The Avengers

It’s week six of the Marvel-A-Week challenge and the end of Phase One of the Marvel franchise.  It was finally time to watch The Avengers.

The past six weeks has reminded me just how much I enjoy the Marvel films and how invested in the characters I have become over the years.  However, as the weeks trundle on, it has also made me realise that the Marvel movies are not watched regularly, and in some cases, at all.  It’s an odd situation.

It certainly wasn’t a chore to sit down and watch The Avengers.  I was rather looking forward to it.

PLOT:  Loki (Tom Hiddleston) fell off the Bifrost and landed on earth looking like a drugged-up vampire, brandishing a magical sceptre.  There are hints of a traumatic backstory but why waste time on a popular character’s development.  Loki is here to rule.  Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) invites Tony Stark (Robert Downey Junior), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to form a super group in order to bring Loki down.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) rocks up without prior invitation and joins the team.  The Avengers Assemble.  The robots are defeated.  Mankind googles shawarma.  END PLOT

The plot is grand.  The world’s mightiest heroes fail to gel until they are given something to avenge and defeat Loki.  This is fine.  The Tesseract pops up once more as a glowing blue McGuffin, and, in the interest of full and frank disclosure, I still have no fucking idea why it’s so important.  The Infinity Stones are mentioned quite a bit in Phases Two and Three, and what with Thanos on route to earth, I have decided that I am going to use the Marvel-A-Week challenge to educate myself on an incredibly important issue that has passed me by to such an extent that my ignorance is actually quite impressive.

There is plenty of action.  The three-way battle between Captain America, Iron Man and Thor is a neat little dick measuring exercise which concludes in a three-way draw. The main action is the big battle for New York in which many Chitauri and buildings are destroyed.  The battle isn’t that exciting, like everything in the Avengers, what saves it, is the characters.

The trailer for the Avengers still gives me goose-bumps and when the characters are on screen together you can’t help but get excited.  The various personalities clash, but come together in battle with choreography that would make the Strictly Come Dancing judges weep with pride.  I will never tire of watching Hawkeye narrate stuff, Hulk smash and Thor and Captain America double team.  I take credit for their achievements as though I am one of the team.

The cast are on top form and your opinion on the division of screen time will depend on which character your true allegiance lies with.  I lean towards Asgard so the Thor and Loki scenes were the moments that stood out for me.  It may be 2018, but Hulk punching Thor still gets the biggest and most genuine laugh in the entire film.  Chris Hemsworth is grand, although Thor is a million miles away from his Ragnarok personality, and so is the rest of the cast, but it’s once again Tom Hiddleston who steals the show.

I agree with the late Agent Coulson (I do not acknowledge the existence of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) that Loki lacked conviction about his master plan.  I agree with Tony Stark when he said that Loki couldn’t win.  I agree with all the Tumblr theories that suggest Loki wasn’t in complete control of his own mind and only had brief moments of lucidity.  This has to be the case, otherwise, like in Thor, Loki is just bumbling around from one scene to another, making up his plan depending on how various conversations play out.  They usually end negatively.  Loki is like the Anti-Gump with the endurance of Wile-E-Coyote.  I still love him and I’m rolling down the road to Infinity War believing that Loki will be the hero of day.  #TeamLoki. 

Drugged-Up-Vampire-Loki (sceptre not pictured)

Robert Downey Junior, Chris Evans and the rest of the cast are fine.  Mark Ruffalo appears as the newly improved Banner and fits right in.  After sitting through The Incredible Hulk during Week Two I was very pleased to see him. The cast cannot be faulted and I am appreciating their efforts more now than I did at the time. 

The Avengers probably isn’t a perfect film, but I don’t care.  If you came here for objectivity, and made it to the last paragraph, you really should not be surprised when I give it 10/10.  After five films, The Avengers united a team of superheroes in a thoroughly entertaining manner.  It’s an achievement and one I will give Marvel full credit for right up until I sue them for bladder damage.

Next week it’s Iron Man 3.  I suspect I’ll come crashing down to earth. 

Iron Man 2

It’s time for the third instalment of the Marvel-A-Week challenge.  I have spent this week simultaneously trying to forget The Incredible Hulk and mentally preparing myself for sitting through my most hated Marvel Movie; Iron Man 2. 

My hatred of Iron Man 2 is based solely upon one viewing in the cinema way back in 2010, and, as I cannot access my Myspace account to retrieve my original review, I cannot remember what crime the film committed to warrant my disdain.  I suspect it had something to do with a sad billionaire in a super-suit, eating a donut.

PLOT:  After outing himself as Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Junior) spends his time basking in his own glory, fending off the government’s attempts to take the Iron Man technology, dying of palladium poisoning and ogling his new assistant Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).  When rival arms manufacturer, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), attempts to recreate his arc technology, Stark sobers up just in time to save the day.  END PLOT

It irritates me that my contrariness is becoming predictable, as Iron Man 2 was not the film I remembered, and, I freely admit that I am starting to appreciate Robert Downey Junior’s portrayal of Tony Stark.  The fact that Infinity War is fast approaching, and there is a very real possibility that Tony Stark may not survive it, is making me look at the character with more nostalgia and affection than expected.

Tony Stark is slowly dying of palladium poising and although the irony that the Iron Man suit is killing him isn’t handled with subtlety, Stark trying to discreetly put his affairs in order without telling anyone he is ill, made the character feel human.  Stark’s fear of dying, his love for Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his unresolved father issues, made me realise that Stark is the actual, beating heart of the Avengers unit.  It is so in-your-face obvious, I don’t know how I missed it first time around.  Downey Junior knows exactly what he is doing as Tony Stark, and, as of week 3 of the Marvel-A-Week challenge, I am not prepared or willing to say goodbye to him.

Gwyneth Paltrow is again excellent as Pepper Potts and her chemistry with Downey Junior makes their quick fire exchanges great fun to watch.  The rest of the supporting players include the newly cast Don Cheadle as Rhodey and Samuel L Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and Clark Gregg give a sense of continuity to the Marvel universe.  Team Good is grand.  The villains are the film’s weak spot.

On paper, fake tattoos, a toothpick and an electric skipping rope, might make Mickey Rourke sound really scary.  In reality it didn’t work.  Ivan Vanko might be a legendary comic character but in Iron Man 2 his seemingly sudden desire to avenge his father’s legacy didn’t add any drama, tension or danger to the plot.  Sam Rockwell was uncomfortable to watch as he swanned around in a glib manner.  This was the point.  As the Anti-Stark, Rockwell nailed it as Justin Hammer.  Plus, there was an excellent Hammeroid pun.

It is fun to watch Tony Stark slip in and out of his Iron Man suit in new and exciting ways.  This sounds sarcastic, but is isn’t.  Apparently, in 2018, I appreciate the mechanics of the suit.  The action scenes were grand and Iron Man working with War Machine created some nice double-team moments and made me realise that Tony Stark was never the lone wolf I thought him to be.

Iron Man 2 wasn’t the car crash I remembered and, on the whole, Jon Favreau made a perfectly entertaining sequel that was enhanced by its cast.  It gets 8/10.  Given my new found affection for Tony Stark and/or Robert Downey Junior, I am absolutely ecstatic that I can remember fuck all about Iron Man 3.

As much as I enjoyed week 3, week 4 is where my interest in the Marvel World really begins! Up next, it’s Loki Thor!

Iron Man

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged, but thanks to Tumblr, I’ve discovered that starting January 2018 you can watch a Marvel-A-Week and be completely caught up on the series just in time to watch Loki die an unjust death Infinity War in May.  My commitment to this challenge is as strong as my overall desire to blog, but at the minute I am motivated and willing to give it a shot.  The fact that it is the middle of a Thursday afternoon and I have little interest in doing some actual work is the key driving force behind this spontaneous, yet somehow predictable, appearance on my own blog.

The first film in the Marvel-A-Week series is Iron Man.  A film, in normal circumstances, I would have absolutely zero interest in revisiting due to my lack of interest in Tony Stark and/or Robert Downey Junior.

PLOT:  After being kidnapped by a band of terrorists, an injured Tony Stark adapts his own arc technology and builds a weaponised suit made of iron to escape.  Several montages later, Stark has created his first fully functioning Iron Man and must use it to defeat his warmongering business partner and long-time friend Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).  END PLOT

The opening set piece in Afghanistan and the closing battle with Obadiah are sandwiched between Tony’s constant flirting with Rhodey (Terrance Howard) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and many mini-montages involving Tony building his suit and getting doused with a fire extinguisher.  This is more of a comment than a criticism as I would be lying if I implied that I didn’t enjoy every dam minute of this film.  In truth, it has been so long since I have watched Iron Man I could only remember fragments of the plot and not in an overly fond manner.  I was surprised by how much repressed affection clawed its way out of the dark depths of my stone cold heart.    

I was not expecting my re-watch of Iron Man to be a positive experience as I have an irrational dislike for both Tony Stark and Robert Downey Junior.  There is no specific flaw on the part of either, but my memories have decided that both get far too much screen time in the Marvel universe at the expense of other, just as interesting, characters.  This is the same logic used for my dislike of Wolverine and Hugh Jackman.  In truth, Robert Downey Junior was born to play Iron Man and his Tony Stark is a super intelligent marshmallow, with a heart of gold and a genuine hero.  I am now curious to see at what point in the Marvel canon I turned against both character and actor.  Based on my enjoyment of Iron Man, I hope it doesn’t happen.

Iron Man is undoubtedly Robert Downey Junior’s film, but the supporting players all do their bit.  I fully admit to getting excited at Rhodey’s ‘next time’ even though Terrence Howard transforms into Don Cheadle for reasons that I can’t quite remember.  Jeff Bridges is fine as the corrupt corporate villain, but Obadiah Stane will once again be quickly and easily forgotten.  However, I don’t believe we need to remember him.

The effects hold up even though they are now approaching ten years old – nothing felt particularly dated but nothing felt particularly ground breaking either.  Aside from the reveals of the various Iron Man suits, I can’t remember what the big money shot was.  I suspect that the soundtrack and musical cues helped make the action feel fresh.

Realistically, the likelihood of me making it to the end of the Marvel-A-Week challenge is slim to non-existent.  It has been a worthwhile adventure, if only because it gave me an opportunity to watch a film I otherwise would have written off.  Iron Man turned out to be an enjoyable watch and gets  8/10.  Next up is The Incredible Hulk…….. 

Iron Man 3 - spoiler free

 

After the disappointment of Iron Man 2 I had no interest in the next instalment of this franchise.  Robert Downey Jnr’s turn in The Avengers didn’t help as I realised that Tony Stark works better as a show stealing ensemble character rather than the main draw.

It wasn’t until the positive waves rolled in with the early reviews that I sat up and took notice.  Once this happened the trailer started to look all the more intriguing.  I am a sheep.  I follow where I am led.

PLOT:  The events in New York have taken their toll on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) who has become a reclusive shut in.  It isn’t until after one of his own is injured in an attack by The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) that he sits up and takes notice.  After his home is destroyed Tony is cut off from Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), presumed dead and has to go back to basics in order to defeat a new and potentially unstoppable enemy. END PLOT

Iron Man 3 is an almost perfect mixture of character development and action although it has to be said that perhaps the film is a shade too long as it clocks in at 130mins (IMDB).  The pacing was fast but there were a few occasions when the film did begin to lag.

The films only real weakness is the ending which didn’t pack an emotional punch as the events were dealt with by way of a montage narrated by a breezy voice over.  It felt like a half-baked attempt to bring the franchise to a close without fully committing to it.  The Avengers 2 is just around the corner and as we all know that Robert Downey Jnr is going to appear there was never really any sense of danger. 

In Iron Man 3 Tony Stark is struggling with panic attacks before being well and truly humbled by a new enemy.  This was the correct way to go because Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jnr (they are essentially the same person) was in real danger of becoming an obnoxious caricature.  Allowing the character to have his weaknesses displayed for the world to see and then to rise above them humanised Stark.  This is a trait that Tony Stark had been lacking up until now. 

Robert Downey Jnr is excellent as always and handles the character development with ease.  There are plenty of fast paced one liners, some of which are genuinely hilarious, and Downey Jnr's eyes are sparkling with glee at the hilarity of it all.  I am curious to know just how many of Stark’s zingers were courtesy of Downey Jnr ad-libbing as there were occasions when the witty quips had a very unscripted feel about them.

Stark’s attitude to his new found super hero status gave a bit more depth to Robert Downey Jnr’s performance and kept the film from feeling overly familiar.

Gwyneth Paltrow has always been fine as Pepper Potts.  Paltrow gets her chance to shine before handing the reigns back to Robert Downey Jnr.  As a general rule less is always more when it comes to Gwyneth Paltrow but in the Iron Man films she has never been grating.  This is the franchises biggest triumph.

Sir Ben Kingsley is fantastic as The Mandarin and gives an extremely memorable performance.  Kingsley is enjoying himself as much as Downy Jnr and his casting was an inspired choice.

Rebecca Hall, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and an ever expanding Jon Favreau were all strong in their various supporting roles.

I had no choice but to see Iron Man 3 in 3D and it wasn’t worth it – even during the flying scenes it served no purpose.   Despite the disappointment over the 3D the action is excellent and keeps the usage of the Iron Man suits feeling fresh and clever.  There are some brilliant set pieces and, as per usual, during a sequence involving a crashing aeroplane I felt ill.

Shane Black has replaced Jon Favreau in the director’s chair and has done a commendable job of coming into an established series and keeping the flow feeling consistent yet surprising.

Iron Man 3 is by no means perfect but the performances alone are strong enough to carry the film through any potential plot holes.  It was always going to better Iron Man 2 but Iron Man 3 can hold its head up high and gets an 8.5/10.  A second viewing is perhaps necessary if only to enjoy the spectacle over again.

The constant references to Christmas suggest that Iron Man 3 was originally scheduled for a winter release but it officially opened Summer Season and set the bar high.  Bring on the sun Blockbusters!!