With the release of The Avengers just around the corner (look for
my review within the next few days!), I figured now would be the ideal time to look at
the films that led up to this big event. I’ve just re-watched all of them, with
my 9-year-old daughter Maddie at my side, so she’ll weigh in too.
Chronologically speaking, the correct order to watch the
films is Iron Man,
Iron Man 2, The
Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. I’ll follow that sequence here.
And away we go…
Iron Man (2008)
Despite
being an origin story, which always runs the risk of bogging things down in
exposition and taking forever to get to the action, this movie pulls you right
in.
Robert
Downey Jr. is fantastic as Tony Stark—witty, charming, bursting with personality,
and dead serious when he needs to be. As Pepper Potts, Gwyneth Paltrow is
lovely and radiant and completely believable. Her chemistry with Downey is
palpable. Jeff Bridges, in the role of Obadiah Stane, is very effective
conveying false loyalty and camaraderie, and then shifting to insidious menace.
Among the lead characters, Terrence Howard as James Rhodes is probably the
least effective—not that he’s in any way bad, he just doesn’t make as much of
an impression.
I
do have some story problems with the second half, and some of Obadiah Stane’s
dialogue and his motivations during the big climactic battle are a bit too
hackneyed and “comic booky.”
Also,
I felt that the film lacks a strong emotional core that was so present in Superman:
The Movie, Batman
Begins, and the
first two Spider-Man movies. It’s not that director Jon Favreau and co. don't
try—actually, some of the stuff between Stark and Pepper is quite good. But I
didn’t feel myself get pulled emotionally into this film quite as much as I did
with the ones I mention above.
The
special effects are fantastic. The humor works, for the most part. The in-jokes
are very clever—and you really have to be sharp to get them all. I know I
didn’t upon my first viewing!
All
in all, it’s an excellent and highly effective starting point for the Marvel
Movie Universe.
MADDIE: “I guess this one is my favorite
of all the Marvel movies. It was full of action and I liked all of the
technology, all of the features in the suit. And it was funny. I liked the relationship
between Pepper and Tony and I liked how Tony had a bond with the man who saved
his life in Afghanistan, when his heart was injured at the beginning.”
Iron
Man 2 (2010)
I
found that this film doesn’t hold up on repeated viewings quite as well as I
thought it would. The plot is a bit scattered, causing the narrative to drag in
spots. Also, the motivations are a bit muddled in some areas. That said, this
is a true sequel in every sense of the word. It picks up where the previous
film left off and continues the story thread of Tony Stark revealing to the
public that he’s Iron Man.
Probably
the biggest disappointment about Iron Man 2 is that the conflict between
Stark and the central villain, the vengeance-seeking Russian renegade scientist
Ivan Vanko (played by Mickey Rourke), doesn’t reach its full potential.
It's handled somewhat superficially, in very broad strokes, and their
final showdown is a bit anti-climactic—despite great special effects.
But
the cast is uniformly terrific. Downey and Paltrow are just as good as they
were in the original. As James Rhodes, Don Cheadle brings more warmth,
humanity, and intelligence to the table than Terrence Howard did.
Sam
Rockwell is a hoot as secondary villain Justin Hammer. He's smarmy, weaselly, and
conniving—sort of a less comical version of the character that Paul Reiser
played in Aliens.
As
Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff, Scarlett Johansson has great presence and
acquits herself nicely and believably. Garry Shandling is very enjoyable as
Senator Stern. And Samuel L. Jackson gets more screen time as S.H.I.E.L.D.
director Nick Fury, as does director Favreau as Stark’s bodyguard/chauffeur,
Happy Hogan. In both cases, more is good.
Overall,
Iron Man 2 is
fun and exciting. A worthy sequel, for sure, coming close to its
predecessor—but not quite managing to equal or surpass it.
MADDIE: “I thought it was a good movie,
but the story was kind of hard for me to follow. My favorite part was when Tony
was playing the recordings of his father and his father says that Tony is his
greatest creation. I didn’t like how Tony was being out of control all the
time, I thought there was a little too much of his craziness. I liked when he
and Rhodey fired their hand-blasters at each other and it caused an explosion.
I really liked the Black Widow a lot—my favorite part was when she took out
seven guys and Happy could only take out one! I liked her martial arts moves
and all of her gadgets. I thought that Ivan Vanko was kind of hard to
understand because of his accent and I didn’t really get why he was out to kill
Tony Stark. And I thought Justin Hammer was really pushing it when he came out
on stage dancing and trying to be like Tony Stark.”
The
Incredible Hulk
(2008)
Certainly
the most underrated of the Marvel-produced films, this gets right pretty much
everything that Ang Lee got wrong in his 2003 misfire.
Basically,
this film is the old Hulk TV show on steroids. And by the TV show, I mean
the GOOD episodes. Like the classic two-parter in which the Hulk confronts
another, far more dangerous Hulk-like creature. Or the one where he gets
captured by the military. Or the one where Banner experiments on himself
and ends up accidentally corrupting the “Banner” side of his personality.
I don’t mean the one where Banner becomes a cab driver and gets hassled by loan
sharks. Or the one where he works in New York’s garment center and gets
hassled by loan sharks. Or the one where he gets involved in
midget wrestling. (No, I’m not kidding about that last one).
There’s
plenty of in-jokes in this movie, tying in to both the TV series and
the comics. Stan Lee, Lou Ferrigno, and even the late Bill Bixby make appearances. Even the beloved theme music from the TV series turns up, and it’s
used appropriately.
The
script is solid and shows imagination and care. While he didn’t receive
official credit for writing the screenplay, star Edward Norton did a very
good job and should be proud of himself. The same goes for director Louis
Leterrier, who shows off his knowledge of all the good stuff from the TV
series, both conceptually and visually.
Norton
is perfect as Bruce Banner. At times, he seems to channel Bixby’s
interpretation of the role: noble, gentle, caring, sensitive, heroic,
interesting, and thoroughly sympathetic. It
Liv
Tyler delivers the goods as Betty Ross. She brings soulfulness, energy,
earnestness, and sweetness to the role, and you can understand right away why Banner loves her so much—and why she
has the effect on the Hulk that she does. She’s also feisty and downright
explosive when the situation calls for it.
William
Hurt is GREAT as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross—massive, imposing,
arrogant, and willing to cross the line to achieve his goals. There’s a
real look of menace, ambition, and obsession in Hurt’s eyes as he plays
Ross, and he’s one of the most interesting characters in the movie.
Tim
Roth is thoroughly enjoyable and believable as Emil Blonsky, and I’d love
to see him return someday.
As
for the Hulk himself, he has only about three lines of dialogue, but each
line is well chosen, delivered at exactly the right moment—with proper
dramatic buildup—and well performed by Lou Ferrigno. He sounds
exactly the way you'd want the Hulk to sound.
I found that The Incredible Hulk, unlike Iron Man 2, holds up very well on repeated
viewings.
MADDIE: “There are no boring scenes in this movie! Just when I
thought things were going to slow down, it just picks right up again! I thought
the movie was a little too violent, but I thought the Hulk looked really,
really good, very realistic. I liked Betty’s boyfriend Leonard, because he
plays Phil on Modern Family and he’s hysterically funny on that show. I liked the
fight scene at the end in New York City—the Hulk was getting beat up but when
he saw Betty in danger he started fighting back. I especially liked when he
said, ‘Hulk smash!’ I would really enjoy knowing whether he and Betty ever saw
each other again. I liked Betty, I could definitely see her and Bruce together.
I thought Blonsky wanted too much power, and he was out of control when he got
it. It was very cool when Tony Stark showed up at the end.”
Thor (2011)
This is sort of a mixture of Clash of the Titans, The Lord of the Rings, Superman, Iron Man, and even a dash of the classic Star
Trek episode “Who
Mourns For Adonais?” It’s thoroughly entertaining, it never drags, and it’s
both exciting and touching.
With director Kenneth Branagh at the helm (an inspired
choice, I must say), the uninitiated don’t need to be familiar with the Thor
comic books to enjoy the movie. Everything is laid out clearly so that
audiences with no prior knowledge can understand who all of the characters are,
what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it. But if you are familiar with the comics, you’ll
be pleasantly surprised at just how much of the Marvel Comics lore is crammed
into the narrative. There are in-jokes aplenty, and cameo appearances from some
of the folks who produced the classic comic-book stories on which much of this
movie is based (Mr. Lee, Mr. Simonson, Mr. Macchio, take a bow!).
The cast is uniformly great. Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is
charming, powerful, arrogant, stubborn, good-humored, and regal—in other words,
absolutely true to the comic-book version.
As Jane Foster, Natalie Portman turns in a fine
performance and is quite believable as a romantic interest for Thor—despite the
fact that he’s about twice her height. There’s real chemistry between Hemsworth
and Portman—you totally get why they’re attracted to each other—and it’s fun to
watch their relationship grow.
Anthony Hopkins is pretty much perfect as Odin, Thor’s
father and the ruler of Asgard. It’s not a particularly large role, but it’s a
very important one.
Tom Hiddleston is absolutely wonderful as Loki, Thor’s
brother and trusted adviser. Comic book readers already know how Thor and
Loki’s relationship develops, but it’s still fun to watch it unfold for the
first time in live action—and the characterization for Loki is multi-layered
enough that his story arc here should intrigue newcomers and longtime fans
alike.
I also have to mention that Jaimie Alexander RULES as Sif,
one of Thor’s most loyal friends. She’s one of my very favorite things about
this movie. And Idris Elba, who was so great as Michael Scott’s boss, Charles
Minor, on NBC’s The Office, makes for an appropriately imposing and enigmatic
Heimdall, the guardian of the interdimensional bridge that connects Asgard to
Earth.
The CGI is a little unconvincing at times, especially in
the early scenes set in Asgard, but for the most part, the special effects are
very impressive.
The slow build-up to The Avengers really starts to kick into high
gear with Thor,
seeing as how it introduces the villain that will cause the Avengers team to
come together in the first place.
MADDIE: “I loved how Asgard looked! I really liked the scene
where Thor pressured his friends to go with him to Jotunheim and he tries to
take credit for Sif being such a great warrior and Sif says that she proved it
on her own. And then Thor says, ‘Yes, but I supported you!’ Sif was very cool,
very fierce and she really proved that a woman could be a warrior. I really
liked Jane Foster—she really believed in Thor and she was good at physics. I
liked Darcy a whole lot—she always had something funny to say! And I really
liked Thor. At the beginning, he was very full of himself and by the end he
learned to care more about others. He was very funny when he kept getting hit
by the car, he got a shot in the butt by the doctors and it knocked him out,
and I really liked it when Darcy tasered him! I liked that Loki was such a good
liar—you think he’s a good guy and on Thor’s side, and then you find out he’s
not. He wanted his father’s approval more than anything else and he wanted to
rule Asgard and wanted to get rid of Thor. I liked Odin—you could see in Odin’s
eyes that he was very wise.”
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
This
has just the right amount of action, characterization, romance, and top-notch
special effects to ensure two full hours of solid and satisfying entertainment.
Despite
having to cover Cap’s origin, his emergence as an important military figure
during World War II at home and abroad, his missions with the small band of
soldiers known as The Howling Commandos (never referred to as such in the film,
but that’s who they are), his burgeoning relationship with a beautiful female
British military agent, and his earliest encounters with the Red Skull, the
power-hungry Nazi madman who will become his number-one arch-foe, the film
never really drags or feels bogged down. The storytelling is straightforward
and well paced.
Director
Joe Johnston shows his fine eye for period detail, transporting his audience to
the past and making it look and feel authentic. Johnston resists poking fun of
or demeaning Cap’s image as a square-jawed, purely good, totally moral, even
slightly naïve super hero. The easiest, most natural thing in the world,
especially during this particularly cynical age we live in, would be to portray
Cap as corny and silly and to treat him with condescension or barely concealed
contempt (a la the Adam West Batman TV series). But that’s not the case here. Cap is treated
with the utmost respect and is hands-down the coolest character in the film, as
well he should be.
Chris
Evans does a masterful job bringing Steve Rogers to life. He gets considerable
help in the first half of the film from some amazing and thoroughly convincing
CGI artistry, which is used to make him the short, scrawny, 90-pound weakling
version of the character. But the decency, the earnestness, and the
determination with which Evans imbues “puny Steve” carries over even after the
character is “super-soldierized” and Evans gets to show off his impressive
physique.
The
rest of the cast is equally good. Hayley Atwell brings a combination of beauty,
brains, and (ahem) balls to the role of British agent Peggy Carter, who is
definitely no damsel in distress. This lady can take care of herself, and isn’t
intimidated by anyone. Atwell has great chemistry with Evans.
Tommy
Lee Jones brings plenty of authority and strength to the role of U.S. Army
Colonel Chester Phillips—and has some of the best, funniest lines. Dominic
Cooper portrays Howard Stark, father of Tony, and you can definitely see an
effort to both connect and contrast the two characters in terms of looks,
attitude, and behavior. Sebastian Stan plays Steve Rogers’s best friend, James
“Bucky” Buchanan, who emerges as one of the most likable characters in the
film.
As
the Red Skull, Hugo Weaving is very energetic, very committed, very entertaining.
But I found that there was something missing. In fact, for me, the Skull is
probably the most disappointing element of the film, and the problem is in the
writing. The character is just not developed enough. He’s a bit too
one-dimensional—there’s not much depth to him, and therefore, he’s not quite as
interesting as he should be. He’s not nearly as complex as, say, Tom
Hiddleston’s Loki. I will say that the CGI artists did a great job depicting
the Skull’s “true” appearance, which wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if it
was Weaving simply wearing a red rubber skull mask.
MADDIE: “I really, really liked this one.
I liked all the weapons and I liked that Steve Rogers kept pointing out all the
spots in Brooklyn where he had gotten beat up! I liked Captain America’s
relationship with Bucky—they always stood by each other. I liked when Peggy
told Captain America that a lot of soldiers didn’t survive and his first
thought was about whether Bucky was okay. I liked the team of soldiers that
work with Captain America, especially Dugan—he was silly, drinking all the beer
and he had that funny mustache! Peggy was pretty and tough! The Red Skull was
very creepy—I didn’t like when he took off the mask. It was upsetting to me
that Captain America never got to date the love of his life. It was very sad
when he says to Nick Fury, ‘I had a date.’”
And
there you have it. The end of Captain America: The First Avenger presumably sets up the beginning
of The Avengers,
and you’ll be able to read about that here very soon…
© All text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2012.
