Iron Man 2

Continuing right along with the film that didn't give much hope that Marvel could pull off their shared universe. How wrong that would turn out to be.

Starring Robert Downey Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Favreau
Written by Justin Theroux
Directed by Jon Favreau

Synopsis: Dying from his suit, Tony Stark turns to alcohol abuse in what he thinks are his final days, while a bitter former rival seeks revenge.

Visuals and Audio: For the most part, this film fares as well below the line as the first one did. The effects are solid, as are the editing and cinematography. The filmmaking is all pretty solid, nothing too excellent or flashy, but it gets the job done well enough.

Cast: While nobody's arc is as strong as they were in the original Iron Man most of the cast still does a decent to good job. Downey Jr. manages to hold the drama and comedy together, even in its more forced moments, and Paltrow has less to do this time around, but still serves as a grounding presence. Don Cheadle is a minor improvement upon Terrence Howard in the role of James Rhodes/War Machine, although that's likely due to the script allowing him to banter much more. The final positive acting note comes for Sam Rockwell, who's Justin Hammer is easily the best part of the film. Taking full advantage of being the secondary antagonist Rockwell has an absolute blast chewing on the scenery and taking advantage of his plentiful comedic dialogue.

On the contrary, the worst part of this film is it's villain: Whiplash. Played by Mickey Rourke, Whiplash is a mishmash of poorly connected ideas and visions. While other MCU villains may be less memorable, the sheer disconnect from screenplay to performance cements Whiplash as a real low point for the series. Add in his bland motive and various oddities (like that frickin' bird) and you have a character who never had much hope in the first place. As well, this film adds in SHIELD in a big way. Nick Fury, Phil Coulson and Scarlett Johansson all have significant roles to play in this film. The problem is that Marvel hadn't properly figured out how to set up a shared universe yet, so all of their dialogue is incredibly forced and unnatural, preventing the characters from having a chance to feel important or real. Johansson has the most prominent role, and also fares the worst. Though she would go on to become one of the MCU's strongest female characters thus far, here she only serves for sex appeal, and never finds any semblance of nuance or character to flavor that. It's an especially unfortunate treatment of a prominent female character, especially in the same series that created a three dimensional love interest who was able to fully avoid most stereotypes.

Writing: Alright, here we go. The first third of this film is actually pretty solid. It does a decent job of setting up Tony's impending death and conflicts with the government, all leading up to a pretty fun action sequence on a racetrack in Monaco. Unfortunately, after this the film almost immediately loses track of the plot and devolves into a series of subplots fighting for prominence. As mentioned before, Marvel hadn't quite figured out how to connect their films, so SHIELD's role in the film, which serves only to set up The Avengers feels very tacked on, and distracts from the primary storylines. The dialogue in these scenes is also truly atrocious. One particular scene in which Nick Fury motivates Tony Stark to create a new element is likely the single worst scene to come out of this cinematic universe. Aside from the scene having no reason to exist beyond giving Samuel L. Jackson some screen time, the dialogue within is forced, out of character, and in no way resembles human speech. Though the film is already struggling to stay cohesive by this point, this scene really stands out as a major low point, and leads to one losing whatever suspension of disbelief may have still remained.

Directing: Much like the screenplay, Jon Favreau's direction peaks in the first act this time around. An early scene of Tony testifying in front of a senate committee is hysterically funny, and the aforementioned racetrack fight scene is stronger than any action sequences in the first film. It contains a level of intensity and brutality that wouldn't be seen again in this series until The Winter Soldier. (Hell, Happy Hogan straight up rams Whiplash with a car three damn times!) Once this scene passes, Favreau struggles to continue any sort of a consistent tone. While the first film managed to deftly blend drama and comedy, this film leaves them almost entirely separate from each other. The result is that the comedy feels unnecessary and silly, the drama feels uninteresting, and nothing seems to have any importance whatsoever. Because of this, the emotional and exciting scenes fall far short of their potential, and the entire film feels like a clip show.

Verdict: Lacking in any sort of cohesion, Iron Man 2's main issue is that it simply doesn't feel like a film for much of its time. There are too many ideas at play, and none of them are given the attention necessary for their impact to be felt. Though there are some strong performances, and the effects are still solid, the best thing about this film is that it served as an early lesson for Marvel, teaching them what not to do in their future. Thankfully, they took the lesson to heart, and did a much better job at telling their individual stories from here on out. Still, it's worth watching the first third, and pretending it's just a fun short film with the Monaco Raceway fight serving as the climax. It still feels unimportant, but it honestly works better than it ever should.

Grade: 4.9

The Incredible Hulk Review

Continuing on this trip back through the MCU comes Marvel's perhaps most forgotten film, The Incredibe Hulk. Hardly ever referenced, even within Marvel's canon, is there secretly some brilliance hidden in Marvel's second film?

Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell
Written by Zak Penn
Directed by Louis Leterrier

Synopsis: On the run from the US government, Dr. Bruce Banner tries to find a way to cure himself of his destructive split personality, The Hulk, before it can cause too much damage.

Visuals: Being in production the same time as Iron Man,  The Incredible Hulk is the only MCU film that can't claim to be influenced by it. Does this mean it was able to make its own visual style? Sort of. The first act of the film, taking place primarily in Rio De Janiero, has a cool look and feel to it. This act contains the first "Hulk" sequence of the film, wherein the big green guy is kept in the shadows, and his attack is seen from the point of view of the mercenaries chasing him. This allows for some cool work with light and shadows, building the suspense of The Hulk before revealing him. It also greatly helps hide the fact that the effects suck. The Hulk never really looks like he's there. The film's climax, which features him fighting another big CGI guy looks especially cartoony. It's also a shame that the visual style falters after leaving Brazil. The rest of the film is either bright and bland, or too dark and murky. Either way it fails to be memorable.

Audio: Musically, this film recycles its main theme from the television series of "The Incredible Hulk." This is actually a great idea. It is a very good track of music, and cues the viewer into the fact that this film is more an adaptation of the show than the comics. While this decision may not be for the better, the score does its job of helping the viewer to know the tone of the film.

Cast: Now, though the Hulk as a character has continued through the MCU, Edward Norton has not. When it came time to make The Avengers, he was replaced with Mark Ruffalo. Was this an improvement? Yes, mostly. Ruffalo brings an everyman quality to Bruce Banner that aids him in working within the ensemble casts he has been a part of. That said, Norton still capably carries this film. Though it's hard to imagine this Bruce Banner standing out amongst the Avengers, he serves as a likable and flawed protagonist on which this smaller scale film can anchor itself. It's just a shame that the Hulk doesn't share Norton's face or voice, as that would help connect the two alter egos in future films.

Norton still gives the strongest performance in the film. William Hurt is fine as General Ross, notably the only main cast member of the film to ever return to the MCU. Liv Tyler and Tim Roth really drag the film down, though. Of the two, Liv Tyler's Betty Ross makes the greater negative impact. She has a ton of screen time in the film, more than any other MCU love interest, and speaks with an odd vocal inflection that quickly becomes grating. She speaks every line with some mixture of baby voice and whining, which kills any chemistry she might have shared with Norton, and makes her scenes occasionally a chore to get through. Tim Roth's Emil Blonsky/Abomination is the standard bad comic book villain. He seems to take the characters origins as an excuse to scenery chew and avoid nuance. The result is a character that becomes a boring cartoon character well before he becomes... a boring cartoon character.

Writing: This is the aspect of the film that breaks the most from the MCU formula. As mentioned before, the storyline is based more on the late 70s tv series than the comics. As a result, the more "Superhero-y" moments feel disjointed from the primary narrative. The first act in Rio fares the best, giving Banner's efforts at remaining hidden a cool focus, and properly using a Jaws-like approach to build up the Hulk without showing him. The later acts of the film drag on, though, with one note side characters taking up a lot of screen time. This is also the time where the divorce between the film's television and comic leanings becomes more pronounced and troublesome. As has become a Marvel calling card, The Incredible Hulk also makes many efforts to include humor into the proceedings. Unfortunately, these efforts feel slapped on top of, rather than properly integrated into, the script, and largely fall flat.

Directing: Though he never went on to direct another MCU film here, Louis Leterrier actually handles his role here capably. Though there is a tonal disconnect, he has fun with the action and suspense beats. The firs appearance of the Hulk and an action sequence on a university campus are both fun examples of the terrifying and imposing nature of the Hulk. It's a shame, then, that the final act gets caught up in poor CGI and too-dark visuals. He crafts some cool visuals and scenes, but ultimately struggles to properly bring the film together as a whole.

Verdict: The Incredible Hulk certainly is not a complete train wreck of a film, and is actually quite a bit of fun early on. Unfortunately it tries to be too many things at once, and as such falls apart at the end. Still, it does manage to feel quite a bit different than the rest of the series that would follow, and is a vast improvement from 2003's attempt at the character. Still, it's far from required viewing, and is mainly notable as an early diversion, from a time before Marvel found their identity.

Grade: 5.5

Iron Man Review

Now that we are a full decade into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have a full 20 films, it seems like a proper time to go through them all. As I do so, I will be rewatching and reviewing every film in order of release, and will finish up by ranking all twenty films. The format of these reviews will also change from here on out. Reviews will be organized into different sections, so one can more easily find what they are looking for. And remember, it's all just opinions. 

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Shaun Toub, Leslie Bibb, Clark Gregg, Faran Tahir
Written by Mark Fergus & Hawk Otsby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Directed by Jon Favreau

Synopsis: When eccentric weapons dealer Tony Stark is injured by his own weapon and kidnapped, he has a change of heart on how his technology should be used.

Visuals: First things first, the visual effects on  this film have aged wonderfully. Though it is now a decade old, the suit still looks exceptional most of the time. It also helps that the suit is practical sometimes, giving a tactile sense to it. The editing and cinematography in the film are not flashy, but they do their job well enough. Weirdly enough, they add to this film's real world feeling. It's the most realistic film that's been done by the MCU, and this shows in the surprising amount of grit and brutality in the action scenes.

Audio: Not much to talk about here. The score, composed by Ramin Djawadi, is fine. The tech feel of it is thematic, but overall there aren't many memorable tracks, with only "Driving With the Top Down" standing out. Sound design wise the film is also solid. Much like the editing, it is function over flash, which is something that separates this film from the rest of the MCU.

Acting: Starting with the big one, Robert Downey Jr.'s performance makes this film as memorable as it is. He imbues Tony Stark with a perfect blend of drama and fun. He has a real edge to him in his starting bout, fitting for a man only recently removed from building weapons of war. However, even before his change of heart, the viewer still enjoys watching him. Part of this is due to the fact that Downey is the only one not playing the film straight. The rest of the cast lack Stark's snark, giving more genuine reactions, and allowing Robert Downey Jr. to take the spotlight. The one who fares best is Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts, still the gold standard of MCU love interests. She is an evolution of the common superhero love interest, helping to defeat the villain more than needing to be rescued, and serving as a proper intellectual foil for Tony Stark. As for the villain, Obediah Stane stands right about in the middle of the MCU. He unfortunately lacks truly clear motives, or much depth to speak of whatsoever. Thankfully, he's played by Jeff Bridges, who elevates the character with a sense of menace that's not found on the page. The downside to this is that he becomes less interesting upon putting on a suit of his own.

Writing: On the plus side, this film handles the character of Tony Stark exceptionally well. Stark's arc is straightforward in a way that is sorely missed currently. Though there's certainly familiar elements, the character and performance are strong enough to help it feel fresh. In retrospect, however, the film follows the Spider-Man template perhaps a tad too closely. Outside of its lead character, there's nothing unique going on in the film. Thankfully, the screenplay seems to recognize this, and thus the character takes the forefront in a way that allows it to largely overcome this familiarity.

Directing: And now, how did Jon Favreau do at setting up the tone of the MCU? Weirdly enough, in a lot of ways he didn't. While it's natural for a series to evolve as it continues, Iron Man still feels very different from how the rest of the MCU would turn out. It's roots are hooked far more deeply into the real world, and though it set up the tongue in cheek tone, it's protagonist is really the only one who's in on the joke. As far as action goes, nothing too exceptional here. It is notable that the increased realism leads to a level of brutality and intensity in its violence that would almost immediately be toned down. Even so, what this film did set up is the focus on entertainment. It uses all of its tools to make a film that is, first and foremost, fun.

Verdict: Iron Man may not have reinvented the wheel, but by making entertaining the audience its top priority it has managed to be just as entertaining ten years later as the day it was released. It may have more in common with the superhero genre of the early 2000's than with the continuation of its own universe, but it served as a familiar entry point into a new form of cinematic storytelling. Though not the peak of what its genre can accomplish, Iron Man's influence is still felt, and manages to serve as an entertaining film, even taken out of the context of what would follow.

Grade: 8.1