead for the last 40 years, so he does what anyone would do... (Well, anyone with a time travel device and) ...and travels back to 1969 to find a younger but still stony faced Agent K.Played by Josh Brolin, the younger agent says one line in the entire trailer, but sounds remarkably a lot like Tommy Lee Jones, and pulls off the straight faced character with ease.
Introducing a whole host of new extra terrestrial aliens, MiB 3 seems to capture and preserve its unique style.
How the final film fares however, may another story.
A newly revamped and and motivated Kane returned complete with a his mask and has been causing destruction ever since, finally homing on Rany Orton as a target. In what seems to be a short and rushed feud, Kane set his sights on Orton with what looked like random attacks. After eventually explaining that during a match last summer, Orton exposed Kane's human side, the Big Red Machine is determined to unleash his demonic monstrous side on the Apex Predator. Orton, however, looks to simply survive the fiery onslaught Kane promises to deliver.
Winning General Manager gains control of both Raw and Smackdown
Team Teddy(Santino Marella (c), Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, The Great Khali, Zack Ryder and Booker T)vs Team Johnny(David Otunga (c), Drew McIntyre, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and The Miz)
Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis have both been running raw and Smackdown respectively, and have been rubbing certain superstars the wrong way ast the disagree with their methods. After Laurinaitis boldly claimed he should in charge of both, Teddy took exception and their rivalry was born. After the Board stepped in and set a tag match where the winner would be General Manager of both shows, Laurinaitis and Long set about recruiting for their teams to lead them to victory and control of the brands. There can only be one winner, and with a match of this stature, anything can happen.
Divas Tag Match
Beth Phoenix and Eve vs Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos
It's basically the same as last years Wrestlemania Divas tag match that had Snooki. This time however, it's Maria Menounos in the celebrity spot. Phoenix, as the Divas championship rightly claims that the spotlight should be on her and not Kelly Kelly, and set out with Eve to ake sure they were getting the attention they feel they deserve. And look to make an example a celebrity hooging heir spotlight in Menonos.
Intercontinental Championship Cody Rhodes (C) vs Big Show Holding the IC belt for over 200 days, Cody Rhodes has undergone major changes in the space of a year. From 'Dashing' to the 'Deranged' facing off against Rey Mysterio in a a grudge match in last years Wrestlemania,Cody has stepped up his game and solidified himself as a major threat to anyone he crosses. Whether be it Mysterio, or a legend such as Booker T, or his own brother, Goldust. BUT, he may of overstepped his boundaries when he decided to start mocking a 7 foot tall mean, angry giant who has undergone his own frustrating time. Losing his World championship to Daniel Bryan in just a minute after winning, Show has been unsuccessful mutiple times in his effort to regain what he lost. Cod, however sees this as a moment to humiliate him futher by constantly reminding him of many embarrassing moments Show would rather forget. Memories such as losing to Akebono at WM21 in a sumo match, and being knocked out by Floyd Mayweather at WM24 are amongst the videos Cody keeps embrrasing himw ith. But with his championship on the line, Rhodes may well have awoken an extremely angry giant who is capable of not only beating him, but ending his impressive title reign.
WWE Championship
CM Punk (C) vs Chris Jericho
It's one person who claims to be the Best in the world vs another who claims to b the Best in the world at what he does. Since Jericho returned, he has made it clear that he believes he is the best superstar there is and has gone out of his way to make his feelings clear. Claiming he is the 'original' superstar that everyone copies, he is intent on taking it out on CM Punk. Punk however remains defiant, and looks to retain the championship and shut Jericho up once and for all. There can only be one person who is the 'Best' and these two will battle it out.
World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan (C) vs Sheamus
Last year, this was the dark match before Wrestlemania 27 started, despite being advertised as a match as part of the PPV. However, this time around, the match is one of the main event matches between the two.
Sheamus winning the 2012 Royal Rumble made im eligible to challenge any champion between Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. After retaining his title in the Elimination Chamber against Barrett, Rhodes, Khali, Big Show, and Santino, we found out that the Celtic Warrior had made his choice. Bryan being the champion capable of 'weasling' his way out of the most difficult situations makes it possible to come out still the champ. But Sheamus being on a destructive hot streak also makes him a strong challenger to take the title away.
Hell in a Cell
Triple H vs The Undertaker (Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee)
Two of the greatest superstars ever. And two of the most experienced superstars when it comes to being part of 'Satans Playground'. The third time these two face of at Wrestlemania after their destructive match which saw Undertaker win but suffer a beating resulting in him being carried out on a stretcher. Upon returning, he has been desperate to get a rematch so he can get his defining win. Or as he put it, "Vengeance". HHH, reluctant at first, finally accepted with the condition that they fight inside inside the cell structure. With the streak on the line as usual. this match will not fail to thrill and HHH is more than capable of beating 'Taker. But the question is can he? or will the streak extend to 20-0?
And with Shawan Michaels as Special guest referee, will his grudge aginst the Deadman cost Undertaker the match, or his jealousy over his best friend possibly doing what he couldn't in 2 Wrestlemania's sway his decision. Teasing a possible return match against his fellow DX member hints at him turning on his best friend...
Icon vs Icon
The Rock vs John Cena
Arguably the main event of the night. Besides the inevitable Undertaker Streak match, it is definately the main attraction of Wrestlemania 28. A fantasy match that had been talked about before he match even happened, The Rock and John Cena face off against as two icons who define two different generations and eras. The Rock, representing the attitude era and older generation of fans, whilst John Cena represents the much younger and current generation of fans. Just like Rock vs Hogan from Wrestlemania 18, it will very much captivate the audience, regardless of age or who they are a fan of.
When it was announced that Batman Live was coming to the O2 arena, I couldn't wait to get my hands on tickets and go see one of my all time favourite superheroes on the stage. And it didn't let me down either. From the moment I entered the building and made my way to the merchandise stand, I could feel the 'Batman' aura. Many people turned up in Batman inspired costumes from full Riddler attire, to cowls, capes and masks which I tried in vain to get my hands on, only to discover that the masks had sold during the first couple of days. So I had to settle for a cape instead. But none the less, I got my batman memorabilia.
On to the show and the stage is already set to mirror Gotham City with a digital Background that help stage the setting, and serve for some pretty good storytelling as the show went on. Especially in transitions of scenes, the background would mimic a comic book and would 'flick' through the pages, helping to fill in gaps in the narrative in between scenes, and when we are introduced to the Batcave, it becomes Batman's computer that provided Batman and the audience with a variety of information. It would also help in fight scenes, and would feature flashes of bullets and thugs. There were two standout moments for me that used the digital background. The first being is when Alfred and Dick Grayson were in the Batcave whilst Batman was driving to Arkham Asylum to confront Joker. As he is making his journey, Alfred is reading off the villains list whilst scanning through their profiles.
The second eye catching piece using the screen is Batman's actual trip as he is speeding towards Arkham Asylum and we are basically treated to a 2-3 minute cinematic experience, watching the Batmobile navigate the Gotham streets at high speed.
For me the show itself was an enjoyable experience, and I would imagine that most people, whether they are fans or not, would enjoy themselves too. The performances of actors and actresses were solid, and the first time appearances of all the characters on the stage drew rounds of applause. Batman, as ever, was the gruff no nonsense vigilante we all love. Robin in Dick Grayson mode I found annoying at times but overall served his purpose and told his tragic story well. The Joker, accompanied by Harley Quinn, was a show stealer to no surprise, with the actor portraying him creating a crazy over the top 'Clown Prince of Crime'. Commissioner Gordons' role was limited but was true to the loyal, honest police man. There really wasn't a character that was a disappointment, even though some had small roles and may of been underplayed.
A highlight of the night was the Batman signal placed near the entrance to the building which not only attracted me and my friend, but many others, and prompted us all to pose in front of it many times before we finally left for the night.
Its like every comic book nerd and geek dream come true. A collection of their favourite marvel heroes coming together in one big blockbuster movie that before being announced, could only be imagined, read in comics, or seen in animated films and a television series. In 2012, The Avengers in a first will combine a host of characters from different films and bring them together to form the almighty super team.
Sure, we've seen films such as X-Men, and Fantastic Four where there are teams of superheroes, but this is something more. No disrespect to the films I just mentioned. But the heroes in this film have all had their individual films or two and have been successful solo.
Captain America
Steve Rogers. A super soldier perfectly frozen and 'thawed out' in modern day society. The last Avenger to have a film, and the original Avenger if you like. And if you think about it, Cap' is the Avenger that ties all the others together.
There is the appearance of Iron Man/Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark who is responsible for creating his costume and indestructible shield. There is also the Stark Expo which makes an early appearance. Then there is the Cosmic Cube which the plot of Captain America is centered around which makes it's link the magical world of Thor and we even catch a glimpse of Asgard when a portal is opened and we are able to catch a glimpse of Thor and Loki's world. There is also a link to the Incredible Hulk through the use of the super soldier serum General Ross makes reference to, and uses to give to Emile Blonsky that transforms him into Abomination.
If the comics are anything to go by, Captain America will be leading the team on the field and will mist probably clash with Tony Stark over leadership and decision making. And it will be very interesting to see how he is able to lead such a big team, and how the team will react to his leadership and 'out-dated' values and ideas.
IronMan
Arguably the most successful character movie of all The Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. has literally made Tony Stark his own character, bringing charm and charisma to the eccentric billionaire playboy. Starting from Howard Stark down to Tony, the Starks and the Iron Man films are responsible for bringing in the technological side of the Avengers world. From the Iron Man suits to the Stark Expo and its collection of advanced technology ideas, it will be a lot easier to believe some the weapons and other contraptions that we will see in the movie as we have come to know of them already.
Tony Stark himself has played a pivotal role in The Avengers as we learned at the ends of both Iron Man films and The Incredible Hulk that he is more than just a team member. At the end of the Hulk movie we saw him confront General Ross on his Hulk problem and says to him "We're putting a team together", and at the end of both Iron Man films is seemingly the first recruited Avenger and has become a consultant for them.
Thor
A surprise success, as Thor is one of the least popular members of The Avengers to fans. I was worried while the film was in progress as I thought they might make him speak in the dialect that he spoke in the comic books and would be off putting for the rest of the film. But they managed to create a Thor character who was arrogant but spoke in a toned down version of his comic book self. There was also the worry that it might be too much of a fantasy film and would easily derail, but I think it is safe to say that it was a good balance between fantasy and realism.
Bringing the magical element to the Avengers world, Thor showed us a magical world in Asgard, an brought about different elements of that world to the Avengers universe. And it seems that we will see more of that as his brother Loki is the villain and is looking to abuse that magic. If we're to follow the timeline in all the Avenger related movies the Captain America is the first of all of them. And from that movie is where we first learn of any magical existence and the use the Cosmic Cube that is featured in the the movie. Red Skull even refers to it as "the jewel of Odin's treasure room". Further down the Avengers timeline, the cube makes an appearance in 'Iron Man 2' in the research notes Howard Stark leaves for Tony. Even further along, the cube makes a final appearance in 'Thor' at the end of the credits with Loki discovering it's location. And due to this magic and Loki, we have a villain and his use of magic to look forward to in The Avengers.
Hulk
After the disaster that was 'Hulk', Marvel decided to another movie that wasn't a sequel but wasn't a reboot either. And it turned out to be a genius move because it was one of their better movies. How Hulk will play out in the film will be interesting to see because at the end of The Incredible Hulk, it seemed like either Banner had managed to control his transformations or he has lost of it all together. But from the teaser, Banner is on board the helicarrier with the rest of the Avengers so we can assume he does have control.
A downer is that Ed Norton who played the character in 'The Incredible Hulk' won't be back to play Bruce Banner, but instead has been replaced for Mark Ruffalo. A positive to come out of this is that Hulk will be a motion captured character this time, rather than being complete CGI and will be using none other than Lou Ferrigno, the original Hulk of the 80's TV series.
In comics and animation, Hulk has always had a rivalry with Thor and have clashed on multiple occasions. Add to that the fact that the villain of movie is Thor's brother, Loki, who has manged to stir things between the two and even control Hulk at one point and you can't help but wonder if there will be any friction or rivalry on screen. And this may stretching, but a possible on screen fight seeing as Thor is one of the few who can go toe to toe with Hulk.
Black Widow
Making her first appearance in Iron Man 2, Natasha Romanov has already made her presence and role known. Working as an undercover agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, Black Widow has displayed her skills as a martial artist and weaponry, as well as her skill for undercover covert work.
In that appearance we also see her as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent as she was used undercover to scout Tony stark to see whether or not he was suitable for a role on The Avengers team, and giving Nick Fury a report on him.
With any luck we'll see more of her displaying her skills on screen and more of a development of her character.
Hawkeye
Clint Barton is a character that I liken to the Green Arrow arrow from the DC Universe as they are both similar in the fact that none of them have any powers but both are masters of archery. Making his first appearance in Thor in a cameo, Hawkeye will be an interesting addition to the team and movie as he hasn't displayed any of his skills and only teased the use of his crossbow in his cameo.
Well known for his range of different arrows and weapons, which of these he will actually use in the film and what other skills he will display will be intriguing.
Nick Fury andS.H.I.E.L.D
Samuel L. Jackson. Known as one of the coolest actors on the planet is Nick Fury. And based on the version from The Ultimates, there is no one else who has the look or persona to pull of a convincing General Fury.
Making cameo appearances in all the pre-Avengers movies, Nick Fury has been the one other character besides Agent Coulson that links the Avengers together. But now we will see him have a bigger role and longer screen time which is exciting for me or anyone for that matter.
The even more exciting thing is that we will see a lot more of S.H.I.E.LD and the way they operate. From the teaser trailer, there is a shot of the character on board the Helicarrier, the base of operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. Interestingly there is the appearance of Maria Hill who for a brief period replaces Fury and commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. Another character who makes a return and is likely to have a bigger role is Agent Coulson who played a fairly large role in Thor, and made cameos acroos the other films.
