Is It Good? Listen, Bud...

Opening day for The Amazing Spider-Man, I was there. I loved Raimi's trilogy and while I was sceptical about the reboot, it won me over with time (it helped that Robert Pattinson didn't get the title role) and I was very much looking forward to this.

I'll go over Spider-Man's creation another time, since chances are this will be a long blog.

The origin is so well known at this point that it almost feels insulting to describe it. But for those still unaware, I will go over it (I should point out, though, there are little differences here and there).

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has been living with his uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and aunt May (Saly Field) since the death of his parents several years ago. He seeks answers from a colleague of theirs, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), but suspects there's more to it. During an initial attempt to contact Connors, a spider bites him and Peter gains superhuman abilities.

Yeah, that's pretty much the abridged version of just the intro, but there's more to it than that, like Peter's blossoming relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) or Connors' experimenting with lizard DNA to regain his right arm (for those unaware, the Lizard is a long time Spider-Man foe and was actually the first villain he faced in the 1994 animated series).

This review will probably end up having spoilers, so you have been warned.

While it seems so typically Hollywood to reboot something when something doesn't go its way, there are some times when it works. And this is one of them. Not only does it work, it might even rival the original Raimi film. So, in short, I loved it.

Throughout the review, I'm going to try and limit the comparisons I make to the first Raimi film and judge it on its own merits.

Let's start with the main man himself: Andrew Garfield is a sensational Spider-Man. He gets the awkwardness, the mood swings, the inquisitive nature down pat. And best of all, when he dons the Spider-Man costume, he gets to crack wise. A lot. And be as heroic as we expect our Spider-Men to be.

Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy... oh man, she's fantastic. But then, Emma's a fantastic actress. She's not the damsel in distress here either, and actively assists Peter's effort in the final confrontation (for anyone who's read my blogs on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you remember what I was saying about Marvel writing their women well? Same thing here).

The chemistry between Andrew and Emma is so real, probably helped by the fact that the two are actually dating off-screen and you cheer a little inside when Peter and Gwen finally get together.

Even though I said I'd try to limit the comparisons, this film has the better uncle Ben, pure and simple. Martin Sheen acts like a firm but fair father, and isn't afraid to get stern when he's required to be.

The death scene (whoa! Spoiler!) is actually much better here, too. It's much harsher and more personal, if that makes sense. In this version, after Ben goes looking for Peter, who has stormed off, he gets shot by the man Peter could have apprehended (as per the origins in most comics), with Peter finding him and screaming for help. But no one responds. And Ben doesn't say anything to Peter, he never gets the chance. Even though Peter (OK, this next part is a genuine spoiler of-sorts) finds out he has a phone message from Ben that he listens to later on, for the time being, Peter never gets any closure, no chance to make amends.

And Rhys Ifans as Connors/the Lizard more than makes up for that vile pile of crap The Five Year Engagement (though he didn't suck in it, it's nice to be reminded he can be in GOOD movies), being a sympathetic character but also true to the villain's motivations from the comic (the CGI takes a little getting used to, since in the wrong light he looks like an odd form of Killer Croc).

Action-wise, it's marvelous. Whether it's Spidey shooting multiple webs at a random car thief, or taking on the Lizard, it's Spidey doing what he does best: slinging webs while cracking jokes.

Now, for a couple things I really need to point out, because I love these aspects:

One of the neat reoccurring features of the film are the POV shots of Spidey shooting webs from his wrist and swinging along. Even though I saw the movie in 2D, those shots made it seem like you were right there, they were so immersive. I hope to see more of these in the sequel.

Another is one scene in particular: Spider-Man's been shot in the leg, and he's worried he won't be able to make it to Oscorp to stop the Lizard. This ends up on the news and one of the people watching is a construction worker whose son was saved from drowning by Spider-Man. He resolves to help Spider-Man out by getting cranes set up to give him objects to swing to and make a clearer path. I swear I nearly had tears in my eyes, and it makes me want to say to the Marvel writers “Why can't you write more citizens like this?!” Seriously, in Marvel comics, a lot of the average citizens are arseholes who act like they're better than superheroes. Piss off, you're just jealous that you're lower on the food chain now. Be more like the DC universe, whose citizens are proud to have heroes like Superman and the Flash protecting the Earth. Or this guy, be like this guy.

Despite all this, I have two gripes, nothing huge but still.

One is the performance of Irrfan Kahn as Dr. Rajit Ratha. I'm sorry but I could only understand what he was saying half the time. It distracted me, and it's one of the reasons I watch DVD's with subtitles on whenever possible.

The other, and this is also a comparison to the first Raimi film, is the under-use of aunt May. Her role mainly consists of “Oh Peter, I'm so worried about you!” and such. In the Raimi film, she also serves as a matchmaker of sorts for Peter and MJ, indirectly. She's there to be the guiding hand in Peter's life. But this movie, she's not all that developed. Hopefully that'll be rectified in the sequel.

I could be for hours talking about Spider-Man and this film in particular, but apart from saying Denis Leary was also a great addition, I should wrap this up now. But in a nutshell, the greatest thing about the film is that it's not a lazy rehash. It doesn't go "You know the origin, blah blah blah, here's some fight stuff". It makes you care all over again, it has heart.

 Despite my apprehension to the initial announcement of the reboot, it won me over and it's a fantastic film. I'll get to the other films somewhere down the line, but until then, I urge you to go out and see this movie. Have a slinging time. 4.5/5

Captain America? Hell No!

Well, I know I'm breaking away from movies again so soon but I've been wanting to do this one for some time and since I haven't watched any of my DVD's to carry on my review of 2012 movies, I thought it's about time I write this one up (I will be resuming with movies for the last post of the week, I'll be watching Rock Of Ages tomorrow if all goes according to plan). Today, it's a comic review, for the mini series Ultimate Comics: Captain America

I don't think I've gone over the Ultimate Universe in any posts so a little history: Marvel wanted to bring in new readers without alienating their existing fanbase but with the amount of history their titles have, it was going to be a task. The solution was to create a new universe and create new versions of the characters from the main universe, but setting it so that a majority of the characters got their starts in the present day, thus making it a little more modern. This way they could make new origins and adventures for new readers, whilst leaving the main universe alone (in short, not rebooting the whole thing like DC). Ultimate Spider-Man led the charge and was soon followed by Ultimate X-Men, the Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four, as well as various mini-series in between. In 2009, the massive crossover Ultimatum occurred and this lead to a rebranding of the imprint, now going by Ultimate Comics, with the current titles being The Ultimates, X-Men and Spider-Man.

I haven't read much since the rebranding (or much of it before the rebranding) but I absolutely adore Ultimate Spider-Man and despite its faults, I'll happily defend it.

But today, I'm discussing Jason Aaron's Ultimate Comics: Captain America mini-series, drawn by Ron Garney.

After a botched mission in North Korea, involving someone distributing the super soldier serum Cap goes to Cambodia to locate the man behind the serum plot and ends as his captive, with the man revealing himself to be Frank Simpson, aka the “Captain America of the Vietnam War”. Frank is set on “educating” Cap on America's evils, determined to break him.

I have to say, from what I expected, this comic was a great disappointment to me. Before I get into that, I'm going to give credit where credit's due.

The art in this book is pretty good. The scenery is bright and vibrant and the action scenes look impressive. Really, there isn't much more to say and that's not because the art's not worth mentioning, just that I'm a story and character person, so unless the art is hideous, I tend not to get caught up in it. There is one aspect I don't like, however, and I'll go over that now.

The biggest problem this comic has, and this is a criticism for most of the other books in the Ultimate imprint featuring Cap, is that... well, Cap's a prick.

I'm not expecting all of the alternate universe versions of the “mainstream” universe to be carbon copies, but in one-shot stories or alternate futures where we probably won't see that version again, you're allowed to go nuts and experiment. But the Ultimate books are ongoing, so we're going to see these characters again and again. In that sense, some divergence is fine, but a recurring trend I've noticed in the Ultimate books (particularly The Ultimates line itself) is that most of the characters undergo some sort of “arseholeification” and it's off-putting (Thor may be one of the few who escapes it, though in return, he gets labelled a crazy man who thinks he's the God Of Thunder).

Cap suffers from it the worst, as he's always putting down other nationalities and acting all like “America rocks! Go us, screw non-Americans!”

For example, the North Korean bungle (which has a scene with Cap holding a gun with a weird expression on his face, like he's biting down on something to not feel the pain from a needle), he says “You can't blame me for that mission going to Hell. Blame those incompetent Brit-” before he's cut off. And before the mission goes to crap, there's this little gem: “C'mon, ladies, it's not tea time already is it? Move your asses”. Yes, because the British love tea. Cap, you're not exactly free of stereotype yourself.

Oh but it gets better: after turning down some food in Cambodia, after complaining it “smells like a cesspool”, he pulls the classic “Does anyone speak American?” bit. You're overseas, Cap. Stop acting like a damn ignorant tourist. Maybe spend less time training when not fighting crime and maybe take the time to learn about other cultures, since you'd be traveling a lot. It doesn't matter if they do speak some English (not “American”, you ignorant clod), that would most likely be due to Frank's influence. And some of them wouldn't be entirely fluent.

Going back to the art thing for a minute, I checked the whole book to confirm this and you know what I noticed? He never smiles, except for one time. He's almost always scowling. I'm beginning to think Garney was possessed by Frank Miller or Rob Liefeld when drawing Cap's face. I kept thinking “Am I reading about Captain America or did I pick up The Dark Knight Strikes Again by mistake?” based on Cap's personality and the politics (though, at least the political aspects make more sense here).

And that one time he smiles? You can barely tell he's smiling. Hell, maybe it's the goddamn Punisher under the costume for all I know. Wouldn't be the first time...

What makes it worse is that I actually like the villain more. It's one thing to have a well-written story in which the hero is awesome but the villain is also cool or a magnificent bastard or the like (basically Batman and The Joker), it's another where you agree with the villain more because the hero is poorly written. That's a bad sign, guys. Frank Simpson may be trying to brainwash Cap with propaganda, but he actually mixes in some truth, and he's almost entirely rational. He's a little extreme, granted, but in his mind, his country betrayed him and he wants everyone to share his belief on how his homeland is mired in corruption. He's actually a well-written antagonist and it's worth reading the book just for him.

Last negative point, how does Cap counter Frank's arguments? In basic terms “You suck. America has made mistakes but it's still awesome and you're not. Commie!” That's how I see it, anyway. If this was the Cap of 616 (main Marvel universe), I'd expect something like “The nation has problems. Always has, always will. But we can overcome these problems and redeem ourselves. We can prove we stand for truth, liberty and justice”. Corny, yes, but the Cap of 616 is a man of honour, compassion, wisdom and is pure of heart.

And that's what it all boils down to. One Cap is a champion of the people, defending anyone and everyone who is in need of defending. The other is a self-righteous arsehole who believes the Bible is the undisputed guide to living life, even while holding a gun. I know, I know, different attitudes and all that, especially considering when the Cap of the Ultimate Universe was defrosted, but if he's meant to represent the American ideal or way of life... that means the Ultimate Universe is filled with bigger arseholes than the 616! And that's no mean feat! And Cap is widely different from them. But Ultimate Cap? Piss off. He'd better improve for future stories.

Well, that about wraps it up. I will say there was a cool scene involving Cap and snake venom, but besides that, the art and Frank, there's not much to go on. Disappointing, especially since it's Captain America.

Marvel's On The Right Track, Baby

I hadn't intended on doing something else about comics so soon after my thoughts on Flashpoint, but when DC announced it was reintroducing one of its characters as gay, I just had to say my piece.

Due to how much of a minefield the discussion of sexual identity is, I want to start off by saying I whole-heartedly support gay marriage, rights for the gay community and I view them as being no less human than heterosexuals. In fact, the heterosexuals that are so vehemently opposed to gay people in general are the ones that are sub-human.

However, what concerns me is the fact that DC felt the need to announce that one of their characters in the relaunch was now gay. I don't care which character it turns out to be, but DC, was it really necessary to make a big announcement out of it? Like “Attention everyone! We have gays in the universe! Come one, come all! We actually have a gay character!” Did it ever occur to you to actually, y'know, write the character without worrying about their sexual preference and just let the details shine through the work?

By doing this, you're basically saying “The first thing you need to know about this character in our relaunch is that they're gay”. Why is that important? Are we supposed to be impressed? Did you forget you've HAD gay characters before (I say had because, besides Batwoman, have any of them returned in the relaunch?) like Obsidian, Damon Matthews, Pied Piper (OK, he actually has returned in the relaunch and maintains his character traits from post-relaunch, so that I applaud), Renee Montoya? Or, y'know, two of your main characters in The Authority, Apollo and Midnighter?

Granted, not many of those characters (if any) are known to the public at large but they've been part of DC for years. Hell, Montoya was the goddamn Question for a time. And her being a lesbian isn't one of the first things I'd use to describe her. Any number of these descriptors would be among the first: ex-cop, cynic, bitter, chain-smoker, determined, snarky, etc. And most of this is based on 52, especially in the first two volumes and a little of the third (also, I highly recommend reading all four, even if their canocity is in question. I don't care if I've recommended them before, I'll do it again. They are brilliant).

Point being, gay characters in DC is nothing new. So, why is this being treated like it's an event? Are you trying to boost sales this way? I'm surprised you haven't spun John Stewart off into his own book and gone “Look! We have an African-American superhero! We're so progressive!” And, much like Montoya, John is much more than that. He's stoic, intelligent, compassionate, a leader... and he also killed my fave Green Lantern (yeah, spoiler alert). Yeah, I know the circumstances behind it and I don't blame the writing, but damn it, Mogo's gone! Sniff

Or Ryan Choi, the successor to the Atom. He's an Asian superhero, though he had his own book, The All-New Atom. I read the first trade of that and I thought it was pretty cool. But his heritage isn't how I think of him. I think of him as curious, brilliant, noble, but most importantly, fun-loving. A superhero who loves this gig? Yes! We need more of those! It's OK to take your work seriously but lighthearted superheroes are great too! Look at Plastic Man or Wally West (also, DC, another thing: Bring. Wally. Back. NOW).

Oh but what did DC go and do, post-relaunch? (Spoiler alert), they killed him. *Facepalms* What the Hell?! Yes, I know he's alive again now (hey look, a positive from the relaunch!) but he never should have died in the first place.

I could go on all day listing various “minorities” (I put that in air quotes because what exactly is a minority these days? I mean, in media, it makes more sense. Like the fact that you barely see any African-Americans throughout the entire run of Friends, but in our world, is that still the term we use?), but the point is, if the writing is strong, your character doesn't need to fall back on things that don't matter in the long run.

Look at what Marvel's doing with one of its long time characters, and most prominent homosexual character, Northstar (for the record, his sexuality isn't the first thing I identify about him, it's the fact that he's a member of the Canadian superhero team, Alpha Flight or that he's a mutant ): he's getting married to his boyfriend, Kyle, which Marvel is making a big deal out of. Now, while people at this point are saying “So, what DC is doing is a cynical sales boost but this is OK?”, I'd like to point out that yes, this is OK, because marriages are often big deals in comics, regardless of gender. Superman and Lois Lane, Cyclops and Jean Grey, Green Arrow and Black Canary, Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, just to name a few. But this is also Marvel showing support of gay marriage, and for one of its long time “B-list” superheros who hasn't been seen in much outside media. I don't know if many newsagents down here will be getting the issue, but if they do, I will be buying it, because I support what they're doing (for anyone interested, it's Astonishing X-Men #51).

But Northstar's not the only gay character in Marvel's canon. Others are fellow mutants such as Phat, Karma, Vivisector, Bloke and Destiny. And some non-mutant gay characters include Hulkling and Wiccan from the Young Avengers. The latter two are characters I actually know a little about and again, their sexuality is not their defining trait.

I'm sure I've lost a few people on the way, so to sum up: DC is making a big deal out of a character's sexuality now being different and expecting it to be some big revelation, like it's going to play into how he's written.

Marvel is letting one of it's lesser known but still well loved characters marry the love of his life and treating it with the respect it deserves.

Marvel- 1, DC- O.

Recruit A Team Of Heroes With Attitudes

Well, we've looked at all five films leading up the massive crossover film, The Avengers. The dominoes are lined up, the cogs in the machine are all aligned. We've waited four years. But is it a case of a coming together of the greats, or is there still some assembly required?

Before we get into that, let's go over the Avengers as a team in the comics: in September, 1963, Thor's arch-nemesis Loki tricks the Hulk into destroying a railroad track, which leads to Hulk's friend Rick Jones sending out a radio call seeking help, a call which Loki diverts to Thor, in the hopes of drawing him out. What Loki didn't expect was that the distress call would be answered by more heroes: Iron Man, Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, they all defeated Loki and decided to become a team. And it took all of two issues to lose a member, in this case it was Hulk, who left because he realized his unstable personality was a source of great fear for his team mates. But a few issues later, Captain America would be found and he would become a long time member of the team. And the rest is history. A long and confusing history, especially with all the different Avenger teams.

Now, if you don't read comics and know little about them, you're probably wondering who the Hell Ant-Man and The Wasp are. Well, the answer is: they are two characters who had better appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the years to come, because they are great. But that's for another time.

For this film, our team is instead made up of Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, the only change in actors for this film, with Lou Ferrigno providing the voice for the Hulk himself), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), to take on Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his alien army. Also joining the fray is Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), a high ranking S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and we also see the return of Coulson (Clark Gregg), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), as well as more voice-work from Paul Bettany as Iron Man's AI program, JARVIS.

And... well, OK, I pretty much described the plot right there. They come together, settle their differences and they fight some bad guys.

And you know what? I love every goddamn minute of this movie. From the moment Iron Man ended, I knew this movie was going to be monumental. After five movies, the anticipation just rose even higher. Every scrap of information relating to this movie pointed to it having enough momentum to actually be the greatest Marvel movie ever, to be something that would shape how Marvel's movies would be for ages to come. And considering how this came out in the same year as the currently-the-worst-film-I've-this-year-based-on-rankings Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, it's almost like Marvel are trying not only to wipe away their embarrassment but overcompensate.

The aspect I love the most, the key to this whole film, is the blending of the different styles from the respective films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man's solo segment before the team comes together is hilarious but also sweet, since he's spending time with Pepper. Cap's is solemn and you can tell he's just begging to get back into the action, but there's also drama as he is a man out of time and that weighs heavily upon him. Thor appears later in the film but there's a strong dramatic tone with his first few scenes, especially those with Loki. And Hulk (well, when he's Banner) is funny, but darkly so and showing how he's grown accustomed to his surroundings. As for those who didn't have their own movie, Black Widow's segment is like something out of a spy movie, and it's funny, though Hawkeye doesn't get much of a back-story, if any at all (probably my only real nitpick with the movie, but that's only if I need to have something against it. The good heavily outweighs the bad, so much that the bad is virtually non-existent).

Acting-wise, everyone carries on their role and proves yet again why they have made these roles their own. Mark Ruffalo is the exception, but only in the part about carrying on the role, since he's taking over the role. And how does he do? He may just be better than Edward Norton in this role, and that's a mean feat! He's got Banner's sense of meekness down, and his sardonic wit. And he's also the first actor to actually “play” Hulk, as in, motion capture and such and DAMN! When Hulk smashes, he REALLY smashes! As much as I loved the Hulk in his previous film, he's a sight to behold in this and for anyone who thinks he can't hack it in another sequel, you will damn well apologize right now, because this movie proves that not only does he deserve another sequel, he NEEDS it.

Cobie Smulders is the only other major new player and I have to say at this point that I LOVE How I Met Your Mother, and I consider it the best show currently on TV, and I love her character in the show. And while she's not always on screen here, I loved seeing her here and seeing just how badass she could be. Also, now she shares something with HIMYM co-stars Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris: working with Joss Whedon (more on him later)

Coulson FINALLY gets a bigger role, and he even reveals his inner fanboy about Captain America. Yeah, that guy keeps getting awesome.

But Hiddleston... holy crap, that guy borders on scary! I think it's his smile. That damn slasher smile... it's really bad when he smiles, it means he knows something you don't. And you never want that. While he was great in Thor, he's even better here and he made for a worthy adversary.

Now, Whedon. I love the man's work. Buffy, Angel, Firefly, all classics (though I have yet to see Dollhouse, because they haven't been released on DVD down here, which pisses me off. And I just found out we're not getting a cinematic release of The Cabin In The Woods down here, it's going straight to DVD. Well, it better bloody well be soon, justice must be served!)\

But while his direction is spectacular, his best work is in the script. I kept thinking “Oh that is so Whedon!” at some of the funniest bits, since they remind me of Buffy and Angel, like the deadpan way people snark at each other, or the random humor that takes a little tension out of the scene but not so much as to undermine it, but rather to get us to relax before the drops the hammer (no pun intended).

For example, in one scene, Tony's hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D's database and spouting off all sorts of information, and one thing he says (very matter of factly) “And that guy's playing Galaga and thinks no one can see him”. A few minutes later, we watch as a guy switches his screen back to a game of Galaga. Priceless.

Or this, I love this exchange:
Thor: He's my brother
Black Widow: He killed 80 people in 2 days
Thor: He's adopted

The timing of that, I couldn't help but crack up.

But I can't share my favourite scene for fear of spoilers. I will say this much: despite Iron Man being the funniest character within the movie, Hulk wins with the laugh-your-arse-off moment for the entire affair. It's towards the end. You'll know it when you see it, even though it's in that third act that Hulk gets even funnier.

And the action... oh Lord, is it ever sweet. There's gunplay, sorcery, tech, projectiles and good ol' fashioned fisticuffs. Sure, the battle at the end (not a spoiler, you so know there was going to be a huge one) is epic, and doesn't overstay its welcome, but it's the fight between Thor, Cap and Iron Man that I love the most. Egos clashing, power flowing, the darkness around them, the intensity, it's magic. Especially the end of it.

I could go on all day about it but since it's not out in America at the time of writing, it would be disrespectful of me to do so, since I'd run the risk of spoilers. But I'd like to end on this closing statement:

Everyone that was involved in this movie: you're not leaving. You will damn well come back and do a sequel, no ifs, ands or buts. I know most of you are under contract anyway, which is great, but the rest I don't know about. I know Joss has been offered the chance to direct again should it arise but it's obviously early days. Nevertheless, you can't leave. You all created magic with this film. I was never bored, never insulted and I now consider this the greatest Marvel movie ever.

Whether or not it will be the best movie of the year remains to be seen. As much as this film is an outstanding triumph, the Caped Crusader's next (and last for the live action interim) is its biggest threat. And Nolan always has a trump card. That being said, The Avengers has raised the bar for crossovers and team-up movies. Even if the Justice League movie gets off the ground, it will not be able to beat this. Marvel crafted this to perfection, taking it's time, letting things build up and putting in little clues here and there as to what was coming next. It resulted in a massive pay-off, one that will never be replicated, not until the next time this team is together.

Take all the time you need to, Marvel. You rewarded our patience and we'll happily wait again. Easily 4.5/5, richly deserved.

Well, that wraps up this week devoted to the Avenger film and its tie-in's. Hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did. And a little tip: once the credits roll, it begins with a montage of close-ups of the character's costumes and such, listing the actors for each respective character. After this, the traditional post-credits scene plays, hinting at what's to come (and my jaw dropped at the reveal of the figure who had their back turned to the audience for that scene). So, after that, you can leave if you wish, since there's nothing else after the next set of credits (yes, I stuck around, on the off chance there was some kind of teaser for Iron Man 3) but on the plus side, I got to hear a bitchin' new song from Soundgarden, called Live To Rise. I must have this song. And I will.

So, next week, got something big and special planned, and something completely different from what I've done before. But I won't be saying a thing until next week.

Has He Lost His Mind? Can He See Or Is He Blind?

Alrighty then, one more double tying into The Avengers and then on to the main event itself!

Today, we're looking at the genesis of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as its sequel. So, let's get into the high flying action of the Iron Man duology.

Now, I've reviewed a comic on Iron Man much earlier in the blog's history (the trade called Iron Man: War Of The Iron Men) but I never went into his origin story. Well, let's go through that now, shall we?

Iron Man was created in 1963 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber and Don Heck. Thematically, the Iron Man title was used to represent the Cold War and the idea of business tackling communism.

Tony Stark is overseas, observing how his new technology is aiding the American war effort, but is injured by a booby trap and taken hostage. His captors demand that he make weapons for them, but with the help of fellow prisoner Ho Yinsen, he constructs a suit to both make his escape and sustain his heart, after the heart became loaded with shrapnel.

The origin is perhaps one of the best of any hero in comics and to this day, remains the same, save for updating the war to the current day (the first film naturally has this event occur in Afghanistan). The one exception I can think of is The Invincible Iron Man, a straight to DVD film from 2007, in which he's in China trying to raise a city (I'll get to that one somewhere along the line).

So, with the first movie going with that for the first act, how does the rest of it go?

Well, after Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) gets back to America, he announces that Stark Enterprises is getting out of the weapon manufacturing game and he spends his time making better versions of the suit. Tony's partner, Obidiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) is not pleased about this change in plans, and decides to take things in his own direction. All the while, Tony's trying to prove not just to the world that he's making an effort to change, but his friend Jim Rhodes (Terence Howard), his secretary/love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and himself.

Going into the film back in 2008, I had little knowledge of the Iron Man franchise. I knew that Tony was one of the few heroes whose identity was public knowledge (though Marvel did kind of flip-flop on that) and that the suit was his means of escaping. Though the film did look really good based on the trailer, I still wasn't sure on how things would turn out. But here's my opinion in a nutshell: if The Dark Knight had not come out in 2008, this would have been my favourite movie of the year.

There is just so much to love about this movie. It's a wonderful mix of humor, action, drama and even the faintest hint of romance. Even with the changes between the comic history and the movie, they are changes that aren't done to the movie's detriment.

Let's start with the characters: I swear, it's like Robert Downey Jr. was born just to be Tony Stark. Even though the film doesn't really go into detail with Tony's alcoholism (often considered his Achilles heel in the comics), it's still present as is his desire for attention, over-confidence and dry sense of quick-wit. The man with a thousand one-liners, never missing his mark and always at the ready. RDJ's best role by far and he is an absolute joy. My absolute favourite part of the movie is this exchange, between a reporter (Leslie Bibb) and Tony:
“What do you say to your other nickname, "The Merchant Of Death”?”

“That's not bad.”

He says that without missing a beat. AND he manages to seduce the reporter, despite the fact that she's basically mud-slinging! He's like James Bond minus the spy part!

And his slight evolution from playboy to crusader is totally believable. I say slight, because he's still got ways to go, but that works. As does his attempts at being sincere with Pepper about how much he needs her. RDJ swaps gears within a second anytime he needs to and he's wonderful.

Speaking of Pepper, of any love interest in any comic book movie, she is the absolute best. She's independent, capable, confident, and funny. As a bonus (spoilers for the... what is it, six people who haven't seen this yet?), she DOESN'T get kidnapped AND she actually helps take down the villain! Holy crap, she's not a prop! Why has it taken this long to happen?! Why can't Mary Jane Watson be more like this?

Terence Howard's the straight man for this film, when Pepper's not on screen, and that totally works. Too bad he couldn't be War Machine, but hey, he was still a great supporter.

Jeff Bridges... holy crap, Jeff Bridges was a marvelous (no pun intended) villain. Cool and confident (yeah, this movie oozes confidence), even when going to the brink of insanity (“TONY STARK BUILT THIS IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!” Come on, you knew I was going to do it). And when he climbs into the Iron Monger suit... awesomeness ensues.

Action-wise, it blows (again, no pun intended) the competition away. Seeing the Iron Man suit in action, my jaw dropped the first time he flew. And even today, I'm still in awe of what they've achieved. Whether it's just simple flight, or taking on planes and hitching a ride on them, it's breathtaking.

Now, with me and my tendencies to find flaws, did I find any in this film? One. And it's a small one: over the closing credits, Black Sabbath's Iron Man is playing. That is awesome. However, it's instrumental. I was hoping for the original. Yeah, the lyrics may not play out well with the movie, but still, it's an awesome song. There, that's the only complaint, a tiny one.

Also, the changes I mentioned? There's only one major one: in the comics, Edwin Jarvis is the butler of the Avengers, and is kind of like Alfred, to an extent. In this movie, he's an AI instead, voiced by Paul Bettany. Am I bothered by this? No, because he has Edwin's dry wit and is extremely useful. Much like Edwin.

Oh, and Coulson. He's awesome. Nothing more needs to be said.

So, yes, I love this movie and I highly recommend it. 4.5/5. Oh and the scene at the very end of the credits? Amazing. Samuel L. Jackson's first appearance as Nick Fury and in that very short scene, he commands the scene. “I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative”. And with that, the game changed even more.

But how does Iron Man 2 stack up?

Six months after the end of Iron Man, in which Tony Stark has revealed he is Iron Man, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) seeks vengeance on Tony for what Tony's father did to his own. Meanwhile, Tony's dying from the arc reactor that keeps his heart going and is growing more and more reckless. He's trying to win Pepper over, but only succeeds in pushing her further away, as well as Rhodey (Don Cheadle stepping in to take over the role from Terence Howard, the only change in actors between the two films). Can they save him from self-destruction?

You know, I get sick of people who are like “it's not as good as the first, boooo!” And that goes for anything. To them I say: so, because it may not be super-special-awesome, it's automatically deemed crap? Piss off! You just don't appreciate what you've got. You just want more and more of everything, without even knowing what you want.

It's not AS good as the first, sure, but it's still damn enjoyable!

Of the new characters, Mickey Rourke is really good as lead villain, Whiplash. Able to take on Iron Man with just a couple of special whips, he amazes early on and always seems to have an ace up his sleeve.

Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Tony's business rival and second villain of the piece, isn't as good as Whiplash or Iron Monger, but he's still pretty good. It's not his fault he gets overtaken by Mickey Rourke (and his “burd”. I love that bit)

Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow makes her debut, ready for The Avengers, and damned if she's not cool. I'm a huge fan of Scarlett (personal life choices aside) and for her to be a part of this world is wonderful, as is a bigger role for Nick Fury, who is hilarious.

Don Cheadle does a great job in the role of Rhodey, probably right on par with Terence Howard. And yes, he does get to be War Machine.

And that leads to the best scene of the entire movie. As Tony's at home, drunk as a skunk, and showing off his Iron Man capabilities to his party guests. Rhodey's had enough. He gets into one of Tony's suits, tells everybody to leave, and gets into a physical match with Tony. To the tune of both Queen's Another One Bites The Dust and Daft Punk's Robot Rock. HELL. YES. This is too awesome for words. Seeing the two of them just duke it out, at one point using gym equipment, is priceless. When it comes to action, I'm a huge fan of close quarter combat, and this does not disappoint.

I know I didn't mention much about Tony and Pepper for Iron Man 2. Well, pretty much everything from the first movie applies here, but with a huger development on their chemistry, which is magical. And it pays off, as we'll (or rather, you'll) soon see...

Another great thing both movies share: awesome music. Both of them start with a kickarse AC/DC song, with Back In Black in the first movie and Shoot To Thrill in this. Hot damn.

But there is one big flaw with the movie, and that's with the end, so there will be spoilers.

Now, Tony and Rhodey teaming up to take on drones, that's all cool, that's fine. But Whiplash in his own suit... it's just a little too similar to the Iron Monger/Iron Man confrontation from the previous movie. I mean, it's still cool but I was hoping for something a little different.

But still, I highly recommend this film. And not just because Coulson is still awesome. 4/5

And the scene at the very end of this one? Damned if it wasn't good.

Well, that clears the rest of the Avenger tie-ins. Next time, the main event itself.

He Could Clear A Super Mario Level In Seconds Flat...

Alright, time for another theme week involving movies. With the Avengers looming ever closer, it's about time I finished the other tie-in films. So, for the next two posts, Iron Man and the Hulk will get their turn. Today, however, we turn to the not-so-jolly green giant himself.

Now, despite the fact that it's not technically connected to the Avengers, I'll also be covering the Hulk film directed by Ang Lee. Why? Well, it is kinda-sorta-maybe-related. Besides, if Spirit Of Vengeance can be connected to the first Ghost Rider, why can't this?

But first, some backstory: a Stan Lee-Jack Kirby creation, the Incredible Hulk came about in May 1962, making his debut in the first issue of the comic bearing the same name.

Meek and awkward scientist Dr. Bruce Banner risks his life to save a young man who inadvertently makes his way on to the test range for Bruce's creation, a gamma bomb. Instead of killing him, it creates an alternate personality that emerges in times of great rage: The Hulk. Hulk's primary superpower is incredible strength, which actually increases as he gets angrier. He also has accelerated healing, high resistance to mind control and is immune to disease and viruses.

The Hulk may just be one of the most feared yet misunderstood characters in comic history, as most of the time, he's on the run from the army, in particular, General Ross, father of his love interest, Betty.

But now, for the first film:

It begins in 1974 and goes over how Bruce's (Eric Bana) unstable father, David (Nick Nolte) experimented on himself while trying to create super-soldier prototypes. His altered DNA gets passed down to Bruce and David tries to find a cure. When the plus is pulled on his project, David goes mad and attempts to kill his son, which results in the accidental death of his wife and being locked away in a mental hospital, with Bruce going into foster care and repressing the entire event.

Years later, Bruce is working in a military-industrial complex, working on a similar project that his father was involved in. An accident involving gamma radiation mingling with his unusual DNA soon causes him to transform into a giant green monster. Banner ends up being hunted by General “Thunderbolt” Ross (Sam Elliot) while simultaneously pursued by his ex-girlfriend, Betty (Jennifer Connoly), who happens to be the general's daughter.

There's a little bit more to that, but we could be here all day, and I've got another movie to review below. Actually, that's one of the film's problems in a nutshell: the story is more complicated than it needs to be. I mean, what's wrong with the origin story from the comic? Yeah, using weapons on test ranges is probably uncommon these days (I have no idea, I'm not American) but it's simplified and classic. You don't have to have Rick Jones in there, just some random guy. Yes, the movie tries something that's almost the same, but the part I don't like is the whole “born with mutant DNA” thing. Wait, so that technically makes him a mutant. Now you're crossing into X-Men territory. I don't know if it's a retcon from later in the comics, but even so, I would have preferred the simpler approach.

Speaking of simple, another thing that bugs me is the use of splitscreen-like shots. I get that they're supposed to resemble comic panels, but for what reason? To remind us it's a comic book movie? Why not add thought bubbles while we're at it? It's actually kind of off-putting.

But I guess what bugs me the most is that it's hard to tell what's going on in places. Especially the final battle. I mean, it's mostly dark, with some movement, some glimpses of the Hulk and... that's it. I don't know if anyone had any idea what went on.

So, in a nutshell, I guess the biggest problem was the editing.

Were there positives? Well, sure, a few.

Compared to Ghost Rider, despite being released four years after Hulk, Sam Elliot cares more about this film than Ghost Rider. Maybe over the years he just stopped caring? No, that can't be it. For what little time he was in Thank You For Smoking, he was great. Maybe he found this role more believable, which I can't blame him for.

Eric Bana... is just OK. He's not terrible, not outstanding. Even when trying to get angry, I'm just not buying it. Oh well, good effort, Eric. You rocked in Chopper, though, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Jennifer Connelly, though, I did like. She's supportive and smart, which is in character with her comic counterpart (I say that very obvious statement because you would believe otherwise if you have only been reading comics from the Ultimate Universe, you'd find she's a raging bitch. But then, for reasons I can't fathom, most of the Ultimate Universe versions are arseholes).

David Banner... OK, I have to ask: did they just get Nick Nolte to speak gibberish, look like a homeless addict and just roll camera? That's pretty much how he comes off, a homeless addict. Yeah he spent time in a mental hospital, but dear lord, couldn't he at least have shaved and cleaned himself up a bit? You want people to take you seriously, stop looking like you're about to bash our faces in with a hammer to steal our fillings. Also, as a supervillain, you wasted your power.

But, and perhaps the most important aspects when making anything Hulk related, two questions will be raised: how do they handle the Hulk effects and how are the action scenes? To answer the first question: it's actually pretty decent. The green's a little too bright and he only looks slightly bigger, but I can live with it. The action's not terrible, but not entirely convincing either. Sure, he fights some tanks and wins, naturally, but there's no tension. Yeah, we know he's going to win, cos, he's the goddamn Hulk, but couldn't you at least put in a chance he could fall?

That's still better than the aforementioned final battle, or the fight with the three big dogs. Yeah. Like a crappy boss in a bad video game, Hulk takes down three mutated dogs. It sucked.

So, all in all, a confusing, poorly edited film saved by decent acting from the supporting cast and the passable effects on the Hulk (but bonus points for all the shots of his giant leaps, those were pretty cool). It gets by on 2.5/5, half a star more than when I originally saw it nearly a decade ago, proving why rewatching movies is a good thing. Third time seeing it now and it's making a little more sense! Maybe another five viewings and I'll understand all of it.

And now, for The Incredible Hulk, which is officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, whereas Hulk is... sort of related, like a distant cousin no one talks about.

Skipping the origin (it takes care of that in the credits, so already it wins points), Bruce (now played by Edward Norton) has been on the run for at least five years, successfully keeping off the grid, has a job in a bottling factory. However, some of his blood spills into a bottle that is ingested by an American man, which gives General Ross (William Hurt taking the reigns here) the tip-off on his location. With a team led by British soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), Ross attempts to capture Banner and fails to do so, though Bruce now heads back to America, reunites with Betty (Liv Tyler stepping in) and attempts to find a cure.

Again, I'm leaving a lot of detail out, but it's meant to be an intro, not a full recap. All you need to know is this: between the two films, this Hulk smashes the other one into the ground.

You can say what you want about how Hulk tried to elevate comic book films by adding a bit more drama to it, but considering what the Hulk's about, is the Hulk the first character you think of for high concept films? The Incredible Hulk manages to blend both invigorating action scenes and introspective moments without dropping the quality of the film, much like the comic. It's about the right blend, as is anything.

Acting-wise, of the three roles carried over, only one of them is on-par with the previous film (the role of General Ross), while the other two exceed it. Edward Norton has been one of my favourite actors for some time, ever since the first time I saw Fight Club and Red Dragon. He adds layers of emotion that Bana just couldn't conjure, and he's always believable. He has said he's a fan of the TV show that this movie pays loving homage to (from what I can gather, anyway, I've never seen it) and the some of the runs in the comic, and it's always nice when an actor is a major comic fan who gets to participate in a movie such as this (Nic Cage may be a subversion to a point but like I said in my Ghost Rider blog, his appearance in Kick-Ass appeases me).

Liv Tyler takes what Jennifer Connelly did and expands on it, making her a little more pro-active in helping Bruce, and getting moments to shine on her own (one of my absolute favourite scenes is her verbal-bordering-on-physical attack on a taxi driver, with Bruce humorously looking on and joking with her soon after. It's a sweet moment). The chemistry between Liv and Edward is great and it's another sign that Marvel knows how to make a great, three-dimensional love interest in their cinematic universe (something that Spider-Man, as fantastic as that trilogy is, never quite did to the full.)

Moving on to the new, Tim Roth made a far more capable villain with the Abomination. A man driven to be the best, like no one ever was (yes, wanting to outdo the Hulk himself), even more ruthless than Ross. Even when it's Tim in human form taking on the Hulk, he's a credible threat and never stands down in the face of overwhelming odds.

But when he does become the Abomination...

Well, like every other action scene, it's as exciting as I expected. Banner avoiding the soldiers in the factory, Hulk's fight on the campus, the final battle... glorious. And this time around, the Hulk looks more realistic (as realistic as a giant green rage monster can). What I mean is, he's more detailed and the transformation looks and flows more organically. Also, Lou Ferrigno's few lines as the Hulk were neat! Including the classic “HULK SMASH!” His and Stan's cameos in both films were great, though I prefer both of their cameos in this film, obviously.

Overall, a better effort and a sign that Hulk wasn't staying down for the count this time. 4/5. He may not be played by Edward Norton in The Avengers but that's not going to stop him from being awesome again.

And that ends the Hulk double. Next time, the movie that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the sequel.

He's Trying To Catch The Devil's Boy Across The Endless Skies

All right, only one more movie from 2012 to go over (well, there is another but since I have the DVD, I can review that when I have a free moment) and then the next theme week. But today, we look at the first comic book theatrical release, Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance. And as an added bonus (or punishment), I'll give my thoughts on the first movie too.

But first, a little back-story.

The concept of Ghost Rider was brought about in 1972, with the first such Rider being called Johnny Blaze. His creators were writers Gary Friedrich and Roy Thomas and artist Mike Ploog.

Johnny made a deal with the demon Mephisto (often considered Marvel's version of Satan) to save his step-father from cancer. Naturally, being a demon and all, he kills the man the day after of something non-cancer related. Mephisto tries to claim Johnny's soul but thanks to a counter-spell performed by Johnny's girlfriend Roxanne, he is denied a new soul and instead, a demon becomes bound to Johnny instead, transforming him into the Ghost Rider.

The Ghost Rider boasts powers and abilities like flame projection, accelerated healing, superhuman strength and the Penance Stare, which in my opinion is the most awesome super power ever (although I should mention it was Johnny's successor, Danny Ketch, who gained the Penance Stare and when Johnny returned, he too would be able to use it. It's a long story). All the Rider has to do is lock eyes with their victim and it makes them experience all the pain they have ever inflicted on anyone else. I like to think of it as weaponized karma.

But now, onto the films proper.

The first Ghost Rider film pretty much uses the origin story I described as the plot, minus Roxanne actually being involved in the deal. However, there's a little more to it. Mephisto (Peter Fonda, though the character is named Mephistopheles for the film) wants Johnny (Nicolas Cage) to find his son, Blackheart (Wes Bentley) and stop him from locating a long-lost contract for a thousand souls from a town called San Venganza, with which Blackheart can overthrow his father. In return, Johnny will get his soul back. All the while, he's reconnecting with Roxanne (Eva Mendes) after not having seen each other for many years.

Despite the near-universal scorn for it, I actually like this movie. I mean, it's not the greatest comic book movie but it's not Tank Girl, Spawn or Elektra (thank God). That being said, there is one huge flaw with the movie, which I'll get to later.

Nicolas Cage is pretty hit and miss with me, as he would be for most people. I've noticed that if you stick him in a more “arthouse” style film, he knocks it out of the ballpark. Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, Matchstick Men, all fantastic and highly recommended. Despite his tendency to ham it up, he's dead serious in those films and for those alone, I believe he is capable of great things.

On the inverse, put him in an any other genre, and you better cross your fingers. Now, I will say that Face/Off and Kick-Ass also come highly recommended and for anyone who was soured by this movie, consider Kick-Ass his redemption in the comic book film community. But then you get stuff like Season Of The Witch and Knowing, and you're not even sure he's trying. Hell, he gives more effort in The Wicker Man, except he seems to be going for a comedy feel (I haven't seen the film but I've seen clips and one hilarious trailer that actually edited it to make it look like a comedy film. But then, how can you take someone who punches a woman while wearing a bear suit seriously?)

What I respect about the man, however, is that he loves comic books. He views them as modern day mythology. Hell, he named his kid Kal-El! Even I wouldn't do that, though I don't plan on having kids anyway, but that's not the point. And I personally think he was pretty good in this movie. Not hamming it up, but not being deathly serious. I like the quieter scenes, when he's just chilling after a show, enjoying the simple pleasures in life. I actually wouldn't have minded seeing more of that.

His love interest, Roxanne... she's just OK. I mean, Eva's great but the character doesn't do all that much. She's almost a living prop, just there so that Johnny's got a subplot going on with trying to get his life together. Oh and the interview between the two for her news program is, well, cringe-worthy. Johnny's like twenty seconds away from guffawing, shuffling his feet and saying “I saw you on the TV” in a goofy voice.

But they're still better than our leading villain, Blackheart. Ugh. Out of all the portrayals of a supervillain in a movie, his is the nadir of crap. This is basically his entire schtick: “Waah waah, devil daddy doesn't love me, think I'll rebel and just act like a little bitch”. In fact, that should be his name. Hence, I shall call him “Gothy McEmobitch”.

His sidekicks aren't that much better. I've seen the movie a few times after my initial cinema trip, and I still couldn't tell you their names without going to Wikipedia! And if you really, really want to know, their names are Gressil, Abigor and Wallow. I prefer to give them a group name, I call them “the System Of A Down cover band”, and that's being generous at best. The only good bit involving them is the pun Ghost Rider uses to defeat one of them, who uses wind powers: “Time to clear the air!” (That may not be the exact quote but you get the gist of it).

The only other characters worth noting are Carter Slade (Sam Elliot) who sounds kind of bored whenever he narrates. OK, it was cool seeing him transform into a Ghost Rider (and that is so not a spoiler, you can see that coming from the start, the movie makes no real attempt to hide it) but considering how he fades away before the big fight (again, not a spoiler. You know he would have died if he had entered the fray anyway), it seems like one big joke on the audience.

On the other hand, Peter Fonda does what he can with his limited screen time and damned if he's not awesome. Even though he could ham it up and walk away dignity intact, he doesn't. Gotta respect that.

Parts of the film were actually filmed down here in Melbourne and while that may seem cool, I actually recognized the parts of Melbourne that made the final cut and it actually took me out of the film. Weird.

One Australian connection I give absolute praise to, however, is the cover of Ghost Riders In The Sky by Spiderbait. One of the best covers I have ever heard, I never get sick of hearing it. I suggest you all go YouTube it right now. Go on. I'll be right here, probably listening to it myself.

In spite of the craptacular villain, I was entertained by this film, so I give it 3.5/5. One more thing: the effects for the Penance Stare were frickin' sweet, but very underused.

So, how does the sequel fare? Let's find out.

Cage is the only returning actor in this outing, which finds Johnny bumming around Europe trying to rid himself of the curse of the Ghost Rider (the curse he could have gotten rid of at the end of the first film...) and winds up having to protect a mother (Violante Placido) and her son (Fergus Riordan) from the Devil (Ciaran Hinds and I am not kidding, it is THE actual Devil this time, though in a human shape), with the help of a priest named Moreau (Idris Elba).

I had the weirdest experience watching this film on the big screen. I kept thinking “Why does this feel like it should have been straight-to-DVD?” I mean, it really had that feel to it. Small amount of known actors, a sequel to a film that was critically ravaged (a sequel five years later, no less), short running time (barely an hour and a half!), it really seemed better suited to skipping the big screen. It can't be because Marvel needed to retain its stranglehold on the comic book adaptation market, not since it has the rebooted Spider-Man and a major player in The Avengers (which will probably be the greatest threat to The Dark Knight Rises) to bring in the big bucks.

I mean, as you've probably come to expect, I didn't hate it but it was just bizarre. It didn't help that I was nodding off in places in the first half (though that might be due to the fact that I was tired from work but that's never happened to me before at a cinema).

I think the biggest problem is that no one's even trying. Nic's not as enthused about this one as he was the previous installments, the directors (two, count'em, two) resort to cheap tricks and lame jokes (did we need to see the image of Ghost Rider “pissing” fire? TWICE?!) and I don't understand why they changed the character from Mephisto to the actual Devil. I mean, if you were trying to downplay references from the first movie, having Cage reprise his role doesn't help matters.

There is another villain in this movie, actually lifted from the comics, Blackout (Johnny Whitworth). Though, I should point out that he doesn't start out as Blackout and has to get his decaying and darkness powers from the Devil himself. Before then, he's an arsehole who is unmemorable. As Blackout, he actually improves the movie.

That's the other bizarre thing. We have a role reversal here. In the first movie, the demon/Devil was the cool one, with the other leading villain being utter garbage. Here, the leading villain is actually kind of cool, whereas the Devil is poorly done. This movie is all kinds of messed up, for all the wrong reasons.

Oh and one little thing before I rate it: when you have Anthony Head in your movie, why, in the name of all that is holy, do you give him a few measly lines before you kill him off?! The man deserves better than that! He's Rupert goddamn Giles, for crying out loud! Ugh, kids today and their lack of respect for brilliant actors. Bet they haven't seen Little Britain either.

Weighing everything up, I give it 3/5. With all its problems, there are a few decent effects and action sequences, and Blackout's a HUGE improvement over Blackheart (but then, a flaming garbage bin is a huge improvement over Blackheart). Though, I am pissed by the lack of awesome Penance Stare action.

Men Are From Asgard, Women Are From Midgard

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Saturday, December 10th, 2011 at 8:53 pm)

 

So, we reach the last of the comic book movie trilogy for films of 2011. It's been a good year for comic book movies, live action and animated. Now, in my last two blogs, I've already looked at two of Marvel's live action releases and for this one, I look at the remaining (though first released) Marvel movie and another from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Thor.

So, does it tell tales of great battle and conquest or is this all a myth we should regard as nonsense? I think we all know the answer to that but let's get to it, shall we?

Brief history of Thor: he made his debut in the comic Journey Into Mystery, a sci-fi/fantasy anthology title, in issue 83, which was published in 1962. Much like Detective Comics and Batman, Thor would later take over the comic. Unlike Batman, the comic was renamed for the main character. Thor was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, partially as a challenge to create someone stronger than the Incredible Hulk, which they did by creating a god.

While perhaps not as well known as his Marvel compatriots, it can be argued that if DC's “Trinity” is made up of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman then Marvel's is Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, due to how much they've been through together and how much they value each other in their lives.

Now, onto the film adaptation. And insert standard disclaimer about spoilers and such.

In the far-off realm of Asgard, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has banished his son, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) for breaking a truce between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Thor ends up on Earth (or Midgard as it is known to the Asgardians) and meets Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who are eager to learn about him and where he came from. However, all Thor cares about is finding his hammer, Moljnir, and getting back to Asgard. And in Asgard itself, Thor's brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has ascended to the throne after a weakened Odin is forced to slumber and is planning to prove himself worthy to Odin by annihilating Jotunheim once and for all.

I'd say my favourite thing of this movie is how serious the treatment of the material is. Now, being a long time comic fan, I've seen all sorts of weird things in comics (the Silver Age practically breathed on the weird stuff). I've seen Jimmy Olsen get weird powers (though that occurred more than the sun rising, really); twin clones of Hitler; Spider-Man and Wolverine having their minds swapped by Jean Grey (Ultimate Universe but still); Batman and Superman taking on vampires and werewolves; robot bears vs. cyber gorillas. The list goes on. But some of those are niche titles or Elseworlds, so only people really eager to get into comics will explore such options. Trying to sell someone who's never read comics or a casual reader on something like Thor might take some doing. And even then, a lot of people might be put off by the fact that most of Thor's language is reminiscent of Shakespere or Arthurian days. Hell, even the Ultimate Universe version has some complications (“Well, me MIGHT be a god OR he's a mental patient who THINKS he's the God Of Thunder, we don't know!”) As such, people might not take it seriously, which would translate to a campy film in the wrong hands. Some actors might see a script like this and think you're supposed to ham it up, act all boisterous and and basically embody BRIAN BLESSED (yes, that is supposed to be in caps. Don't ask me why, it's like an internet rule or something). Hell, at one point, BRIAN BLESSED was supposed to be Odin.

But in Thor, it's not the case at all. Everything is treated seriously when it's meant to be serious, while putting in some well timed humor. The mythology of Thor and Asgard is not treated as some silly faraway make believe land, it's another realm of awe and wonder. The dialogue is true to the comic while delivered in a straightforward manner.

In fact, my favourite part of the movie involves an excellent line delivery from Anthony Hopkins (who is absolutely wonderful in this). It's the scene in which Thor, after having attacked Jotunheim after being forbidden by Odin. For his arrogant nature, Odin strips Thor of his power and exiles him to one of the other realms. The line: “I now take from you, your power! In the name of my father, and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!”

The backing music, the effects, the confined space, it all makes a wonderful scene, followed by Thor's descent to Earth.

Before going further, I want to say I was extremely impressed with Chris Hemsworth's performance as Thor. He doesn't play him as a berserker or a bloodthirsty individual, there is a compassion to his performance and even when he's playing the character as arrogant, he doesn't slide too far into unlikeable territory, if he even goes there.

Going back to the topic of taking itself seriously, Thor's time on Earth isn't entirely played for laughs either and I really appreciated that. It's a different spin on the “fish out of water” story, the one in which a person arrives in an unfamiliar location/time frame and acts so weirdly and no one picks up on it. Besides the occasional difference of culture (this is where the film's humor lies and does so effectively, like Thor expressing his enjoyment of his beverage by smashing a mug and demanding another or when he and Dr. Selvig go drinking), Thor takes his situation pretty well and doesn't (usually) run off half-cocked and getting into all sorts of trouble.

Helping that situation is how Jane Foster deals with it and Natalie Portman plays her as being very sweet, eager and smart, all strengths Natalie knows how to play by now. She and Chris have great chemistry and their relationship shows the two of them learning about each other while simultaneously teaching the other. I don't know if this will be developed on in The Avengers, but I certainly hope to see more of their romance in Thor 2.

One thing I definitely hope to see more of in The Avengers is how Thor and Loki play off each other. Tom Hiddleston plays Loki with great sympathy and his development from overlooked brother to main threat of Asgard is well developed. Even his plan doesn't seem 100% villainous.

The action is spectacular too, almost every confrontation with the Frost Giants is a sight to behold and towards the end, when Thor regains his hammer and takes on a being known as the Destroyer, it's some damn impressive fighting. But the best action sequence of all is Thor taking on members of SHIELD in the rain, in an attempt to recover Moljnir (the hammer) and just being so damn effective (also helping the scene is the cameo of Hawkeye, who will hopefully be given much more to do in The Avengers)

Speaking of cameos, one final note: Stan Lee has had cameos in plenty of Marvel movies and a lot of them are really funny (like in Iron Man) but this has to be his absolute best so far: he plays “Stan The Man”, a pick-up truck driver who attempts to use his own vehicle to lift Moljnir out of the ground, after it fell to Earth through Odin's intervention. And it nearly takes the whole truck apart. Lee's only line is “Did it work?”, and that just slays me every time.

So, despite being outshone by Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor is a solid film that I happily award 4/5 to.

So, thus ends my week of comic book movie reviews. I hope you've enjoyed them, and there will be more to come, but onto a new theme next week.

He's In The Nazi Punching Business And Business Is Good

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 at 3:32 pm )

And welcome, to the second in the trilogy of comic book film reviews. Once again, I look at a movie on DVD after seeing it on the initial cinema run and see if it's still as good (or better) the second time around or if I was wrong in my judgment. And today, we're looking at the star spangled man with a plan himself, in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Conceived in the 1940's, Captain America was one of the earliest Marvel heroes (beaten by the oddly-named-no-relation-to-Johnny-Storm-and-is-actually-an-android Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner) and was created to be as patriotic as could be. The first issue of Captain America Comics depicted him punching Hitler square in the jaw, a cover that is now among the most famous, like the covers for Amazing Fantasy #15, Fantastic Four #1 and Crisis On Infinite Earths #7. After being put on ice towards the end of the war, he re-emerges in the 60's to become part of the Avengers and has stayed a fan favourite ever since.

So, should we pledge allegiance to Captain America: The First Avenger or should we hold a court martial session?

Brief plot synopsis: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is eager to join the army and fight the Nazis but is constantly turned down, based on his physique and medical history. Given a chance to prove himself by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), Steve undergoes a procedure that makes him the first super-soldier and gives the Allies a new weapon in the war. Going by the moniker Captain America, Steve makes it his personal mission to stop HYDRA commander Johann Schmidt (aka the Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving)

Besides the usual thing about spoilers, blah blah blah, I have one thing I need to say upfront: I loved this movie.

Much like the other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe/Movieverse, by keeping the project in the family (so to speak) at Marvel Studios, the movie feels much truer to the character and the feel of their own series rather than take huge deviations (like turning Dr. Doom metal in the first Fantastic Four film. Or turning Bane into a complete idiot for Batman And Robin. Or silencing Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, if you want to call him that).

Chris Evans is sensational in the title role, and this is perhaps the best role in a comic book adaptation he's done (and he's done a few, too. The Fantastic Four duology, TMNT, The Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World before this. It's almost like he's competing with Ryan Reynolds for most comic book movie roles). While he wasn't terrible as the Human Torch (the more well known one this time), it's an interesting contrast to see him go from a cocky, hotheaded lady killer to an earnest, humble, determined young man who wants to fight in a war because he doesn't like bullies. Hell, it might just be his best role yet. One factor that helps sell it is that Steve always has a straight face, even when he's delivering lines about war bonds like a shill. Or cracking jokes (“I've punched out Hitler 200 times”).

In fact, Col. Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones, doing what Tommy Lee Jones does best: kicking ass and taking names) is similar, as he keeps the same disposition (largely) and is almost always deadpan with every line.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) almost always has a smile on his face and knows his way around a joke. One of my favourite scenes is when he's showing off a prototype of a flying car he's created, saying in a few years cars won't have wheels. And not too long after, the car comes crashing down. Without missing a beat, he smiles and says “I said a few years, didn't I?” Yeah, considering how much his son is like him, is it any wonder why this guy's so cool?

With regards to other roles, Hugo Weaving is tremendous in his portrayal of the Red Skull. He revels in his role, and his accent is flawless. Oh and whoever did the work on the Red Skull mask, that was some damn fine work.

Hayley Atwell played an excellent soldier/love interest in the form of Peggy Carter. Much like Pepper Potts from Iron Man, she takes no nonsense, can hold her own and rarely loses composure. She doesn't even get kidnapped, something I love seeing in comic book movies (that's one of my criticisms of the Raimi directed Spider-Man trilogy. While I love it, there are things that nag at me, MJ's constant kidnappings being one of them. I'm beginning to think her name is really Princess Toadstool. But that's for another blog). Hayley and Chris work well together and I hope they do more together in the future.

Speaking of Iron Man comparisons, besides the kick-ass love interests and featuring a member of the Stark family, the most glaring shared trait is the death of the mentor. Both Yinsen and Dr. Erskine are wonderful characters who give our heroes a new motivation or chance at life and both die right before the hero's big debut. If I had to pick, I'd say Dr. Erskine's death is sadder, since Yinsen was actively seeking it so that he could be reunited with his family in the afterlife. It doesn't make it any less sad, but at least he was expecting it and he died with happy thoughts. Dr. Erskine dies pointing to Steve's chest, a callback to an earlier scene in which he told Steve the most important thing in life is to be a good man. Steve takes it hard and so do we. I almost wish the movie would bend the rules and let Steve teleport right in front of the Nazi saboteur and beat the living snot out of him. The guy may die later, but Steve doesn't get the satisfaction of doing it or even letting the authorities handle him, as he kills himself with a suicide capsule.

While it is a comic book movie, it's also a war movie and it balances the two nicely. Besides the idea of a super soldier serum, a shield made out of a fictitious material and a cube of unimaginable power, there's nothing out of the ordinary that would prevent this from being a stand-alone war movie, even with Steve's costume. The action is invigorating, from all the gun play to the vehicular combat. But the best action scenes... well, anytime Cap throws his shield, that's where the awesomeness lies. In fact, my absolute favourite scene of the movie has Cap leaping into the air then coming right down on some goon, shield first.

If I had one complaint (and me being me, I have to find at least one thing I don't like in great movies. But the opposite is true too, I like to find the good in the truly awful. For example, the good thing about White Chicks is that the disc makes a handy target when you run out of clay pigeons), it's the scene where Cap gets kissed by that hussy of a secretary and Peggy sees it. Now, at this point in the movie, she would probably know Steve almost as well as he knows himself and they both know he's not a hotshot around girls. Yet she gets frustrated at him and doesn't berate the secretary. OK, the shots following are hilarious (involving actual shots, too!) but I felt like it was a misstep. Peggy is smarter and she shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion she did. But it's minor, anyway.

All in all, of the five Marvel Studios pictures, this falls slightly short of defeating Iron Man, but by no means is that a bad thing. I mean, Iron Man's an amazing film that would have been the best comic book movie (and probably best movie) of 2008 if not for a certain film featuring a man dressed as a bat taking on a clown.

Hell, none of them have been crap. And Captain America: The First Avenger is no exception. It's a dynamic, heartfelt, bold film with a great build-up to next year's Avengers movie. And believe you me, it's the biggest threat to The Dark Knight Rises.
In fact, for anyone who hasn't seen this movie yet, stick around after the credits for a teaser for the Avengers.

Oh and Stan Lee's cameo was hilarious. But there's one that outranks all of his cameos. Which is it? Next blog...

But before closing, how do I score Captain America: The First Avenger? 4/5, easily. A solid film and very easily a top 10 contender for when I rank the films I've seen this year.

What? Darwin Is Evolving! Wait... Oh

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Sunday, December 4th, 2011 at 9:05 pm )

Today is going to be the first blog for a themed week I'm calling “comic book film review” week, in which I will review three of this year's comic book adaptations, now that I have all three on DVD and thus have more time to explore them. Let's kick things off with X-Men: First Class.

I don't think I need to go into great detail about the X-Men, but I'll give a brief overview: the X-Men are mutants, considered by some to be homo superior and they constantly face adversity from the human race, as well as evil mutant teams like the Brotherhood and the Hellfire Club. That is, when they're not engaged in mini-civil wars within their own ranks.

Before X-Men: First Class, there were four X-Men films, and each was a financial, if not critical, success. But after X-Men: The Last Stand, the decision was made to take the franchise in different directions. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a prequel to the original film series, and is usually considered the weakest instalment in the series. As of writing this blog, a sequel is on the way, entitled The Wolverine. In fact, the original series has a fourth film potentially being made. And then there are all the other spin-offs... yeah, these are topics for another blog.

Today, we're looking at the newest addition to the X-Men film franchise. So, will First Class prove too cool for school or will we see it in detention? Let's find out.

Set largely in the 1960's, Sebastian Shaw and his fellow mutants are conspiring to start World War 3, in order to make mutants the dominant species. With the CIA keeping tabs on Shaw and his band, Moira MacTaggert enlists the help of mutant expert (and powerful telepath) Charles Xavier to convince the CIA of the existence of mutants. With the help of a new ally, Erik Lensherr, Charles sets out to find others like them and stop Shaw's plan from coming to fruition.

Like the previous X-Men films, there is a large cast of mutants (albeit this and Wolverine have a slightly smaller roster) so let's start with a brief description of each mutant's power and little details.

Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy), as noted above, is a telepath. And a very powerful one at that.

Erik Lensherr/ Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is a master manipulator of magnetism. But I bet you knew that.

Raven Darkholme/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is a shape-shifter. And, in this universe, Charles' adopted sister (of sorts. Kinda complicated.)

Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) has animal-like physiology and enhanced strength, stamina, agility and a whole bunch of traits (and in this film, he does gain the blue fur he is well known for. And that is not a spoiler.)

Emma Frost (January Jones) is also a telepath, but she has a secondary ability: transforming her body into a diamond form.

Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) absorbs kinetic and radiated energy and controls it.

Angel Salvadore (Zoe Kravitz) can fly (much like the Angel from X-Men we all know and love) and spit acid (yeah, the other Angel can't do that...)

Sean Cassidy/Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones) screams at ultrasonic levels, which he can also use as a form of flight.

Azazel (Jason Flemyng) is a teleporter (and in the comics, the father of Nightcrawler)

Armando Munoz/Darwin (Edi Gathegi) adapts to situations as they come (growing gills in water, becoming heat resistant around fire, that sort of thing.)

Janos Quested/Riptide (Alex Gonzalez) creates whirlwinds.

And Alex Summers/Havok (Lucas Till) absorbs energy and blasts it.

Now, there may be spoilers for the rest of the review, but Charles getting paralyzed and Erik striking out as Magneto are NOT spoilers. You kind of expect this if you know even the slightest of X-Men. Everything else is still fair game for spoilers so I warn you now.

Now, in a film with this many characters, chances are you're going to try and pick your favourites and pick the ones you either hate or just would have cut out of the film. Based on the acting, the characterization and the dialogue, my favourite characters would have to be Erik (I don't call him Magneto because he doesn't really become Magneto until the end), Darwin and Azazel. Michael Fassbender has a hard act to follow with inheriting the role (in a way) from Sir Ian McKellen and he nails it. His anguish, his determination, his hard exterior that hides a heavy heart, Fassbender just gets it. If I had to choose a favourite part, a part in which he truly shines, it's near the end, where he's poised to take on the role we all know him for. After a bullet aimed for him is deflected, it hits Charles in the back. The look of horror on Erik's face just sells it. He's panicking, his best friend in the whole world is in pain, he doesn't know what to do. His dialogue after that only confirms just how good Fassbender is and I really, really hope he gets some excellent roles now.

Darwin didn't get much time to develop but what he did get, he used well. He was funny, laid-back and his power is frickin' awesome. Unfortunately, he gets killed off soon after his introduction. I may joke about it in the title of this blog (as well as referencing Pokemon but that's neither here or there) but in all seriousness, damn. He doesn't even get a big send-off. He dies and then the scene changes. Wow, thanks a lot, movie. Take one of the coolest characters in the movie and get rid of him. Oh well, at least he did try and stand up to the villain. He may not have been a hero for long but he was an X-Man through and through.

Azazel doesn't say much and is treated like a lackey but besides looking cool (it's like if the Devil wore a suit to work. No, no! He's like that one background character from that episode of Angel! Season 5, The Girl In Question. He works in the Italian branch of Wolfram And Hart. Yeah, he looks like that guy! Also, just to clarify, I do not think the Devil is cool, I'm just describing him for anyone who doesn't know who the Hell he is. Pun not intended), he has one of the most super awesome powers (as I mentioned above, teleporting). And what does he use it for? He drops people. From the sky. Yeah. Badass or what?

I'll come back to some of the other characters later, when I go into the negatives.

The action scenes were really damn impressive and they didn't feel overblown, either. The battle toward the end felt really authentic (as authentic as a movie with mutants can be anyway) and I really liked Erik and Charles' confrontation with Emma Frost, in which Erik uses a bed frame to constrict her.

However, there are two very big negatives that keep this film from being one of the truly excellent films of the year.

Going back to the characters now, despite being a new take, I don't think I like the changes made to Xavier and Beast. Neither of them has any tact when talking to Mystique about her power and disregard her feelings. Or, to put it bluntly: they kind of act like dicks. Xavier can't even answer a simple question she directs to him (OK, it might be about if he thinks she's attractive and would they date if they didn't know each other and he responds with “But I do know you”. Dude, it's called a hypothetical. You're a scientist, you should know all about those. The correct response is “You're my sister” because after growing up with you, that's what she IS). And if you want more dickish behaviour, at the end of the movie, he and Moira (Rose Byrne, not playing a mutant and her character's not American in the comics despite being one here, doing a very good job) share a kiss... which he uses to wipe her memory of the existence of mutants. You might be trying to protect yourself and the others but now her credibility is shot to Hell. And you could have trusted her or gone another way. But nooooo, you had to wipe her mind.

And don't give me that “it's an alternate universe, they can do what they want” song and dance or the routine of “he's only young, he'll grow into the guy we know”. You know who else was brain-wipe happy? The Xavier of the Ultimate Universe and that universe is filled with arseholes! This is not a path I want to see Xavier go down.

Beast isn't that much different either. He openly tells Mystique she's beautiful when transformed to the state she normally appears in (not the blue, I mean when she's in public).

I've stated in my X-Men comic review that Beast is my favourite character. Even in the aforementioned Ultimate Universe, Beast escapes arseholeification. But here, he had to be vain and self-centered. And no, I will not take the “young = allowed to make mistakes” argument here either. Being young does not absolve you of everything you do. And at his age, he should know better.

Also, what the Hell is up with Angel pulling a face heel turn? One minute she's happy to be free from the life of a stripper and having fun with her new mutant friends, the next she's off to help bring down humanity. Hell, when Sebastian Shaw makes the offer for any mutant to join him, she takes it up with no hesitation and gives some bullcrap reason. I basically view it as “Oh hai losers, I'm off to join the winning side kthanxbai”. Or, however it would be said in the 60's. Probably involving some dialogue about felines and the shapes of boxing rings.

I reckon she just saw their clothes and powers and wanted to live it up. It's just so poorly executed.

But the biggest gripe I have with the movie: it can't decide if it wants to be a prequel or a reboot. It wants to be both, but it can't happen. The two cancel each other out. If it's a reboot, why did you reuse the footage of Erik in the camps from the first X-Men movie? And why put Hugh Jackman as Wolverine for a cameo if the films aren't connected? (Granted, that scene was funny). Is Hugh Jackman-as-Wolverine a constant in all the multiple universes?

But if you are a prequel, that just raises further questions: why is Charles paralyzed at the end of this movie if he can walk in The Last Stand? And more to the point, why would he and Erik be all chummy for one little girl? And why is Emma Frost an adult when she appears as a teenager in Wolverine?

No, movie. You pick one or the other. Casino Royale did. Sure, Judi Dench portrayed M again but at least they said outright they were rebooting Bond and bringing him back to basics.

Admittedly, they do lean more towards reboot but they don't outright say it and before release, it was even being touted as another prequel. Heck, because of the early Erik scenes at the camps, X-Men Origins: Magneto was scrapped.

All in all, a solid movie, but some things still bug me. Unlike Bridesmaids, I think I rated this one a little too high initially. Thus, I give it 3.5/5 (now it shares that with Bridesmaids)

P.S Still hoping to see Apocalypse one of these days. And can someone please hurry up with the Deadpool spin-off?!