Iron Man 3

I saw Iron Man 3 twice within 24 hours. This is because a) I really liked it and b) I needed to see it one more time to figure out that I liked it. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it the first time around it's just that, like so many others, I had high expectations and I wasn't sure whether it reached those expectations.

The film is explosive in many ways, and subtle in others. It far surpasses the weaker Iron Man 2, but I don't think I could say that it's better than the first one. Jon Favreau's 2008 hit felt as though it came out of nowhere and for that reason it set the bar for every other Marvel film that followed. Shane Black's take on Iron Man is a little darker. We find Tony Stark where we last left him in The Avengers, although this time there's less cheek and more internal struggle. After his near-fatal return to Earth in the 2012 blockbuster, Stark finds himself suffering from PTSD. Unable to sleep he spends his nights tinkering with his 'toys', building numerous iron man suits and worrying his now live-in girlfriend Pepper Potts. When a villain by the name of The Mandarin poses a threat to America, and Stark himself, he has no choice but to react. What ensues is a lot of action, some great twists and turns, and a chance for Stark to find himself amongst the rubble.

One of the reasons I wasn't sure how I first felt about the film had to do with the fact that Stark is not in the Iron Man suit often in the film. The story follows Stark more than it does Iron Man, and although I wasn't expecting this, I ended up enjoying this aspect. With two other Iron Man films and an Avengers film we've seen Iron Man in many different capacities. It is actually refreshing to see Stark deal with some of his issues outside of the suit.

Rumour has it that Robert Downey Jr. won't return as Iron Man in an Iron Man film. Fear not though, there are more Avengers films to come and he'll most likely be in those. I can't imagine anyone else playing Tony Stark, the role seems to be made for him, and he certainly made the role.

The Avengers Assemble

This post will be full of spoilers, because this post is written by an Avengers fan, for Avengers fans. And if you're an Avengers fan then you've seen this movie at least once by now. So for the rest of you, you need to stop what you're doing and go to your local cinema and watch this movie...now!

I have been a complete nerd in anticipation of this film. I have spent countless hours reading up all about the Avengers, trying to gain what knowledge I could. I have never read the comics before but came to know of them, like many, through film and TV. I've watched and re-watched all the films leading up to this one. If you haven't seen the others films before The Avengers then you need to do two things. 1. stop reading this because as I mentioned it's going to be full of spoilers. 2. Go and watch the others first. Trust me, it's better to know Bruce Banner before you know the Hulk. It's important to know why Captain America seems a little out of time, why Thor would risk all that he did to get back to Earth, why Iron Man ...dammit just watch the other films.

This is probably as good a time as any for me to say to Joss Whedon, I salute you! Thank you for breathing life and heart into this film, which could have gone any number of ways really. Not only is it highly enjoyable and full of wonderful fight scenes and stunning visual effects, it's also got a soul. I like how the film takes its time. Every character gets their own entrance, and so they should. This is an ensemble piece after all.

So who are our Avengers? Well first there's Captain America, aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), the brave, kind super soldier who has been asleep for 70+ years. He missed a date with the lovely Penny Carter. Then there's Iron Man, aka Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist (his words, not mine), he's back with his arrogance, his charm and his wicked suit. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) arrives with a bang, literally, in search of his brother who he wishes to take back to Asgard for sentencing. I had been wondering how he would return considering how Thor ended. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) mentions that the all father must have conjured up dark power to get him to Earth. It's obvious that Thor has one mission, get Loki, get the tesseract and go back to Asgard. His presence on Earth is costing Asgard something, and that's the reason he can't just run off in search of Jane. We will have to wait till Thor 2 for that reunion. The Hulk, aka Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), is the muscle of the group. He's a green, mean fighting machine. Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), brings his excellent archery skills to the mix. Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) brings exceptional spy skills and some kick ass moves, as well as a little touch of femininity to the group.

They are quite the ensemble. To say they don't get along at the start is an understatement. Rogers can barely stand Stark. Rogers, a soldier who would jump on a grenade to save those around him can't really handle the arrogance that Stark exudes. He accuses Stark of working only for himself, never being capable of sacrificing himself for others. You can't really blame the guy for feeling this way. However there's a depth to Stark that we've come to know and love in the Iron Man films. I really loved the scene when Stark took the nuke and risked his own life for everyone else. He can be cocky as hell but he's a hero. There's also a great fight scene between Iron Man and Thor, who are arguably the two most arrogant members of the team.

However there is a friendship that comes out of this film which is really moving. Stark is not known for his subtlety and when he meets Bruce Banner he's eager to see him become the Hulk. However it becomes apparent that Stark wants Banner to embrace his true self. There's a similarity between them, an understanding even. They both became something they didn't really ask for. Where Stark has turned this into his advantage Banner has continually struggled. As the film progresses we get to see Banner embrace his whole true glorious self. After Stark has seemingly sacrificed himself for the others it's only fitting that it's Hulk who catches him falling from the sky.

I have to mention of course the wonderful Tom Hiddleston in his performance of Loki. I'm not always a fan of comic book villains, I find they can be overdone and lose all sense of reality. Loki however is a villain I truly love. I hope they never get rid of him. The character is deliciously villainous whilst also maintaing some sense of humanity (if you could call it that). He can play both menacing mastermind and spoilt obnoxious child at the same time. Every minute of him on screen is captivating.

Apart from Hiddleston, honorable mention has to go to Ruffolo who breathed new life into the Hulk. To be honest he's been my least favorite Avenger, until now. The scene where he kicks Loki's ass was so great, the whole cinema applauded. Before when there was talk about him having his own reboot I was skeptical, after seeing this film however I am all in.

And of course I have to mention the wonderful Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg). He's been our guide through the films leading to this one. Every time we saw him we were reminded that S.H.I.E.L.D has eyes everywhere. We got to know a little more about Coulson in this film. For instance he recently broke up with a gal, and he's a huge fan of Captain America. He also finally got to know what that gun does. So thanks Agent Coulson for your dedication and hard work.

The film ends with the Avengers going their separate ways but we know they will return when Earth needs them (or when The Avengers 2 starts filming). We also have Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 to keep us happy until then.

Obviously reading this means you've watched the movie, which means I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. So let's just agree that this film was awesome, Joss Whedon is a legend and Loki was adopted.

Captain America: The first Avenger

I have to be honest, before my Marvel conversation with my brother I had no intention of seeing Captain America. There were two reasons for this. The first was that reviews were less than favourable, and with film ticket prices so high you have to be picky about what you see. The second was that it is called "Captain America". Having grown up far away from the United States I grew up with a different perspective of the US. For example, I grew up believing that the word "America" meant the Americas, as in North, Central and South. Unfortunately the States seem to have taken the word to mean the US only. So you can understand why I'm a little hesitant to watch anything that in my opinion is probably focussed on showing "America" to be the greatest nation ever created. I am also a huge fan of war films, particularly those based around World War Two. Sometimes it seems though that American films forget that it was a world war, as in other countries were involved.

Luckily Captain America is not a film about World War Two. The war is definitely prominent throughout the film, especially since our protagonist Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants nothing more than to fight in the war. Yet the actual war is never really mentioned, rather it's just there as a backdrop to show off American ideals. What the film really follows is the story of Steve Rogers, an extraordinarily skinny man with a list of health issues that prevents him from being recruited. What Steve does have however is courage and heart. This is noticed by a scientist who picks him for a secret project. Dr. Erksine possesses a machine that gyms would pay millions for. The most technical way I can describe it is that it turns scrawny men into beautiful works of muscular art.

Steve now possesses courage, heart, and a six pack. Unfortunately he's too valuable to be allowed to fight with the other men. He ends up on stage playing "Captain America" in propaganda performances around the world. One day after performing in Italy to the troops he finds out that many of his fellow soldiers, including his best friend, have been captured by the enemy. The command is to leave them. Our protagonist can't allow that though. With the help of the beautiful Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Howard Stark (Tony Stark/Ironman's father) Steve rescues all the men, earning their respect. On his quest he also meets Johan Schmidt, aka The Red Skull, aka the antagonist. What follows is a lot of fighting, heroisms, a poorly timed kiss and some martyrdom.

I can't say that I particularly loved this film, but I can't say that I hated it either. The acting was fine, the costumes and sets were superb. The story however was a little too simple for my liking. However, the last few minutes of the film did get me excited for the upcoming Avengers film. Make sure you wait till the very end of the credits to see a sneak peak. It will be interesting to see the role Captain America plays in The Avengers, after all, he was the first.

And to tie my last two reviews together, here's a picture of Thor and Captain America in The Avengers.

The Mighty God of Thunder

I've been watching a lot of Marvel films recently and thought I'd do some reviews of them over the next few days. Today is all about the mighty God of thunder: Thor.

Please be aware that this may contain spoilers.

I went to see this in the cinema and loved it. I have been eagerly anticipating a sequel and am excited to hear whispers of it floating around. I do not have much knowledge when it comes to Marvel, I've never read a comic book in my life (something I definitely aim to fix) so my only knowledge comes from these films and my older brother. My brother is an avid fan of marvel and we spent a couple of hours last week talking about Thor and the upcoming Avengers film. To some this may seem like a boring thing to discuss for hours over skype but I actually found it really interesting. Thor is also a deity from Norse mythology so there's a rich history there.

What I really like about Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is that when we first meet him he is full of arrogance. He is clearly a skilled warrior and is on his way to the throne of Asgard when things don't go as he planned. His arrogance puts others at risk and his actions defy his father, King Odin. As punishment Odin strips Thor of his godly power and sends him to Earth in exile. Odin sends Thor's mjolnir (his hammer) to Earth as well but with an enchantment that only he who is worthy can wield it.

On Earth Thor meets Jane (Natalie Portman) an astrophysicist, her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings) and her mentor Eric (Stellan Skarsgard). In Asgard things are not going so well. Odin has fallen into "Odinsleep" a coma-like induced sleep to help him recuperate. Loki, Thor's brother, has an agenda of his own which prompts Thor's friends to go to Earth and bring him back.

The film has everything a good action film should have: special effects, action, intrigue, romance, good guys, bad guys etc. I liked the character arc of Thor as he learns to be less arrogant. That scene in the cafe where he demands another cup of coffee was my favourite. Natalie Portman did well in the role of Jane. She and Chris had a good connection on film which is surprisingly rare in action genre films. I find too often they don't cast actors that have onscreen chemistry.

The film ended with me wanting more, but in a good way. Make sure you wait to the end of the credits of Thor for the sneak peek of The Avengers.  It seems I will have to wait another year before the sequel will be out, but The Avengers comes out next summer so we will get to see Thor in that. I look forward to seeing more from Chris Hemsworth. His film career has only just started and already he's proving that he can carry a film, and a mjolnir.