A Major Identity Crisis

Note: Story Spoilers are discussed liberally below. ‘read only if you either don’t mind or have already seen the film.

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“Iron Man 3″ is out…and it isn’t good. Or rather, it isn’t good if you’re a fan of Iron Man.  If you like Tony Stark, without the armor, you may adore it. But me, I like my superheroes unapologetic to be superheroes. And that’s not what this is. Rather, “Iron Man 3″ is the anti-”Avengers;” which was a story fearless in how the characters embraced their powers and costumes. That’s not the case here. Shane Black wrote and directed a movie defiant in how NOT necessary the trappings of comic book superheroism are; and that’s not a story I care to support.

What the movie fails to grasp is a simple truth: The armor isn’t what makes Tony special; Tony makes the armor special. It’s not the first time a Marvel Studios film committed this sin. “Iron Man 2″ never sat well with me in how Rhodey showed zero learning curve when jumping into and stealing one of Tony’s suits. That sequence will always feel counterintuitive. Is the Iron Man movie series becoming more overt in putting forth the concept that the armor is at best, a simple tool and at worst, a necessary evil?  Case in point, the film’s superhero action high point is a spectacular in-air rescue of people tossed out of an airplane…..accomplished by a remote control suit of armor! As soon as the rescue is done; a semi-truck accidentally demolishes the armor suit. But do any characters react in a negative way to the armor’s loss? Absolutely not. Foreshadowing the movie’s climax; where a legion of remote armors fly in to fight the bad guys, only to be destroyed at a fast and capricious rate. Apparently armors are as non-descript and disposable as Kleenex; a sophisticated special effect without a soul.

It’s not a great extrapolation to say that the armor’s are causing a significant negative impact on Tony. By this stage in their relationship, the armor’s are  the barrier between Tony and Pepper’s evolving happiness. Embracing this as an unacceptable truth; by the time the credits roll, all armors have been blown up in a bizarre “romantic”  fireworks display as Tony and Pepper kiss. So…….in watching this moment we in the audience should feel celebrate for the restoration of their relationship and no remorse over the loss of the armors?  Why can’t Tony as a person and Tony as a superhero co-exist???

Obviously Tony can and will build more suits (the “Avengers” sequel comes out in 2015); but that doesn’t lessen the depressing position put forth here. Tony is apparently incapable of balance. If he wants a blissful domestic life with Pepper, then the armors ……..and by extension him as a superhero…..has to, if not be gone? ‘be several marginalized. This flies directly against the last shot of “Avengers;” when Tony and Pepper are playfully arm-in-arm as they design the new Star Tower post-the team winning the battle of New York. What happened to that pair who integrated both that Tony was a superhero and their identity as a couple? I can understand Tony have some Post-traumatic stress after New York….I support that events should have consequences / reverberations…….but “Iron Man 3”’s story takes it too far. There is no organic ‘next place to go’ for Tony as a superhero. A way will be found of course, there are too many dollars on the line from future merchandise alone; but that doesn’t alleviate the dull feeling you have as a comic book fan after seeing “Iron Man 3.” It’s the summer blockbuster designed to strike a chord with non-comic book fans (see: The Mandarin and who he isn’t) and that’s not how a superhero looks to me.

‘Did You Get What You Deserve?’ —- G.I. Joe: Retaliation

This morning I had a revelation …….. and will explain the genesis. I saw ” G.I. Joe: Retaliation ” last night but was hesitant to write about it as the movie’s been out for what… 9 days? ………in my mind, movies are written about either before they come out…..or some appreciable amount of time after as part of a college thesis. (or equivalent thereto)………….But! what if a new angle could be found? One that made sense to write about. And low and behold, I went to Box Office Mojo and found the above chart which presents a simple fact of how one movie performed Domestically compared to another. A light bulb went off and I thought, “Aha! I can write an editorial in response to real data! Perfect!”

‘and that’s how ‘Did You Get What You Deserve?’ was born. I’ll add more during the year for an assessment of whether or not a movie is generating the appropriate box office.

For our inaugural column? We look at that depressingly nonsensical “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” A film that knows there is fun to be had in the material, but has absolutely no clue how to manifest that fun on-screen; wasting the charisma of both Dwayne Johnson AND Bruce Willis…….which I suppose that’s impressive in its own way?

The film’s editing is abysmal; as we jump from a thin “on the run” plot lead by Dwayne Johnson to a thinner plot of Snake-eyes hopping around the mountains…….the two of which intersect purely out of necessity, not logic. Numerous opportunities of character development are passed over quickly or outright ignored. The movie is in a rush to get nowhere. Certainly, if you’ve seen the trailer you know some outstanding action pieces can be found………e.g. Snake-eyes and his personality-free sidekick fighting evil ninjas on a mountainside…….. ‘wouldn’t it be great to know where they are /who the bad guys are / what’s happening? It would be to a logical person! Which, these filmmakers are not. Instead they cut from Snake-eyes’ mission of limited scope to Dwayne Johnson leading around the safest “on the run” group ever. For a heavily decimated team being hunted by a faux President of the United States…never do they remotely seem in danger despite how hunkered down they talk about being. Nor do they seem in the same movie as other characters either.  It was unclear to me if it was a plot point that COBRA is wasting having their own man pose as President….as overall things in the United States seem pretty standard! ‘turns out Zartan knows what he’s doing to run the country!

While the first G.I. Joe film is burdened its own ‘not-insignificant’ set of failures and letdowns; it could at least cohesively move a simple story forward and moreso; understood that G.I. Joe functions as a team. Here, it’s the Dwayne Johnson Show with bland supporting Joe’s flailing to display personality and purpose in between shooting around with stern looks on their faces. Plus, I actually missed the interplay between Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum from the first film; there is no chemistry that approaches that medium-height bar…

Final assessment? “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” deserve to be tracking for a lower box office performance than its predecessor. “Rise of Cobra” was flawed and rightly critiqued by fans and non-fans alike. So, when you follow something that so plainly missed the mark? You have no excuse not to release a better product; especially with the rich character / design history that “G.I. Joe” has to draw from. While I enjoy Dwayne Johnson as much as any action film aficionado ……..and only him; ‘seriously, Bruce Willis is in 3 scenes, it’s almost a crime he’s plastered across so many Marketing materials……… this movie is depressing in how un-fun on any level it turns out to be.

Marvel Entertainment and SONY Pictures Entertainment Japan Announce the return of Iron Man Anime in “Iron Man: Rise of Technovore”

LOS ANGELES (October 8, 2012) – Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (SPEJ) announced today the return of iconic Super Hero, Iron Man, to the beloved world of anime in an all-new feature-length film, IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE.  Produced by Madhouse and currently in production in Japan, the film is slated for release on DVD in the spring of 2013.

Directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki (Shigurui, TEXHNOLYZE) with story by Brandon Auman (The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Iron Man: Armored Adventures),

the film explores a confrontation between Iron Man and the villainous Ezekiel Stane, who develops new bio-technology that seemingly outclasses the Iron Man armor.  After Stane unleashes a terrorist attack and sets Tony up to take the fall, Iron Man must evade S.H.I.E.L.D.’s man hunt and find a way to clear his name.

Marvel’s Head of Television, Jeph Loeb to reveal more information surrounding Iron Man: Rise of Technovore at New York Comic Con during the Marvel TV Presents Panel on Saturday, October 13 at 4:15pm in Room 1E13.

“Marvel is excited to present an all-new Iron Man adventure featuring the high-tech adrenaline he is known for, in the beautifully rendered anime style of our friends at Madhouse,” said Producer Megan Thomas Bradner. “We’ll get to see familiar Marvel Super Heroes such as War Machine, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye and The Punisher, rendered in anime style for the first time. It’s a can’t miss for any Marvel fan.”

For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/marvelanimatedseries and www.marvel.com.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.  For more information visit http://www.marvel.com/

Perfect Time to Say Goodbye

Had anybody told me that a sequel to “The Dark Knight” would not only surpass (barely) that instant classic, but also be a wholly satisfying conclusion to the Nolan-Batman universe…….I would have admitted it was possible but! ‘assumed it was highly unlikely.

And, fortunately for me, I would have been wrong.

I loved this movie. ‘not immediately. In the opening bit I found Bane’s voice far too fake-sounding, if that makes sense? As in it didn’t fit the scene or the body it was coming from but rather like it had been dubbed in hastily at the last minute. Scene by scene I either got used to it or they did a better job on the dubbing…..or both?………….or! the movie is so high quality and compelling and fearless? That it didn’t matter.

Rather than be intimated by the massive success (story-telling and character development-wise in particular) of “The Dark Knight?” This movie has the courage to embrace it and run with it in bold, daring directions. I’m very purposely not hitting specific plot points but other things can be touched on. Such as Anne Hathaway being an outstanding choice for Catwoman……….turns out, someone OTHER than Angelina Jolie (always perfect in my mind) can nail the sensual moral ambiguity of the character and still be vulnerable, concurrently. She’s the perfect female version of the multi-faced character that Christian Bale plays to perfection. I enjoyed very much his (under-rated in my mind) complex performance in “The Dark Knight,” and am very glad to see that it’s rightly the centerpiece of this film. While there are many strong actors in the cast, its Bruce Wayne’s story through and through; which is wonderful for fans of quality storytelling and a HUGE lesson to filmmakers for other comic films……..you can make multiple movies and continue to find ways to make the hero the most interesting character! ‘so many films quickly search for other focus, almost as if the most interesting aspect of a hero is his or her origin.

I reject that notion, and will forever use the Nolan movies as proof.

However, one vital thing to point out, speaking of great actors? is Jospeh Gordon-Levitt. By now he’s a steady working actor with a rising profile, and deserving to be so, but in this he’s note-perfect throughout his character’s journey. It’s a fascinating and surprising one, and adds to the fearlessness of this story. I cannot say enough that I applaud the risks that director Christopher Nolan took, but his confidence in sticking to his vision of ending the Batman story he started and populating his film along the way with actors who could execute that vision is peerless.

A few other items of note, one is the new vehicle, The Bat. I loved every second it was on screen. ‘completely a product of movie magic, it makes complete sense that an urban warrior like Batman would own such a vehicle, and it’s perfectly designed to fit the same “family” as the Tumblr and Bat-pod, of the three it’s my favorite. The way it’s brought to life is believable even as the logical part of my brain knows there was no way it could exist.  That brings about the concept of  “Real World” vs. “Fantasy World” that the Nolan movies’ design teams (from costumes to cinematography) manages to strike the perfect balance with in all 3 films. I don’t know what magical formula they have that so many films lack………..perhaps one huge factor to benefit them is the decision to again make heavy use of filming in a real city on location; ………..although I miss them using Chicago from “The Dark Knight,” as that city has far more grandeur in architecture than Pittsburgh, used here.

Overall, this is the pinnacle of satisfying superhero finales……….in fact, isn’t it the first proper one ever filmed that wasn’t a train wreck?…………….I’m looking at you “The Matrix” movies ! (I dislike the pace of part 2 and hate part 3; I find it ugly and pretentious.) Ironically, both are from Warner Brothers.

See this movie soon. Support it and embrace the bold commitment it has to closing a chapter that started years ago, but has reached a natural, beautiful ending point.

ADDENDUM

Good morning! I woke up with a few random things to add. One, the fight scenes are MUCH better. Despite being a huge fan of “The Dark Knight,”  I loathe the hand-to-hand combat in that movie. It’s slow and akin to watching sloths attempt to slap one another. So! For a movie structured around a physically terrifying villain (Bane, of course); the fighting had to be more energetic and visceral, and it is. Whew! And, do not read or talk about this movie as I am a fan (for better or worse…….maybe ‘addict’ is a better description) of reading spoilers for movies, but I didn’t read them all and I was genuinely surprised with revelations towards the end. There are more than the huge one at the film’s closing; and they are well worth the surprise. This is a brilliant, respectful-to-source material script by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan. As a comic fan, you must appreciate the enormous debt we owe to what Christopher Nolan has accomplished, regardless of whether you like DC or Marvel

update: Costumed Movie Heroes in the Money???

“Thor” (via boxofficemojo.com) ……. as of May. 9 …….. Domestic:$71,126,395  + Foreign:$180,289,979 = $251.4mil

yay?

“Green Hornet” hit approximately$98mil Domestic and $129mil Foreign……. for a total of $228mil.

Again, I ask, is 2011 a “yay” for costume superhero movie grosses?

I don’t think it is. If I am Marvel Studios, I am mildly happy at most. ‘checking out the Top 50 superhero domestic grosses per the fabulous boxofficemojo site. #10 is “Hancock”…..a superhero created for the screen (but in fairness, starring a major movie star)……and that’s at $227mil for purely domestic…………I’m not convinced “Thor” is hitting that. This Friday “Priest” comes out, and while I don’t see it doing the same numbers, it still will be a drag on the same audience. And then May 20? In only 10 days from me writing this? “Pirates of the Caribbean 4″ comes out, and love it or hate it, that franchise is a juggernaut. (mild Marvel pun intended) To cap off the month? “Kung Fu Panda 2″ hits May 27. Again, not apples to apples with “Thor” but another significant audience dilution.

Is the shine off any costumed hero movies that aren’t Wolverines, Supermen, Bat or Spider – related?

Quite frankly, I think it just might be.

Audience fatigue is real, it happens. Fatigue of hearing too much about anything, and in this case, in my very un-scientific straw poll format? People I work with have no interest in “Thor” or even strong curiosity for it. “Captain America” going to do better? eh, perhaps as it has a more recognizable actor in the lead, but it’s a period movie and I’m not sure there’s been a hit there since Indiana Jones came around. And then “X-men: First Class” hopes you care about younger versions of characters who were never the true stars of the 3 X-films…… hi Hugh Jackman.

Lastly is “Green Lantern” for this summer……….and btw, not counting “Transformers” or “Harry Potter” which are proven franchises ala’ “Pirates” and will print money………… and “GL” is the great unknown. Is it starring a big enough name? did it strike the right balance of science fiction and superheroics for the masses? will online audineces get over the CGI costume enough to actually go see it? …….With proven success Martin Campbell at the helm, who reinvigorated the James Bond franchise TWICE with “Goldeneye” and then “Casino Royale,” I’m going with yes, and “GL” is the only winner in this year of costumed hero big screen madness.

But stay tuned. Next year Spider-man, Batman, Superman, and the Avengers hit the big screen. The box office dollars that won’t show up in 2011? Oh yeah, they’ll be around then.

UPDATE: 5/16 – Outstanding 2nd week box office performance for “Thor.” (thank you boxofficemojo.com) …<<<”Thor” dipped 48 percent to an estimated $34.5 million to bring its 10-day total to $119.3 million. Its percentage drop was much smaller than the last two summer starters (“Iron Man 2″ and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), and it also outperformed “The Incredible Hulk” and “Clash of the Titans.” Its fall was also about even with the first “Iron Man,” albeit with a much lower total gross.”>>>
Let’s hear it for a quality superhero film benefiting off well-earned positive word of mouth; starring unknowns and a lesser-known hero. Today I am humming Make Mine Marvel!