What I'm watching

#496/#47 Iron Man 3

Still recovering from the events of the Avengers, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is attempting to deal with his panic attacks and a general sense of dread. As this is happening a new terrorist group, lead by the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is attacking American civilians and instillations. Calling him out, Tony makes himself a target and is then thoroughly decimated. Left with no working tech, and only his wits to carry on with, this poses the question: what makes Tony the Iron Man? The suit or the man?

Continuing on from the Avengers was always going to be a tough act to follow but if any of the superhero franchises were going to do it, it was going to be Iron Man. Iron Man 3 has a couple of ropey moments here and there but for the most part it pulls it off well. Downey Jr is still fitting into the role like he was born to play it while the supporting cast of Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle actually get something to do for a change. Kingsley and Guy Pearce also provide worthwhile villains and it’s nice to see a baddy who’s not just someone in another Iron Man suit finally.

Some of the better aspects we get to explore in this film are that we get to see Tony Stark back to his most basic and having to cobble together makeshift weaponry on the fly, a la the cave sequence from the first movie. It’s interesting in this respect to see that Tony’s greatest asset is still his mind and that the suits augment him but they don’t have to define him.

It’s also probably the most humorous of the franchise despite being the darkest. I’m sure that has something to do with the new direction of Shane Black, of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang fame, coming on for this movie. For the most parts it works, but there are a couple times when there’s a bit of a whiplash between a dramatic and a comedic tone.

What might be an issue for some however, and what seems to be the most divisive aspect of the movie, is something which happens around the midpoint of the film. I won’t spoil it here but some people will accept it, and roll with this new development, while for others it will break the movie beyond repair. I went with it so it wasn’t an issue for me, but I can equally see why some people would be pissed. It’s really going to come down to your personal reaction.

I wouldn’t call Iron Man 3 a slam dunk, but I would say it’s one of the better third movie in a superhero franchise. Most of the time this is where everything goes to shit but IM 3 is a fairly strong movie in its own right and a solid capping point if they decided to stop here. It’s better than IM2 but it doesn’t outshine the original film for me and it doesn’t touch on the Avengers. If nothing else it will be interesting to see where they go with the characters from here. 4/5

#358/#75 Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

In an alternate steampunk 1940s, someone is killing off scientists right before a new wave of giant robotic devices start randomly attacking major cities and disappearing as quickly as they arrive. Reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is hot on the trail of this mystery; inadvertently leading her to her former lover, the dashing Sky Captain (Jude Law). Will the pair be able to track down the true culprit or will their constant bickering be their own undoing?

This is an interesting film to say the least. You can applaud the filmmaker for trying something a little different in an industry that, as of late, hasn’t tended to take a risk on anything that wasn’t already an established brand. It’s then unfortunate however, that it doesn’t really work.

It’s an ambitious attempt at trying to combine Indiana Jones, the African Queen, steampunk and film noir together (all while on a totally greenscreened set) but it’s definitely a case of the filmmaker’s reach exceeding their grasp. Elements of it work; like Law’s performance as Sky Captain or the interesting visual effects, but on the whole it’s just a jumbled mess of genres with a really lackluster storyline and some horrible comedy.

There is also no chemistry between the leads and Paltrow, in particular, is giving a really sub-par performance. If they are going to be twittering on at each other for the entire film then I really need to be interested in at least one of them or find their relationship compelling. Bogart and Hepburn these two are not.

It’s not unwatchable but it’s a very poor man’s Temple of Doom without all the interesting story to make up for the rest of the short comings. 1/5

#252 Iron Man

(Rewatch)

Munitions manufacture and playboy billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) has a change of heart concerning his weapons after being captured by terrorists and almost killed. After escaping in a suit of armour he creates, he returns home to refine the suit and become the superhero Iron Man.

I love this film. Everything about it just works. Downey Jr is the perfect blend of silly and serious with his role and is completely believable as both the lovable douchey version of Stark in the beginning and then the more motivated version of the character after his ordeal in the desert. The action sequences and just levels of badassery that are present also just work so well in this film. The CGI and suit design are amazing and Jeff Bridges pulls off both a good villain and the more caring father figure earlier on in the film.

The only real short coming I think the film has is Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. I’ve liked Paltrow in lots of other films but she just doesn’t seem to gel well with the tone and style of this movie. She’s good enough but just not quite giving it her all the way others are in this film. The same could be said about Terrence Howard actually and, I don’t know if I’m in the minority on this, but I prefer Don Cheadle in his role in Iron Man 2 for this exact reason.

These are just minor complaints though in an otherwise awesome movie and I look forward to the Avengers coming out next year if only to see Downey Jr as Tony Stark once more 5/5

#149 Iron Man 2

(Rewatch)

After Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) reveals he is Iron Man to the world, he quickly cements world peace against any conventional weaponry but the US Government still wants him to turn over his inventions so they may produce their own. On top of this a new villain, Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), with ties to the Stark family’s past appears intent on revenge and is willing to work with Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), another arms dealer hoping to outshine Stark, to get it.

The first film is definitely better than this one but its success came so out of nowhere when it initially showed up that there really was no way to maintain it. There were no real high hopes for the first film, so when it appeared, it showed up with a bang and impressed everyone. Iron Man 2 however, was highly anticipated and being used to bridge all the up coming avengers flicks. Higher expectations = harder to please fans.

IM 2 is a good action film, with some good banter, some good stunts and overall summer action flick feel to it. That said, it did feel like it suffered from being stretched a little thin. I’ve heard it described as a big trailer, which I wouldn’t go so far as to saying because there is a solid plot underlining the entire film, but I can see where people were coming from. This movie wasn’t just IM 2 it was also the set up for Captain America, Thor, Iron Man 3, The Avengers, Black Widow etc. So much other stuff was added in that IM 2 wasn’t the greatest purely Iron Man movie it could have been.

Downey Jr was still fantastic as Tony Stark, Rourke was an effective villain, Rockwell was a little unneeded but might become a bigger threat in future films, Gwyneth Paltrow seemed a little pointless but then she always did in the original as well, Scarlett Johansson was alright as the Black Widow, Don Cheadle was a fine replacement for Terrence Howard and Samuel L Jackson was flushed out a little as Nick Fury.

All in all, an ok film but not as good as its predecessor and as such people tend to be a little harsh on it now. 3/5