Year: 2013
Directed By: Shane Black
Written By: Drew Pearce and Shane Black
RYAN’S REVIEW
I have been a little obsessed with the MCU lately. Along with Iron Man 2 I revisited this film too as it is the only other movie within the MCU that we didn’t own a copy of. Having not added the second film to the collection I didn’t add this one either because I can’t stand gaps within trilogies even if one of the films isn’t very good. When this movie came out I didn’t think it was good enough to warrant purchasing both films. I thought it was OK when it was released and I’ll maintain that impression after seeing it again. This movie is just OK and far from the best of the bunch when it comes to the 14 movies now within the MCU.
I remember when this film came out the tagline was something like “does the suit make the man or the man make the suit.” That was a huge theme within this movie as Tony again spends far too much time as Tony and not enough as Iron Man. It’s cool that Tony Stark can still be heroic without his armor but I didn’t go see the Iron Man movie to see Tony in James Bond mode outside the Mandarin’s house. I wanted more Iron Man after feeling like the second movie didn’t offer enough Iron Man action either. While I like the second film more now than I did years ago I still feel like this one had a lot more problems.
The problem with the scope of the MCU now has to be making these individual movies when they aren’t all together. For example where is Captain America when the President’s life is being threatened? Where was Iron Man when S.H.I.E.L.D. turned out to be heavily infiltrated by Hydra? Yeah it’s all about budget and contracts and you can’t have every character in every film but that doesn’t change the fact that it doesn’t really make sense. We are seeing that change as there is far more crossover with characters these days. I’m totally psyched for the third Thor film as it will feature appearances from both the Hulk and Doctor Strange.
I have always been a fan of Shane Black’s action films from the 90s. While usually credited with writing he has had a hand in many classic action films like Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero, The Last Boy Scout, and one of my household favorites growing up The Long Kiss Goodnight. He was also the writer for one of my childhood/lifetime favorites The Monster Squad. So I’m a big fan of his work, but I don’t know that this Iron Man film lived up to some of those classics. Getting behind camera this time around Shane Black gave us a cool enough movie but nothing spectacular.
This movie doesn’t have the feel of a real MCU movie barring the presence of MCU characters. For example it doesn’t have a mid credit sequence that alludes to the coming films or future of the MCU. Its setting during the Christmas season for a summer release seemed an odd choice, out of place in the MCU which is usually has no association with holidays.
I think the problems with this movie in general starts with the story. It just isn’t big enough and too isolated to Iron Man specifically. After the second film there should have been more cross over with other characters. For example, Captain America’s third film featured an iconic comic storyline and turned into a huge spectacle. I think they could have put more thought into what to do for Iron Man’s second sequel. Granted you have Don Cheadle on board as War Machine/Iron Patriot but it just doesn’t seem like enough. After introducing Black Widow and featuring Nick Fury in the second movie this one is just too absent of other characters.
I also hate that Ben Kingsley was wasted as a pretend bad guy. He could have been much cooler than what they ultimately got with Guy Pearce. I don’t really care for Guy Pearce and nothing about that changed with this movie. I liked Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, but felt another rival weapons manufacturer for this movie to be redundant. I did like James Dale Badge as the top henchman. I have been a fan of his since he played Jack Bauer’s partner in season 3 of 24. Ben Kingsley isn’t just a top grade actor but he is capable of playing a great villain, if in any doubt check out this. This movie could have used a little Don Logan if you ask me, such a waste.
I consider this one of the weakest installments to the MCU, not a bad movie but simply not up to par with the other films. It just feels too isolated for a third installment. Tony has too many friends at this point to take on this problem on his own. Even if they couldn’t include other characters somebody else should have at least been referenced with the President’s life at stake. I think this movie is worth your time but it’s far from the top of the pack in the 14 movies now within the MCU.
Year: 2010
Directed By: Jon Favreau
Written By: Justin Theroux
RYAN’S REVIEW
This movie has long since been one of the few Marvel films that didn’t have a place in our collection. I saw it in the theater when it came out back in 2010 and I wasn’t overly impressed. I thought the lack of action and story direction was a problem for a sequel that didn’t live up to my expectations at the time. However, having recently watched Grace Randolph list it so high in her ranking of Marvel movies I decided to give it another chance. I found that I enjoyed it much more this time around and think I’ve been too critical of it over the last several years.
I think I was just too impatient as a viewer back in 2010. I wanted more from this film than it offered and the disappointment overwhelmed the whole movie for me. I always think a sequel should be bigger than the original and by extension have more excitement as well. This movie is a bigger story as Tony Stark struggles with the life threatening nature of his power source as well as trying to maintain what he has created with the Iron Man. Yet the movie is seriously lacking in action. The action scenes on hand are all great but there is a long lull in the middle with little actual Iron Man action baring his in house fight with War Machine. The fight between Whiplash and Iron Man on the race track was incredible and I think the climax battle in the end really pays off well.
I never care for a storyline in a comic book film when a character loses the ability to be the hero. Same thing in Spiderman 2 when Peter Parker loses his power and gives up being Spiderman for a while. For me, when the hero ceases to be a hero and becomes a regular person it takes away all the excitement. You know they will eventually get their powers or abilities back and the time in between is just something to wait out. This is a different situation but when I watched this movie back in 2010 I felt like Iron Man slowly being poisoned to death took away from what could have been more actual Iron Man action. Watching it this time around was different though and I could find more appeal to the film.
I initially hated the scene in which Tony gets hammered, pees in the suit, and then fights his newly cast best friend. It was just such a low point for our hero that it rubbed me the wrong way. Yet weighed against potential death it makes much more sense. Wouldn’t we all lose it a little bit and get crazy if we knew we were going to die? I can appreciate it more this time around too knowing that it echoes a story line in the comics in which Tony Stark was struggling with alcoholism.
I am not a huge Terrance Howard fan by any means but I didn’t care for the recasting of Rhodey. In truth I am a bigger fan of Don Cheadle but his casting breaks the continuity of the films. I didn’t care for the recasting of Edward Norton in the MCU either but that proved to be a success as Mark Ruffalo did a fantastic job with the part of the Hulk. I think it’s impressive how Marvel can do that and maintain success. Guys like Terrance Howard and Edward Norton were cast early in the process of building a cinematic universe. Hindsight is 20/20 though and given a chance to go back I think both would have done whatever necessary to make the relationship work.
I am a big fan of Sam Rockwell and liked him in the role of Tony’s rival Justin Hammer. I think it was really cool that the character was name dropped recently on Netflix’s Luke Cage and hope that means there is a potential return to the MCU in the future. Don’t know how he would be utilized but the MCU is really in need of more recurring villains. There’s no chance of return for Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash but he made waves with some really cool scenes within this movie. The fight on the race track with Tony’s briefcase suit was specifically awesome.
This movie was critical in the advancement of the MCU on the road to The Avengers. By introducing Black Widow and giving more screen time to Nick Fury they started laying the foundation for the connective tissue of these movies. There is also a reference here to Captain America’s with Tony using a prototype version of his shield at one point. It expanded the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. and gave it more history with Howard Stark being one of the founding members.
I don’t think this movie measures up to its predecessor but I do think the movie is better than I gave it credit for when it first came out. This movie led directly into The Avengers as arguably the most important stepping stone in creating the MCU. I don’t know that I agree with how high it was ranked by Grace Randolph but I can at least see now why she had it so high. This movie is worth your time if for no other reason than if you see one movie in the MCU you should have really seen them all. Marvel has made history with their creation of a cinematic universe and everyone is trying to copy them now.
Year: 1994
Directed By: Oliver Stone
Written By: Oliver Stone, the original screenplay that was picked up off the bottom of a pile of rejections was by Quentin Tarantino
RYAN’S REVIEW
It gives the wrong impression, it’s not something I generally admit to people openly, but this is my favorite movie of all time. Since the very first time I saw it I was in love with it. It is unlike any movie I have ever seen and I think it is indisputably a work of art, despite its content.
As to the content of this movie. This isn’t violence it’s anger, pure unadulterated anger. Anger at a world that isn’t right. Anger that manifests itself in a violent response. Mickey and Mallory are the response to what this world was in 1994 and still is. It is a violent and evil world; there is no innocence, even among the good. Everything is mainstream and we all do as we are told. Mickey and Mallory came from the worse elements of this world and what they turned into was simply reactionary. The response from the world depicted by the public in this film isn’t off base either, that’s the sad reality of the whole thing.
I don’t think this is a movie that should be watched by a younger audience and I don’t think it’s wise for unsettled people to watch it under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. Both of which have caused unfortunate problems in the past and the consequences were grave. It is an awful thing when people watch a film and do something crazy afterwards. I like it even less when the film is blamed because the actions that follow are on the heads of the perpetrator and not film. Those people were and are crazy. If it isn’t the film or song they were listening to that triggered them then it would have been something else.
I myself watched this movie at too young of an age in truth. I was 15 or 16 the first time I picked it up off the shelf at the video store I worked at. I specifically remembered that my step-father had watched it with my older brother and found it repulsive; saying that the rest of us were never to see it. More than anything it was the look on his face I remember, and the tone in his voice. Something about this movie made it different. We were forbidden from in it a way that somehow surpassed other such declarations. It was years later when I broke the rules and tasted this forbidden fruit alone in my room. I can say honestly that it had me from the opening scene and instantly became my favorite movie of all time. It claimed the spot early and has never been toppled.
I have also, as a matter of fact, watched this movie under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs and I’m not afraid to admit that. I was in college; a time long long ago in a town far far away. Oliver Stone was under the influence of mushrooms at times before and probably during the filming of this movie. The influence of psychedelics is obvious even to someone who has never experienced them. The scene when Mickey and Mallory eat mushrooms and get followed by a cop was actually based on something that happened to Stone and someone else while they were scouting locations. Seeing this movie on mushrooms was like watching a different film and I have thought since that the movie was made to be seen like that. Obviously it is not something I recommend to people and it’s not an experience I expect to have again as times are different now and youthful experimenting is a thing of the past.
I think this movie gets a bad rap, but it earned that in spades. The content of this movie is harsh and it’s not for everyone. I have just always seen through all of the violence and loved what is beneath. Underneath it all is a relationship that I have always found inspiring. Mickey and Mallory are two people completely in love and hopelessly dedicated to one another. Their actions are fiendish and awful, but the connection they share is a beautiful thing. When I was in high school I would tell people about this and tell them to look at the love story that was underneath it all. I love their marriage over the river when they bond their blood and send it into the river. I also love when they finally reunite in prison during the riot, great scene. I don’t care for the implied rape of the hostage, and the very real allusion to it in the uncut version of the film. These are really bad people, and these are the kind of things those types of people do. I don’t condone any of the actions Mickey and Mallory take in the film. I love the characters but in no way think that anything about them is alright. It’s just a movie though, and rooting for bad guys is always a guilty pleasure. These bad guys happen to share a love that I admire and it is the love that gets me with this movie. There is plenty to love and appreciate about this movie but for me it’s all about Mickey and Mallory. They have a love for one another that is special. Sure they are crazy, but they are crazy for each other in a touching way.
At the top of this review I credit Oliver Stone with the writing of this film and I want to explain why. When Quentin Tarantino was trying to get started he sold two screenplays to earn enough money to get Reservoir Dogs started. Those screenplays were True Romance and Natural Born Killers. Both of which turned out to be good films. Good films both of which were about a couple that go on a wild cross country crime spree and kill a lot of people. Yeah the stories are different, but only by variation. Quentin Tarantino has loudly criticized this movie in the past because so much of what he intended was changed, and because…you know, his giant over bloated ego was wounded. Tarantino is brilliant, but when he starts talking he rarely comes across as anything but an arrogant douche bag. Oliver Stone is an incredible writer in his own rite. He picked up this screenplay off the bottom of a pile of rejected scripts and redid it in his own way. With all due respect to Tarantino, he is a great filmmaker, but he isn’t even half the talent that Oliver Stone was in his heyday. I’ll be the first to admit things are dramatically different now and the exact opposite today but in his day Stone was hands down incredible. He made some outstanding movies that, despite their content or political agenda, were works of art and most of them are absolutely unique in their own way. This movie for example, is unlike any you will ever see. If you can look past the surface and see it for what it really is you will see that this is more than a film. It is the product of an artist who was in his element, with a camera as his brush and an editing room as his studio.
During his heyday Oliver Stone was the type of director that a lot of grade-A talent wanted to work with. You only need to look over the casts of his films from the 80s and 90s to see that. This movie was no different and the cast it offers is an outstanding one. It starts with the lead roles of Mickey and Mallory. Woody Harrelson is not only an interesting person personally but he is the kind of acting talent that it is hard to not like. He has seemed to only get better with age and this day in age he is just so flawlessly cool. He is excellent as Mickey Knox. Mickey is uneducated and ignorant but sly and cunning despite that. He is vicious in the ways that only a man of lifelong repression can be yet he wins you over with that charming quality that can only be embodied by Woody Harrelson. Harrelson has the benefit in this film of having an outstanding counterpart in Juliette Lewis. To cast Mallory Knox they had to find someone who could be sexy yet batshit crazy at the drop of a hat. They couldn’t have chosen better. Nobody pulls off batshit crazy like Juliette Lewis. She is such a badass, she actually broke Tom Sizemore’s nose while filming their scene in her prison cell. I don’t know what has happened to her lately as she only appears in the most random of films these days and always as a cameo. She doesn’t capture the big roles anymore and I don’t know why because I have always thought she was an outstanding actress. Like Harrelson she also has a really interesting back story personally.
Tom Sizemore brings his own element of crazy to this film. I have always been a big fan of Sizemore but his personal life has loudly been problematic. He has had significant struggles with drugs as well as anger issues that have led to problems for him before. I do not condone his personal actions but I have always liked him in the supporting roles he is famous for. In this movie he fits the part like no one else could have and I think he is really good as Jack Scagnetti. The name of his character specifically is part of this movie that shows its roots from Tarantino. Scagnetti is a name Tarantino has used before. In Reservoir Dogs Mr. Blonde mentions his parole officer is named Scagnetti.
This was one of the last significant acting roles Rodney Dangerfield had as his career came to a close. That is unfortunate as it was a very unsavory role but like Sizemore he just fit the part so well. I was never a fan of Dangerfield’s loud style but in this movie he did something dramatic and different. He plays a sick and depraved man. The type that makes you feel sorry for the daughter that grows up to be a psychotic killer. This was Rodney Dangerfield’s first and only performance in a dramatic film and I think he did an excellent job. Despite the role he plays in this movie Dangerfield deserves the respect and recognition of comedy fans. He was a one of kind comedian who helped pave the way for those who would follow him.
Rounding out the big names in the cast is none other than Oliver Stone’s good friend Tommy Lee Jones who he shares a birthday with. Jones is a bit over the top in this film but he did so on purpose. As a Harvard graduate Jones is a highly intelligent actor who in fact was never schooled in his trade. Jones never took an acting class but that has never inhibited him. He has had a long and distinguished career as an actor that he continues to build on. Jones was hot during the time this movie came out having hit it big winning an Oscar for The Fugitive the year before. This role is a much different part and that only highlights his talent as an actor. He became a beloved actor playing straight laced types like we saw in The Fugitive or The Client but in this movie he is much more uncouth and heinous. It’s not my favorite role from Jones by any means but I still like what he brings to the table as McClusky.
This movie makes a statement about society, the media, human nature, and American culture in the mid nineties. I think by and large it is misunderstood, but with good reason. There is a lot more to this movie than meets the eye at first approach. If you don’t see anything but the worst in it then you are missing out on what makes it the best. I love this movie and I have never been afraid to admit it. I have never been one to broadcast it because it sets the wrong impression but I will gladly mention this movie every time the question of favorites comes up. This movie is my favorite because it is different, because it is bold, and because it says something about the world.
I don’t generally recommend this movie to people, because it isn’t for everyone and I fear too many just won’t understand. I don’t argue about it either, the content is too controversial and strong opinions come with it. A movie like this comes with certain preconceived notions and assumptions that can give people the wrong idea about a fan. People will think what they think but anybody who doesn’t look deeper into this one is missing out. It has been my favorite movie of all time since the first time I saw it and I love it just as much every time I see it again. Watch this one at your own risk, it is what it is and not to be taken for granted. It’s not like other films but that it part of what makes it special.
AMBER’S REVIEW
Ryan made me watch this when we were in college. I wasn’t allowed to see anything like this growing up. I didn’t know a movie like this even existed until Ryan showed it to me. I have seen it many times now over the years, but even today it sucks me in and intrigues me. The story is incredibly different than anything else I had ever seen, and still today is a great take on the media. It’s even worse today than when this movie was made. Imagine this movie set in today’s world, with social media the way it is today. It was ahead of its time, not even knowing what the monster social media would become.
This poster is cool. I don’t think it does the film justice, but for its time in history, I think it’s pretty cool. The image is set in all black and white, with the exception of his glasses, which also have the reflection of Mallory. There could be so many connections drawn here about the color and the image of Mallory, but I feel it’s all too cliché now, and probably wouldn’t work today. I just don’t feel like this poster is memorable or as special as the movie is. It really gives no allusion to what the movie is at all.
Year: 1985
Directed By: John Hughes
Written By: John Hughes
RYAN’S REVIEW
One of my favorite things to do over the past ten years was stroll around the movie sections of stores and find older movies that I just had to have in our collection. I have always been a specific shopper when it comes to this, I don’t buy just anything I buy the movies that were significant in one way or another. Either they were significant to me personally or they were just a great movie that was worth owning. These days when I stroll through the movie aisles in stores I only find myself walking away disappointed. First of all, the sections stores reserve for movies are shrinking at a regular rate as demand for DVDs and even Blu-rays are dropping all the time. Secondly, it’s just such a challenge these days to even find a movie I want. At this point I own nearly every movie I ever loved and all the new releases are much too expensive to purchase when they are first released and for several months after. I’m saying all this to simply explain how this movie came into my possession. I was reaching, that’s all it really amounts to. I just really wanted to buy a movie and remembered this one well enough to pick it up for a cheap price. To say it simply, this was a swing and a miss. I bought this movie and it’s mine now but if I could go back in time I would simply keep my five bucks, this was not even close to worth that.
When I first saw this movie I was in high school and I think that is why I remembered it fondly. The idea of creating a woman that will look incredible and do anything and everything you want is an idea that appeals to any teenage boy whether you have succeeded in getting any or not. Does anything matter more to a teenage boy than trying to score with a chick? It’s something that dominates the mind of us of all through that rough stretch of adolescents where it seems like something that is all but impossible to achieve. I watched this movie then and thought it was awesome and also watched the TV show with the smoking hot Vanessa Angel and thought that was awesome too. Having had an opportunity to revisit this movie now, all I can say is that my thoughts and feelings about the film were far too influenced by the raging and uncontrollable hormones that hit young men in their mid to late teens.
I wasted a night of my life watching this movie again and I will never get that time back. I feel compelled to apologize to my wife for making her sit through the beginning, even though she slept through most of it. This movie is not good; it’s not even on a level below good. It’s stupid, plain and simple. The movie doesn’t even seem to have any direction as it progresses. It goes from bad to pointless to simply being a complete and utter waste of time. Of course it is harder to watch a movie like this today given that we know computers don’t have the capability of creating supermodel looking women or anything animate at all for that matter. The thoughts and feelings of these teenage boys and the problems they have may be timeless and something any generation can relate to but that isn’t enough. This is a ridiculous movie and there is nothing in it that can make it worth any of your time.
John Hughes made many great movies throughout his career but this was not one of them. It is funny to see a really young Robert Downey Jr. in the film with a crazy hair style that can only belong to the 80s but you can just Google a picture of that and save yourself some time. Anthony Michael Hall is one of our main characters again doing another movie with his biggest supporter in Hughes. Kelly LeBrock looks great but having spent a lot of time growing up watching Vanessa Angel play the same role I don’t think much of LeBrock. Bill Paxton is only worth mentioning because he is turned into a giant pile of shit but this is probably a movie he doesn’t include in his resumé.
So let me do you a favor and spare you the time you yourself could waste on this movie, it’s not worth it. I am literally feeling a lot of guilt because I talked my wife into watching it with me. In any marriage you can’t afford for things to go this wrong when you persuade your spouse to do something they aren’t really interested in. All it does is give all the leverage to them and make it harder the next time you try to talk them into something later on down the road. Damn you Weird Science! My wife will win the next argument over what movie we will watch and it’s all because I was stupid enough to think there was something to this one. Cool song, but nothing else to speak of with this one.
Year: 2008
Directed By: Jon Favreau
Written By: Many for screenplay and character creation both, most notably Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
RYAN’S REVIEW
This is where The Avengers started, it’s where is all began and it got things kick started with a bang. The Avengers was such an incredible movie because it was the culmination of something many films had already built over many years. This was the first one, the first movie about one of the characters, and the first one to feature Samuel L Jackson in role of Nick Fury. This one was the right one to get things started. Plenty of superhero films crash and burn but this one is rock and roll. It was incredibly successful because it was the real deal. It’s a cool movie and it tells an interesting and exciting introductory story.
Robert Downey Jr.’s career certainly has had its ups and downs but I think he got his game back with this role. He has always been a great actor but when he became Tony Stark he became Tony Stark. Today’s Robert Downey Jr. isn’t the guy we saw back in the early 90s. He is an altogether entertainer that has blossomed into this really likeable guy much like Alec Baldwin or well Samuel L Jackson for that matter. These guys are just super cool and suddenly have more charisma than anyone would have ever imagined. Alec Baldwin once starred in Thomas and the Magic Railroadfor crying out loud. Robert Downey Jr. is now one of those guys. He has played this character so many times now and so well that he is that guy. Just as Jon Hamm will always be Don Draper and James Gandolfini will always be Tony Soprano. I think it’s a good thing because I think he is great as Tony Stark and I couldn’t imagine anybody else doing it now. He may have done some great things in his career before but I think it’s obvious that this was the role he was made for.
As for the rest of the cast I don’t know that anyone was really stellar by any means. I am a big Jeff Bridges fan but come on, The Dude does no harm. Whose idea was it to cast him as a bad guy? He did well with it but I don’t think it was an exceptional performance or anything. I think Gwyneth Paltrow is great but this doesn’t seem like the right role for her. It seems like a strange thing to say given how much I like the movie but I think the role of Pepper Potts is beneath her. I think she is too good to play this kind of part in a movie like this. I am a big fan of Paul Bettany as well but I would never know he was the voice of Jarvis if it wasn’t listed in the credits. However, I will say that the computer he personifies is really badass and I wish I had one. Terrance Howard did OK with his role as well but given he was replaced in the sequel his role means very little now. If I remember correctly I read somewhere that he was really difficult to work with on this film and was not asked back the second time around. I do not know enough about what happened though to be honest. Samuel L Jackson is awesome per usual but his role is so small and after the credits; it hardly matters when speaking about the cast.
I had really high hopes for Iron Man 2 but walked away feeling really disappointed. It was too much of set up for The Avengers and I thought the Iron Man part of the storyline was really lame. I know the character of Tony Stark has problems with consumption and that in the comics it sometimes gets out of hand. I think the writers probably had plenty of storylines to pick from though and one along those lines is lame. I thought they could have created a more powerful Tony Stark instead of one that was dying and desperate. When he peed in the Iron Man suit I had given up on the film. We do not own the sequel to this film because I really didn’t like it but the third film is set to be released this summer and I have high hopes. It looks really good and I am looking forward to it. You can see a trailer here.
I don’t think this movie rivals the original Spiderman in the genre but it is high up on the list of Marvel Comics best movies. I mean of course the films based on their characters and not simply films produced by the studio. We muct not forget about the greats aside from Spiderman was must keep X2, andBlade in mind. This was a good movie and that is what is most important to keep in mind. I would find it weird if you hadn’t seen this movie given its immense popularity but if you haven’t then it’s time you’ve seen it. This movie is worth your time and I would give it my stamp of approval.
AMBER’S REVIEW
I was really surprised by this movie. I went into it thinking that I probably wouldn’t like it, and it proved me completely wrong. I don’t really know anything about the comics of Iron Man so it was fun to go into without any preconceptions.
Oh look, another one! They tried to pack in every single person in the movie. I have to say though, I don’t really think the designer is at fault. This had to be like a contract thing or a “client demands” situation. I think this poster would have been a lot cooler if it was a straight-on shot of Downey and then Downy in the suit. Split it down the middle and show half of each, but the center glows out of both. It would look a lot cooler than this one.
Amber and I just finished watching The Avengers and it was incredible. I have been following the movie since they decided to do it a few years ago and it has more than exceeded all my expectations. I had my doubts over the years because they were putting so many large personalities onto the screen at the same time but they made it look easy. This was easily one of the best films made after the Marvel characters and that is saying a lot with such great movies to compete with like X2and the Spiderman franchise. I found myself disappointed with all the recent Marvel movies so this really was a pleasant surprise. I did enjoy both Thorand Captain America but I had expected them to be better, and I all but hated Iron Man 2 and X-men First Class. The Avengers simply couldn’t have been any better though. It was action packed, all the stars were on point with their performances, and it was surprisingly funny.
I openly criticized the choice of Joss Whedon to direct this powerhouse when it was announced a couple years ago. Clearly I grossly underestimated him and should have done my homework on him before jumping to conclusions. He had an extended hand in the making of the film getting a writing credit to go along with his role as director. He made a great movie and should be seeing a lot of doors opening up for him in his career now. Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic and seemed to really shine in his role as Iron Man. He is Tony Stark, and he is only getting better at playing the part. I think Tom Hiddleston was awesome as Loki, really really great as the main antagonist of the film. He is so villainous yet such a joker all the same. The whole movie he has that sinister smile on his face as if he is humored by a joke that only he knows and it is the entire world. Samuel L. Jackson had to do little here but stand tall and look cool, but who better to do so? This was the largest role Jackson has had as Nick Fury now and I think he is great at it. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson all did well reprising their roles as Captain America, Thor, and Black Widow. I thought Jeremy Renner was really good playing the part of Hawkeye. I didn’t know what good a guy with a bow and arrow would be against an army of aliens but I was really surprised by how much I liked the character. I wish Ed Norton had returned as the Hulk but Mark Ruffalo wasn’t bad. I really liked Norton’s The Incredible Hulk but he ended up battling with the studio over a writing credit after the movie came out and they ultimately decided not to bring him back for this. Not to mention that The Incredible Hulk wasn’t exactly considered a successful film, I thought it was really good though. I think this movie made great use of the Hulk, and Ruffalo did a good enough job playing Bruce Banner that it didn’t matter that the character was recast.
All of these actors had fantastic chemistry in this movie, and I am very hopeful they will all be able to come together to do it again in the future. They had great dialogue that really reflected their comic book roots with a lot of witty banter and goodhearted humor. Ruffalo and Downey Jr. particularly had good chemistry together, but you really get the feeling that all of these actors liked one another. I was so surprised by how funny the movie actually was; I found myself laughing out loud from beginning to the very end. If you wait through the entire credits you see the movie end on a really funny final scene. The whole movie had such a casual and natural feeling to it, that surprised me too although it shouldn’t have. This has been something like six films in the making with buildup coming in nearly every Marvel film since Iron Man came out in 2008. All the characters were well established before this movie even started production so they didn’t have to waste any time introducing every character. That allowed them to do so much more with the script and I think that made this an exceptional comic book film.
Amber and I both loved this movie, if we had the freedom to do so we would have gotten right back in line and watched it again. However we had a lot to talk about on the way back to pick up the kids, there was so much to like about the movie. I hope everybody out there goes to see the movie because it is worth your time and money. Given the opportunity Amber and I might even go back to the theater and see it a second time on the big screen. We did not watch the film in 3D format, opting for the safer 2D choice. The last two films we saw in 3D looked awful, but I cannot say how good or bad they might have been in this movie. If you saw it in 3D leave a comment and let me know how it looked. If it looked good I might check it out the second time around.
UPDATE #1
Santa Claus was awesome this year and brought us a copy of this movie to add into the collection. I enjoyed this movie just as much the second time if not more. It is a fun and exciting movie that couldn’t have been made any better. I look forward to the next installment as there will undoubtedly be one, and can’t wait to find out who might be joining the team. Until then I look forward to the next Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man movies that will be hitting screens this upcoming summer.
The Movie Snobs 