This is kind of hilarious (from Wired’s GeekDad blog):
Aside from my complaints about the archery, I’m sure The Avengers is going to be great. I think the personality clash between the snarky-arrogant Tony Stark and the haughty-arrogant Thor is going to be electric, Captain America’s man-out-of-his-time angst will be compelling, and the Hulk will finally be the tortured hero-monster we all knew he could be. That collapsible bow Hawkeye is toting looks pretty cool, and if it were possible to actually make it work, I’d love to have one. I’m sure Jeremy Renner’s performance as Hawkeye will be great on a character level — he’s an engaging performer and perfect for the role. The movie looks very good. It would be even better if Hawkeye were shown as capable of keeping up with the big boys when it comes time to get out the weapons.
Frankly, he shoots like a rank amateur. Does this ruin the movie? No. But if they’d gotten it right, the film would be even better; attention to the details is usually an indicator of attention to the big picture. In a few interviews last year, Renner said he was taking archery lessons in preparation for the role, but from what I see here, it looks like he (a) had no coach and was entirely self-taught; (b) had an incompetent coach (there are many out there); or (c) is a terrible student and refused to do what his coach told him.
This is so specifically nerdy, I love it far too much. Somewhere, Christopher Nolan is happy that “throwing batarangs” isn’t a real sport just yet.
March 15th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
It might be nerdy, but his observations and complaints are actually very well stated and nuanced–if only all nerds could be so level headed.
March 15th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
How about an internet hyperlink to the original article?
March 16th, 2012 at 6:25 am
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/avengers-hawkeye-archery/#more-116716
March 16th, 2012 at 8:00 am
I always thought Bullseye was the worlds finest marksman – but loved the article. Good geeky find.
March 16th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Great link. I love how he’s expressing his opinion in a mature manner from an educated perspective. It’s refreshing.