Iron Man (The Movie)
For a few solid years now, ever since Blade, X-Men and Spider-man came onto the scene, we've been engrossed and bathed by some amazing comic book movies. X-men 2 was amazing. Spider-man 2 is considered by many, many being me, to be one of the best comic movies ever made. We've had some surprise successes, like Batman Begins. We've had some let downs, too. Let's not talk about Superman Returns. But we, as comic fans, should be happy about what we are getting.
That's why I'm in love with, and very afraid of, Iron Man. Storytelling-wise, it is genius. Acting-wise, it is remarkable. The directing is solid, the action is tight. It is everything you could possibly want in a comic book movie blockbuster. That's why I'm nervous.
We'll get to why I'm nervous later. Let's start with the good stuff. Iron Man begins with Tony Stark, played perfectly by Robert Downey Jr, living the life of privilege. Girls want him, the government loves him. He's a genius with all things tech, he's rich, his funny, he's witty and he drinks too much. He is the All-American man right down to his love of fast cars and blondes. Cut to him being attacked by your random group of brown people in a country with more consonants than vowels and he's in a bad place. The terrorists have been using his weapons technology and want him to build them more. He's trapped in a cave. There is shrapnel edging its way into his heart, and the only thing stopping it is an electromagnet stuck in his chest.
Of course, if you read the comic, you know what happens next. He builds the Iron Man armor and busts his way out. The first armor looks impossibly stupid, which is how it is supposed to look. It should be crude, odd and cumbersome. But it is effective and it works. Tony Stark has some change of heart about his weapons. They did almost kill him. He decides to stop making weapons, and he builds the Iron Man armor to help him destroy the weapons already sold to the bad guys.
The good thing about Iron Man is that it completely relies on the actors to push the narrative forward. Seeing the Iron Man suit in action is cool, and sort of awesome. But it isn't as awesome as seeing Spider-man swinging between buildings. At first, I thought the Iron Man parts weren't done right. What I realized was that Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges were acting so well that I didn't want to see anything else. The dialogue in this movie is simply spectacular. The actors use every moment they have to characterize their roles. Their acting is so good that when it fails, like when Gwyneth Paltrow tries to act scared, it shows glaringly.
Don't get me wrong. The Iron Man action scenes are good, but they are few. There isn't enough action. Director John Favreau wisely spent more time with the acting and less with the action. I could have easily enjoyed thirty more minutes of action scenes, watching the Mark III armor go through its passes. The armor is handled perfectly, however. It is as believable as it could be, and you feel like this could really work. Watching Tony Stark build the armor, put it on and off, that really kept my attention.
The plot stuck straight to the comics. Rhodes hinting that he might wear the War Machine armor, the Potts/Stark love mess, Stark's drinking, SHIELD's interest, The Iron Monger suit, it all worked just like you felt it should work. No Iron Man fan should be upset about this movie. It is almost a perfect translation that still makes it feel like a modern day story.
What bugs me about Iron Man is this idea lurking in the back of the movie's mind. The buzz on the internet is that Iron Man is the gateway movie to the Avengers. I've been trying to do the math in my head, and I can't think of any way possible that an Avengers movie could work. I just don't see it. The Fantastic Four movies are the only thing close to that, and those movies aren't exactly perfect. How could someone make all those characters interesting and still have an action packed story with a plot that makes half sense? I'm not sure. Hang back after the credits of Iron Man and you'll get a taste of what Marvel is thinking about for the big screen. It makes me excited and worried. Is Iron Man the beginning of the end for good comic movies? I'm not sure, but Iron Man has my vote for comic book movie of the year. Until Dark Knight hits, anyway...
RATING: 5/5
DC Universe #0
Writers: Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns
Artists: A lot.
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: Fifty cent.
Rating: Freshman in High School
So, it is finally happening. Years of build up. Years of teasing us, and we are finally getting Final Crisis. It's about damn time. The cool thing about Final Crisis is that maybe, just maybe, it will be good. From all the hints I've been reading and gathering, Final Crisis will be about the Bad Guys finally taking over the world. What bad guys? Well, I think you can figure it out. DC is handling this differently than any other crisis story, but the results will be the same. Or will they?
First, the book. It starts out with the Universe telling us its story. What happened before, and what happened since. Slowly, as the book progresses, the Universe becomes more of a person, talking about individuals. We get short clips of our favorite DC heroes. Batman talking to the Joker. Superman in the Future. Wonder Woman in the Present. The Lanterns dealing with a mysterious alien. A burning dude falls from the sky, and we get the sound of lightening, heralding the return of a long lost hero.
The way it is laid out, all the DC characters are going to be dealing with the Final Crisis in little bitty chucks. The Green Lanterns get the Blackest Night. Batman gets R.I.P. Wonder Woman gets a nose job (That was bad, I know). A super-villain society is forming and Superman-Prime is returning. What I'm confused about is how DC Editorial is going to smash all this stuff together and have it end and make sense. You want to know what I think? I think they won't.
Here is my theory. The super-big crossover stories, in the past, started then ended. There were things that happened after the story, as a result. But the status quo was always returned to. For example, The Superman story Our Worlds At War, had all kinds of explosions and some death and some crazy invasion stuff. But, in the end, only a few characters we've never heard of died. Even Wonder Woman's mother bit it and then came back. Nothing changed but Superman's logo, and that was for only a few months. I think DC understands that, in order to sell books, you have to have an event CONSTANTLY. There will always be something to look forward to or build on in the DC Universe. From Identity Crisis to Infinite Crisis to Countdown to 52 to Final Crisis, all this stupid Crisis stuff have strung together, one book after another. Even the Sinestro Corps story ended and then started again with the upcoming Blackest Night. There will be no end to these crossovers. DC has created the unthinkable: The Constant, Unending Mega Event. Always have something coming up, and readers will constantly read the books.
It helps that the books are actually good. DC Universe 0 is the perfect lead in book. It gives all the information you need, without confusing you. There are hints in the directions they are going, without giving too much away. Really good stuff. What I'm hoping out of Final Crisis is for Superman to return to form, and the Justice League to be a book I want to read again. Grant Morrison returning to the JLA, maybe? Yes. Yes! A thousand times, Yes!
RATING: 5/5
$29.95
$24.99
$19.99
$39.99
Action Comics Annual #11
Avengers/Invaders #1
The Invincible Iron Man #1
Secret Invasion #2
