Tag: MCU

MCU Advent Calendar – Iron Man

Posted in Let's all go to the moviesTagged , , Leave a comment

The summer of 2008 was a spectacular one for superhero films. Both Iron Man and The Dark Knight came out. The Dark Knight is, of course, a juggernaut. It’s widely regarded as the best comic book film of all time. The first Iron Man may not reach that level, but, man, it’s great. If The Dark Knight is serious ass-kicker Thor, then Iron Man is his trickster brother Loki. The film is snarky and fun and such a great contrast to just how ultra serious The Dark Knight is.

Robert Downey, Jr. was regarded as a risky pick for Tony Stark when he was initially cast to play Marvel’s signature billionaire. The character was basically unknown to the public before 2008. Man, SHIT HAS CHANGED. Iron Man simultaneously kick-started the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and enabled comic book movies to have a lighter tone. 

Comic books are largely silly concepts. People in colorful outfits with extraordinary abilities saving the world on a monthly basis. Elevating the concepts to SERIOUS STUFF is used to counterbalance the inherent silliness, but it often goes too far in the other direction. Iron Man balances this in a way that would become a mission statement for the MCU.

One of the key moments I think of when I recollect Iron Man is when Obadiah Stane is checking in with his employees on the progress of his Iron Monger suit. “Tony Stark built this in a cave…with SCRAPS!” is a terrific villain rant. It’s a ridiculous concept, that this inventor CEO gets his heart damaged in an attack, is locked up in a cave to build weapons, and instead builds a powerful suit of armor with the help of his fellow scientist that is locked up with him. Yet, it works incredibly well. Iron Man doesn’t shit all over its comic book roots, and that’s important. 

Even with the respect for the source material, the grounded sci-fi elements of Iron Man really helped the film in 2008. Jon Favreau and his crew did such a good job in making the audience believe that this was a plausible story. The legendary Stan Winston went out there and built a physical Iron Man suit that looked like it came right out of the Warren Ellis / Adi Granov “Extremis” storyline. This physical suit and these practical effects help this movie still look good twelve years later. 

As good as all of this is, Iron Man doesn’t take off without the performance of Robert Downey, Jr. He is the factor that elevated Iron Man from a character well-known to comic book fans but not-so-much to the public at large, to a character mourned by half the world when he sacrificed himself in Avengers: Endgame. Downey’s Tony Stark is charming, snarky, smart, suave, arrogant, and just a little bit goofy. Stark is a character who was previously best known for being a recovering alcoholic. Downey’s Stark is the smartest man in every room and he wants everyone to know it. The press conference scene where Stark shows up with a burger and makes the press sit down with him is such a great example of why this character is so memorable. Tony Stark is flying by the seat of his pants and making everyone chase him. No one knows where is going next, but they sure as shit are going to follow him on that journey. Downey brings wit, soul, gravitas, and a ton of charming snark to the role. I really can’t see anyone else being a better Tony Stark than Robert Downey, Jr.

Iron Man was just the beginning of the MCU, and what a beginning it is.

Notes

  • Love that Jeff Bridges really wanted to wear the Iron Monger suit. He mentions in one of the features under the extras that he was initially disappointed when the plan was to have The Mandarin as the main villain in the first Iron Man with Stane remaining a businessman. 
  • I am so glad that they didn’t tackle The Mandarin in Iron Man. The story tackling terrorism against Americans being funded by an American company was timely in 2008 and really helps the story focus on Tony Stark realizing that he needs to change the direction of his life and company. It also lets Jeff Bridges shine as Obadiah Stane. He’s so good playing off of Robert Downey, Jr. He’s a perfect menacing uncle. Very Shakespearean, 
  • The MySpace reference was dated before the movie hit DVD. Not to say that as a fault of the movie, but rather speaking to just how quickly MySpace died.
  • One of my favorite touches in the film is the casino music early on playing the 1960s Iron Man cartoon theme song.

Up Next: Iron Man 2

MCU Advent Calendar – Captain Marvel

Posted in Let's all go to the moviesTagged , , Leave a comment

Captain Marvel holds a strange place in the MCU. It was the last film to debut before Avengers: Endgame and Carol Danvers was the last character to make it to the show. Due to the powerful nature of the character, some fans rejected the character. These fans were largely the kind of fans I would rather not be associated with, as they are largely cavemen types who do not enjoy the prospect of a powerful woman. These are the same types of assholes who tried to sink The Last of Us Part II and continue to vilify The Last Jedi. 

This was my third time watching Captain Marvel and the most that I have enjoyed it. The film does suffer from some flatness and not having much in the way of character traits for Carol Danvers besides strength and grittiness. This strength is a defining characteristic for Danvers, and it’s a tremendous message for a female hero. The sequence in which they show Danvers picking herself up throughout her life every time she has been knocked down is particularly inspiring. I would still like to see a little more rounding out of the character, ultimately.

A lot of these issues can also be placed on the character’s memory loss. Carol Danvers is figuring out who she is throughout the film, and as a result the film has a little trouble finding an identity. Danvers discovering her friendship with Maria Rambeau and picking up a mission in helping the seemingly misunderstood Skrulls really sets everything on track. I love Carol’s relationship with Maria and Monica Rambeau. It literally humanizes her, showing who she was before she became the Kree warrior, Vers. I’m excited to see what Captain Marvel 2 brings now that we have more of an idea of the direction in which Carol Danvers is headed.

Notes

  • Samuel L. Jackson, in particular, is having the time of his life. He’s grinning for half the movie, between petting Goose and getting to know Vers. The smile is infectious. Ben Mendelsohn is having a great time as the Skrull, Talos. This actually all bodes incredibly well for the upcoming Secret Invasion Disney Plus series with Jackson and Mendelsohn. 
  • 90s references are still a little heavy handed. We get it! And folks, I LOVE the 90s.
  • The sequel will likely dive into a lot of this, but I think that this franchise could really use a supplemental Disney+ series to dive into some of the intricacies of the Kree and Skrull cultures. The Kree in particular need this, they’ve been featured in two movies (Guardians of the Galaxy and this one) and a movie-going audience really would not know much about them.
  • I think it would be interesting to introduce the X-Men, or at least the Brotherhood of Mutants, in a Captain Marvel sequel. Rogue famously siphons off Carol Danvers’ powers in the comics. This would help to establish a different, more comic familiar version of Rogue in the MCU and power down Captain Marvel a little. That’s not to say that I agree with the angry internet trolls that whine about Captain Marvel being overpowered. Those guys suck and I don’t want to have anything to do with them. But, we have seen just how strong Captain Marvel is when she single handedly took down a ship and whooped Thanos’ ass in Endgame. It feels like strength is Carol Danvers’ defining characteristic in the MCU. Let’s let Brie Larson show off her chops in the sequel by having the character struggle with the loss of that great power.

MCU Advent Calendar – Captain America: The First Avenger

Posted in Let's all go to the moviesTagged , , Leave a comment

2020 has been a difficult year to say the least. To treat myself, I have decided to make an Advent Calendar of the MCU films. I’ve watched them all in order, after all, I watched the movies as they originally came out. I am fairly certain that I have seen every MCU film in the theater with the exception of Thor: The Dark World. For this little exercise, I have decided to go with the chronological order option that they offer on Disney+. This option starts with Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel as the first two films, which makes sense given that they take place in the 1940s and 1990s, respectively.

I will be posting little thoughts on the films as I watch them on this little blog that no one reads. It’s nice to stretch the old writing part of the brain every now and then. If you are reading, feel free to watch along and enjoy!

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger isn’t the best MCU movie. It certainly is not the most vital film to follow the central plot in the MCU. The First Avenger is pretty good by most standards. But, dammit, the MCU would not be the same without this film.

The First Avenger sets the table for the heart of the MCU, Captain America. Steve Rogers’ character is so perfectly set up here, to the point that it’s even mocked in Endgame when Avengers’ era Cap tells Endgame era Cap that he can “do this all day” and Endgame era Cap is completely exasperated at hearing his own scrappy line thrown back at him. Steve Rogers has that Rocky underdog vibe that resonates with anyone with a soul. 

The Steve Rogers that we know and love is present from the first frame that we see him in. He’s a skinny little scrapper that dreams of punching Adolf Hitler right in the face. He doesn’t give up, he’s determined, and he simply will not back down from his goals. The effect used to place Chris Evans on the body of a tiny body double to create pre-serum Steve Rogers may look a little silly by today’s standards, but it’s important that Evans’ face is present on pre-serum Rogers. He is the same guy he’s always been, even when he’s swinging a vibranium shield at a man with a red skull for a head armed with technology fueled by Norse god magic. Chris Evans’ Captain America never stops being that skinny kid from Brooklyn, and that’s what makes this character so perfect.

The line that really stood out to me on this rewatch was Rogers telling Dr. Erskine, “I don’t want to kill anyone, I just don’t like bullies.” That line is so perfect. Yes, Captain America is not here to satiate bloodlust, he is here to stop a madman that wants to destroy any humans that he doesn’t deem worthy.

The First Avenger is a good old-fashioned Indiana Jones-esque throwback film. It does not break any new ground, but it accomplishes its primary goal – to establish the film version of Captain America. 

Notes

  • It’s such a shame that this is the only time that we will likely get Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull. He’s so perfect for the role.
  • I really do love the Indiana Jones vibe to the entire film. The tilts, the close-ups, really pulpy in a great way.
  • Dr. Erskine is from Queens, such a nice callback in Civil War.
  • The scene where Rogers chases down the German spy in Brooklyn might be my favorite in the film. Evans does a great job of showing how Rogers is adjusting to the size of his new body. 
  • Still not sure how I feel about the film having the Red Skull leave the Nazis for Hydra. It’s meant to show how singular his goals are and clearly done to minimize the Nazi imagery shown in the film, but in a weird way it almost makes the Skull a little less evil, since even he sneers at Hitler. That said, the scene where the Skull betrays the Nazis is terrific. It yet again has that Indiana Jones feel. “Wait a minute, BERLIN is on this map!” BLAM, disintegrated!
  • The Howling Commandos montage is great too, honestly wish there was more time in the movie to see them in action.
  • It probably would have benefitted them to take another 30 seconds to explain to the audience why Cap had to crash the plane in the water.

Up next: take a trip back to the 90s with Captain Marvel.