Mortdeci (Johnny Depp) is a rich art collector who is facing bankruptcy, whilst trying to keep his beautiful wife Johanna (Gwyneth Paltrow) out of the arms of his old schoolmate, Martland(Ewan McGregor). Then there is an artwork that’s gone missing and… yawn.
I don’t understand this film. I just don’t quite get it. It is funny at times, but it is mostly just odd. It’s almost as though someone remembered how the whacky Austin Powers films were and wanted to recreate that success. So, they got some big names, made some crazy characters, threw in a plot and figured that was that. But instead, it just felt empty and ridiculous.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) is having panic attacks brought on by the alien attack in New York (The Avengers). On top of this, there is a super criminal, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who is taking over the airwaves to threaten the President of the US. And then there are these glowing people. They glow orange, as though they are full of lava. It’s weird.
Iron Man Three was everything I wanted it to be. Really evil bad guys, Robert Downey Jnr being funny and sexy, Don Cheadle getting to do some cool running and shooting. I don’t like Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, but I think that’s because this character is a bit wet, and I’d like her to be a bit more… something. It’s not that she’s not strong – she runs the company and she stands up to Stark like no-one else. I just don’t like her as a character. I do like Paltrow, and need to see her doing something better, thanks. Oh, and then there is Guy Pearce, and I really cannot say often enough just how much I love his acting. He’s just fabulous.
Stay through the credits – as with all of these recent Marvel films, there’s a little bonus bit at the end. Especially if you like Mark Ruffalo.
So much of what I want in a good action film can be found right here – lots of superheroes, fights, ego clashes, and a city being destroyed by aliens. Marvelous. (of course it’s Marvelous. It’s from Marvel)
Loki and the ice gods from the film Thor have come to Earth to take over (If you haven’t seen Thor, there is some background to The Avengers in it which is good, but not totally necessary). Secret government agency Shield is stepping in to deal with it, and assemble their crack team; Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Dr Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Captain America (Chris Evans). All those egos, all those different approaches, and of course, it almost brings the team apart. But, they learn to work together, and that’s what’s important in life.
It’s possibly not important to have seen the various films leading up to this one before, although I’m still not sure who Hawkeye is and how he fits into the whole Shield picture. Natasha Romanov had a part in Iron Man 2, and seeing that again after seeing The Avengers gives her character some background, but not too much.
The thing I loved the most about this flick was the quick-witted dialogue, and it was not surprised to see Joss Whedon credited as director and co-writer in the closing credits. That and seeing Robert Downey Jnr and Mark Ruffalo onscreen bantering, which was pretty awesome.
As with all of these Marvel films, watch to the end of the credits – there’s a teaser for a future adventure. Hopefully, The Avengers 2 – let’s get these guys back together. Oooh, just checked IMDB… The Avengers 2 – 2015!
The Avengers was nominated for an Oscar for Visual Effects and a BAFTA for Special Visual Effects.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) is the egomaniac head of Stark Industries, a multinational corporation that deals with a variety of technology, including arms dealing. In Afghanistan, after demonstrating the power of a new weapon to potential buyers, Stark is captured by a terrorist group who want him to build the weapon for him in a cave. In the capture, he is wounded by shrapnel which has left large amounts of metal in his body, and a fellow captive has created a powerful magnet to keep the scraps from entering his heart and killing him. Instead of building the weapon, he improves the magnet so it is self-powered and builds a suit of iron – the first stage of Iron Man.
Escaping and returning to the US, Stark removes arms sales from his company, causing share prices to drop. His passion becomes using his technology for good, but he has powerful enemies who are not happy with the path he is taking.
Iron Man is a great action film, with lots of explosions and big fights combined with humour and the delightful charisma of Stark. Of course, as all good action films should, it leads up to a massive battle between Stark and his nemesis.
Coming back in Iron Man 2, Stark has outed himself to the world as a superhero, and this has brought the wrath of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) the son of a Russian scientist who worked with Tony Stark’s father in the fifties and sixties. Vanko wants revenge and uses the same technology that Stark possesses to create great big huge electrical whips – big enough to cut a car in half during the Monaco Gran Prix. The US government wants to own the technology that Stark uses for his Iron Man suit to create an army, but Stark refuses to sell, even after a formal governmental enquiry. Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is an arms dealer who wants to develop Iron Man suits, and manages to get Vanko on board. Unsurprisingly, Vanko does not share the vision of Hammer, and a massive battle ensues, with Stark paired up with his army contact Lt. Col. Rhodes (Don Cheedle) to fight the final battle. This second film takes the fight sequences to a ridiculous height, and I loved every moment of it. I believe there is a third Iron Man in the making, and I can’t wait. Even with Gwyneth Paltrow totally miscast as Pepper Potts (and I’m a Paltrow fan, I just didn’t buy her in this role) it was a wonderful and ridiculous piece of cinema.
Hang about until the end of the credits to see the teaser for another Marvel flick.
ireckonthat 