It’s been quite a year for Joss Whedon.
Two of his TV shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, both enjoyed happy anniversaries. He made a new version of Much Ado About Nothing at his house that was praised at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Cabin in the Woods, his horror movie with Drew Goddard, was finally released and did pretty well in theaters and home video.
Of course, there is also that small super-hero movie, The Avengers, which only made about one and a half billion dollars…so far. Who would want to mock all that?
Who else, but three men who can heckle bad movies that earn too much money..or even good blockbusters…better than no one else.
After the jump, it’s Rifftrax vs. The Avengers.
Just remember one thing about the Rifftrax crew of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew in the Syfy years): if Casablanca, Jaws and Star Wars aren’t safe, no one is.
Since January 2006 the crew has sold their running commentaries on mp3 form to MST3K fans, or to those who just like to laugh while seeing CGI robots crash into things or sparkly vampires. It was a matter of time before Riftrax took on The Avengers. They had already mocked the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America movies. They had to complete the set.
Most of their riffs centered on SHIELD agent Phil Coulson’s love life, the Chitauri aliens and how they’re like the Stormtroopers from Star Wars, Loki’s hat, Robert Downey Jr.’s constant quipping, and whether Hawkeye is actually a super-hero. They also waited for Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury to lay out a bunch of f-bombs that never came.
Their YouTube site has a two and a half minute preview, which includes how they describe the Avengers assembling:
Hulk: unimaginable Rage and Power
Hawkeye: Guy playing Robin Hood
Thor: Metrosexual Blacksmith God
Black Widow: Small person with tiny gun
Captain America:…a shield….
Iron Man: Guy standing in for Robert Downey Jr.
There’s been plenty of websites who have made fun of this movie, but it’s nothing compared to how Rifftrax takes down a blockbuster. Try these examples:
The Tesseract opens a cosmic door for Loki
Kevin Murphy: So much blue stuff followed by vague noise, we’re doomed
Black Widow clobbering Russian bad guys while being tied to a chair…
Mike Nelson: I’m getting a Madonna video feel from this scene
Coulson tells Black Widow she has to talk to “the big guy”
Kevin: Chris Christie? Chaz Bono? Axl Rose?
Steve Rogers is working the heavy bags and breaking them
Bill Corbett: In my fantasy world, those sacks are filled with the members of Counting Crows.
Tony: Phil? Uh, his first name is Agent
Mike: Mr. Stark, for the good of all humankind, please shut up.
Hawkeye takes down some guards in Germany while under Loki’s spell
Bill: Aw, crap, we got Ewoks.
…and that’s only the beginning
They also riff on Nick Nolte, Ang Lee. Natalie Portman, the Fantastic Four movies, Scarlett Johansson’s music career (which may have angered the Hulk), GWAR, Ally McBeal, the Hunger Games, Tim Tebow, Snakes on a Plane, Michael Bay, an obscure cartoon or two, and even Birdemic. Surprisingly, no quips about Buffy or Firefly. They also have some riffs on the two post-credit scenes, especially the schwarma scene.
If you’re a devoted Joss Whedon fan who finds the idea of anyone mocking the Avengers a horrible thing, just remember they will survive this. Besides, Batman, Bane and the Cullen family are next. Maybe the Red Dawn remake, too.
Rifftrax’s commentary on The Avengers, plus riffs on other movies, is available at rifftrax.com They also sell video-on-demand other riffed movies and educational shorts.
