Iron Man 3 – Movie Review

Iron Man 3 is a good movie. If you like the previous Iron Man films and The Avengers, then you’ll definitely enjoy this one. Not only is the cast a top-notch bunch, Shane Black directs this movie like a champ. This third installment in the Iron Man series has an engaging and exciting story, and also blasts away any franchise fatigue audiences might be feeling after last year’s superhero mania. If every superhero movie can be like this, I say: Let’s have more!

There are a few shocks and surprises in the plot, the biggest one involving the villain of this bout – “The Mandarin” (Ben Kingsley). I was absolutely bewildered and terrified with what the filmmakers have done with this character, and it took me some time to come to terms with what I had just saw. I guess that in the context of this film, I can understand what the filmmakers were going for. But still, there are many hardcore fans of the comic books who thought they were going to see certain things from the source material, and Marvel Studios have misled them way off-course. WAAAY off-course…

Considering the hype is the toughest obstacle that a fanboy-targeted film has to overcome, Iron Man 3 delivers enough thrills and emotional resonance to join the top tier of Marvel Comics movies. I am looking forward to whatever comes next.

Hot Toys The Avengers Iron Man Mark VI

Contrary to popular belief, Iron Man’s helmet is not “worn” over his head. You actually have to pluck out the entire helmet and stick RDJ’s head in its place, which is quite creepy the first time you do it. The lights on his chest and palms are nice but please don’t ask me how to replace the batteries when they run out – I have no idea.

Should I get Loki next???

Hot Toys Mark VI Unboxing

Marvel’s The Avengers – Movie Review

When the title came on the theater screen, a tear almost came out of my eye. The day is finally here! Marvel’s The Avengers brings together the different superheroes from Marvel Studio’s franchise of movies, and the result is an explosion of solid blockbuster action, intense emotional drama and captivating comic book wonder.

Throw all skepticism out the window because this movie knows what the fans want. Director Joss Whedon must be given a medal for yet another contribution to fanboy culture. A comic book writer himself, this guy has the right sensibilities needed to direct what might very well be the biggest superhero movie of all time. He knows that each character has its own fanbase, so no character is left in the background or is underused. He also presents all the characters clearly so even those who haven’t seen the previous movies can arrive comfortably into this crossover event.

The Avengers has a story which feels organic, definitely not something phoned-in or awkward. The moments where our favourite superheroes meet one another for the first time are built up nicely, and the story of how they eventually decide to work together and fight the bad guys is a painful and compelling one. One thing that I find intriguing about the assembling of the mighty Avengers is not how powerful they are when they work together, but rather how much they CANNOT work together. The scenes where the Avengers get mad at each other had me at the edge of my seat!

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury are all great in their roles, but let us not forget the lonely villain of this flick – Loki. Played by Tom Hiddleston, this evil schemer is one of the more interesting comic book villains because of his jealousy and hatred filled relationship with his god-brother (get it?) Thor. Cobie Smulders appears in the small role of Maria Hill, and I’m glad that they are using actual characters from the comic books.

This movie has spectacular action scenes that are big, exciting, and most importantly, driven by the characters’ decisions. The movie trailer already gave us a glimpse of the gigantic climatic fight between the Avengers and the aliens which takes place in Manhattan, and I was afraid that the movie’s best moments were already spoiled by the trailer. I think my eyes have never been bigger when I saw what this movie had for me. The “wow” moments never stopped coming, including some of the most exhilarating Hulk smashing you have ever seen. CGI and special effects are flawless, and the music by Alan Silvestri adds to the grandeur of the battle.

If I had to dig out something negative about The Avengers, I would say that I very much wished Edward Norton of The Incredible Hulk could have been Bruce Banner in this movie. Although Mark Ruffalo does a brilliant job in the role of the troubled gamma scientist, I think keeping the same actor throughout the franchise is beneficial to the enjoyment of the story, and of course, the popularity of the character. Imagine someone getting curious about the Hulk after watching The Avengers and proceeds to check out The Incredible Hulk… Weird!

Marvel’s The Avengers lives up to all its hype, and is a dream come true for millions of fans. If you love your Marvel Comics, then prepare to be blown away some more by the huge reveal in the credits!

Bow before Zod!

My Marvel Legends Iron Man & X-23

Oh how I love the “First Appearance Iron Man”, which is how he looked in his first comic appearance (Tales of Suspense #39 – March 1963), as well as in the 2008 Iron Man movie. That scene where he’s busting out of a cave using an armour that he built IN A CAVE (WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!) is definitely the defining moment of the Iron Man story in which Tony Stark learns that with great power there must also come great responsibility (or something like that…)

X-23 is a character that was created for the X-Men Evolution animated series on Kids WB. Not a bad show, but nowhere as good as the 90s X-Men animated series (which is the only X-Men cartoon to watch, really).

Iron Man 2 – Movie Review

Iron Man 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to 2008’s Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark / Iron Man. Tony announces on television that he is Iron Man, and it grabs the attention of Ivan Vanko, played by Micky Rourke. Mickey’s character has a long time grudge against Iron Man which is explored in the film. He creates a suit for himself and goes into battle with Iron Man as the supervillain Whiplash.

If you have seen the trailer for Iron Man 2, you would have already seen the shot where Whiplash is walking towards an injured Tony Stark at a race track. He is holding two giant whips, one on each arm. There is a back story to this character and it portrays him as a man of hatred towards Iron Man. Whiplash is extremely menacing in that scene and I don’t think I’ve seen a superhero encounter a supervillain for the first time with such intensity before. I like how the scenario shows that Tony’s actions affect his life and he has to pay the price for his mistakes.

I won’t reveal how that race track scene ends, but it was definitely the highest point in the film as far as fight scenes are concerned. Later on, Mickey Rourke spends most of his time in a secret lab rebuilding his suit. There is not much focus on him for the rest of the film until he suits up once again in the final fight.

My friends tell me that the final fight itself was too short, and I half-heartedly agree. More importantly, I felt that the design of Whiplash’s final suit could have been more innovative. However, I liked the way Iron Man deals with Whiplash at the end, which shows the heroic side of the otherwise drunk Tony Stark.

There are a few interesting side characters in Iron Man 2, most notably Black Widow and Nick Fury. Black Widow is played by Scarlett Johansson, who has a  brilliant action scene where she’s beating up everyone in her path. It’s very well cheographed and I wonder what Hit-Girl of Kick Ass thinks of her.

Nick Fury is played by Samuel L. Jackson and those who stayed after the credits of the first Iron Man were already treated to a peek at this mysterious coordinator of superheroes. In Iron Man 2, Nick Fury appears in the film itself and has a slightly bigger role. He seems to have some connections with Tony’s father, which is interesting and makes you wonder what other secrets he is hiding behind that eye patch.

If I had to choose a character to nitpick, I would say I was a little disappointed by War Machine. I love War Machine from the comic books and was excited to see him and his shoulder mounted machine gun in live action. He is played by Don Cheadle in this film, who puts on the grey Iron Man suit because he has to subdue a drunk and dangerous Iron Man. The idea looks good on paper but isn’t executed very well, resulting in a character that is forgettable for non comic book fans.

Although Iron Man 2 isn’t the big masterpiece that everyone was expecting it to be, it does have its moments. For newbies, watch Iron Man first, then go on to this sequel if you are interested enough. And if you want more superhero fun, check out the underrated The Incredible Hulk. Marvel Studios has big plans for their comic book characters and I am looking forward to whatever they have to offer.

Iron Man 2 – Blu-ray

Photos taken with my 5 mega-pixel camera phone.

Best looking scenes:

– The boxing ring

– Whiplash on the race track

– Black Widow invasion

Best sounding scenes:

– Whiplash on the race track

– Iron Man & War Machine wrecks the house

– Iron Man & War Machine vs Hammer Drones

Best scenes:

– Whiplash on the race track

– Justin Hammer sells weapons

– Tony Stark talks to father

– Black Widow invasion

– Iron Man & War Machine vs Hammer Drones

– After the credits!

Justin Hammer! Have pity on the poor guy!