Leading up to the Avengers

So, J-Man and Deceptisean have already talked about the five movies that lead up to this weekends mega-release, The Avengers, so I'm not going to go and write a big long dissertation about what I think of all the films.  A few lines should suffice.


Iron Man


A great origin story, Robert Downey Jr. nailed it and it was a pretty pleasing spectacle.  We only got Iron Man 3 times in this film, but all three times were pretty memorable.  We also got a bone thrown to comic fans with the stinger at the end showing Ultimate Nick Fury (aka Sam Jackson), but they couldn't possibly make an Avengers movie...the logistics would be murder!


Rating: 4.5 out of 5.


The Incredible Hulk


Sorry sports fans, Ang Lee's Hulk is better.  Liv Tyler has zero screen presence and is overrated as a "beauty".  Also, why is Thunderbolt Ross such a douche?  I mean, he's Hulk's enemy in the comics, but he's basically a scheming, mustache-twirling villain in this one.  Also, only 2 Hulk appearances (I don't count the factory scene where you can see nothing or the scene where he's strapped to a table).  The fight with Abomination is nice, but for the amount of Hulk action, they may as well have thrown Lou Ferrigno in there with his Hulk makeup and saved 80 million.


Rating: 3 out of 5.


Iron Man 2


Ah yes, the movie where the main villain is the thing in Tony Stark's chest!  Whiplash is cool, but he does nothing, he builds his own armor or the drones for Justin Hammer to use, but is not seriously a threat at any other point in the movie.  Justin Hammer is in it for laughs, he's a buffoon.  War Hammer is cool.  Someone should have shot Pepper Potts though, she was annoying as piss throughout the entire film...she's been with Tony Stark for years, why does she choose now to bag on him?


Rating: 3 out of 5.


Thor


Another great origin movie that actually has more action than I expect out of an origin movie.  Everyone fits their parts to a T and hey, I actually like Natalie Portman in this! (okay, she's growing on me, but it's sad when you can't beat your greatest role which was as a 13 year-old).  I was impressed with the world Kenneth Branagh crafted (listen to me...crafted...you'd think I was some sort of professional critic or something) and generally enjoyed the hell out of this film. 


Rating: 4.5 out of 5.


Captain America


Wow.  This one blew away the competition.  A hero you can get behind, a really charismatic villain, the entire fate of the world hanging in the balance...this is like a great James Bond film without the hero trying to bang every chick on the screen.  Chris Evans knocks it out of the park as Cap and you can count this film as the one that really got me excited for Avengers.


Rating: 5 out of 5.