Iron Man Rawks!

[S-Des]

My only misgiving is that now my summer movie expectations have already been met and exceeded thanks to this...and if Speed Racer or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull fails to pass muster (well, Indy better not), I'll be severely disappointed in the month of May!

Well, the early reviews of Speed Racer have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic (one of the reviewers I saw used the word 'orgasmic' ). I'm kind of doubtful on Indy, but Dark Knight will be amazing. Oh yeah, the first reviews of Narnia are painfully bad...we'll see if they hold up or not (plus it's said to be quite violent and dark in comparison to the first).

 

[rgraham666]

You're absolutely right and the biggest kudos for all this go, I think, to RD, jr.'s superior acting abilities. This may be kinda a "duh" observation, but I think there has a been a long-held fallacy (the 70's Superman movie notwithstanding), that Superhero movies can be made with either b-grade or just popular actors, no matter the quality or caliber of their acting abilities. The thinking, I believe, is that all the audience wants is to look at the cool costumes, gadgets, battles with villains. And that the movie can ride on all this other stuff and the main hero can be second rate or just lazy.

But really, as the most excellent Superhero movies have shown, the exact opposite is true. A person in a costume of any sort, be it armor or a cape and tights, needs to be truly excellent and superior at his craft to pull it off. An actor who is merely popular or b-grade just won't do. And if they fail, the movie fails no matter how excellent the costumes, villains, gadgets or fight scenes.

The 70's Superman movie proved this, it's weaknesses ignored thanks to Christopher Reeves astonishing performance; Hugh Jackman's Wolverine proved it, and Toby McGuire's Spiderman, and now RD, jr.'s Iron Man proves it. A superior actor, who takes the role seriously and can make the audience believe in the character no matter what funny outfit that character puts on or what absurd powers or background they have, will carry the movie. An inferior actor, however otherwise popular in other television or action movies, who can't get the audience to believe in them, will cause the entire movie to crash.

It doesn't matter what else the movie has going for it, if that keystone doesn't hold the rest won't hold. But if it does hold, other weaknesses (to a point) will be forgiven. I don't know if movie makers will learn from this lesson, probably not, but I sure hope they do as they've got a lot more superhero movies planned.

I'm waiting to see what will happen with the Watchmen movie.

I suspect it's going to be like V For Vendetta. Bowdlerized but a good movie.

 

[popcorn2721]

My geeky, comicbook lovin' heart is happy

Yeah, there are predictable elements, even stuff totally by the numbers, but OH, what fun! And Robert Downey, jr. is Fan-Fucking-Tastic, he OWNS that role. Absurd as it all is, you get sucked in and buy it all. Least I did.

Gonna be the first blockbuster of the summer, no question. Even if the reviewers weren't already so glowing, word of mouth on this would generate a winner. And it's going to get a lot of repeat customers. Warning: too intense for little kids. I wouldn't take anyone under about 9, tops.

That's all I'll say except stay till the very end of the credits. There's a reward for those who do.

just saw it, I thought it was fucken great. My children loved it too...or at least the ironman portions of the movie. thumbs up here

 

[3113]

I'm waiting to see what will happen with the Watchmen movie.

I suspect it's going to be like V For Vendetta. Bowdlerized but a good movie.

The husband and I talked about it and we're doubtful. Alan Moore's comics rely on so many layers, that I'm really skeptical if they can--or should--be made into movies. I mean, Batman, Iron Man, Spiderman, they're pretty cut and dried aren't they? Guy gets superpowers but has a real-life, interior Achilles heel he has to constantly fight even as he fights villains. Clear origin story, clear problems, and plenty of action and angst. That's easily translated to a two-hour film, a medium well suited for that kind of clarity of action and drama.

But, Alan Moore's characters...geez-us! We're talking Shakespearian and hypertextual; to really understand one character you have to understand the entire history of heroes from Greek myth to American pulp (and Alan will give you all that info along the way); another might riff on military stories, and another on science fiction scientists and aliens. Can you put all that on screen? In two hours? Moore also relies on sequential art to do it--on the fact that you can mix and match words with pictures and pictures in pictures--that what someone is saying from one panel can bleeding into another and contrast not only action but dialogue.

Putting it another way, Alan Moore makes the most out of the comics medium. He doesn't write comics as if they were movies. He writes them as comics using all the tricks that only comics have--tricks that you can't translate into a movie. Movies don't have those tricks--movies have other tricks.

I'm sorry, I know we all WANT Watchman to be wonderful, and it might be fine. But I doubt it's going to be Alan Moore's Watchman to any satisfactory degree and I have to wonder, why bother? Why, like V for Vendetta, take something amazing and make it generic? Why turn a gourmet meal into a tv dinner? I'm sorry but "good" won't be good enough for me.

I *think* that if Hollywood really and truly and honestly wants to do an Alan Moore comic on film, they should get him to write a script. Not of something he's done, but something completely new. Because he needs to adapt his talent to the medium. So long as people try to translate what he's done in one medium to another, they'll ultimately fail. You don't put a Jackson Pollack on film. It's meant to be a painting. But if you ask Jackson Pollack to make you a film, then you might get what you want.

 

[only_more_so]

I finally got to see it! I had to wait an entire 38 hours from when it was first released. It was as good as expected. I never read any of the comics so I don't know if they butchered anything (aside from the laws of physics, and the fact that MIT doesn't graduate people with honors {although I was impressed that Terrance Howard was wearing a brass rat}).

I also saw the previews for the new Batman movie and the Indy movie. Indy looks as good as ever, but I'm starting to have my doubts about the Batman movie.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Batman looks awesome. Shut your mouth!

Iron Man was very good, very entertaining, and very fun. Yes, Stark would be dead if the laws of physics were followed, but that doesn't matter. The movie was still well worth watching. I don't think it beats out X2 or Batman Begins as best comic book movie, but it was close in quality and fun. Definitely a 9/10 movie.

And I actually waited for after the credits. Wasn't expecting that, even though part of it was hinted at earlier in the movie. But I'm a guy, I don't take hints well

 

[snap1415]

I saw Iron Man this afternoon. They made some nice nods to the comic's mythology. Going from a grey Iron Man to a gold one & then settling on the red & gold suit was a cool touch.

While watching the previews to Speed Racer & the new Batman, I started thinking about how much alike big CGI sequences look these days. It's kinda like they all use the same software and all the designers went to the same school.

Don't mind me, I'm gonna sit over here & mutter under my breath about the good old days of Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz.

 

[3113]

I never read any of the comics so I don't know if they butchered anything

No butchering. They updated it (in the first, 1963 issue of Iron Man was captured by South Vietnamese), but kept everything an Iron Man geek could want, including all three iconic suits of armor--the chunky gray original, the sleeker gold and the final (but ever changing) red and gold. I have a friend who is a rabid Iron Man fan and I have no doubt at all that he's going to have fits of ecstasy over this movie. You really couldn't ask for more.

When I saw it the geeky comic readers in the audience were all cheering, applauding, whooping and, by the end, high-fiving each other. The movie makers really made an effort to keep the fans happy and they succeeded.

 

[jomar]

Yes, Stark would be dead if the laws of physics were followed, but that doesn't matter.

You mean he didn't have some really good padding in the suits?

And I actually waited for after the credits. Wasn't expecting that, even though part of it was hinted at earlier in the movie. But I'm a guy, I don't take hints well

Huh. I missed the hint.

 

[rgraham666]

I shall be leaving shortly to see it. I deserve a night out.

 

[S-Des]

Huh. I missed the hint.

The government agent (you know, the one from the agency with a really long name ). It wasn't a hint as much as a sledgehammer. When he said it, I was kicking myself for not catching it the first time when he introduced himself. Then again, you have to be a little bit of a comic book geek to get the reference. I explained it to my daughter, then tried to make her understand where this, and the Hulk are heading next (with the whole super soldier serum). The end result will be the really tough movie to pull off, especially in this day and age.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

The government agent (you know, the one from the agency with a really long name ). It wasn't a hint as much as a sledgehammer. When he said it, I was kicking myself for not catching it the first time when he introduced himself. Then again, you have to be a little bit of a comic book geek to get the reference. I explained it to my daughter, then tried to make her understand where this, and the Hulk are heading next (with the whole super soldier serum). The end result will be the really tough movie to pull off, especially in this day and age.

Ahhh, NOW I got it! He said it so nonchalantly that I was too distracted by the movie's pace to pay enough attention to his words! When I watch it again (this joint deserves a second viewing) I'll keep my ears peeled better!

 

[jomar]

The government agent (you know, the one from the agency with a really long name ). It wasn't a hint as much as a sledgehammer. When he said it, I was kicking myself for not catching it the first time when he introduced himself. Then again, you have to be a little bit of a comic book geek to get the reference. I explained it to my daughter, then tried to make her understand where this, and the Hulk are heading next (with the whole super soldier serum). The end result will be the really tough movie to pull off, especially in this day and age.

I figured it was the SHIELD dude. But it's been so long since I read the comics it went over my head until, well, you know. I think I even have an old Iron Man comic - I'll have to dig it out from hermetically sealed storage and see.

I agree it would be tough to pull off. But could be awesome if they get it right.

 

[kimbalee]

Okay, so I went with hubby to see it last night... thought it was awesome! I am not a comic book fan... have never even read one (please don't hurt me... lol) But... I thought it was excellent. RDJr really did carry the movie as well as he should have, and I was surprised at how fitting he made it seem to have him in this role. Hubby said as soon as the man said his title... "Hahahah! That's SHEILD" Of course, I didn't get it. lol

And since you mentioned to stay for the final credits... I told the family sitting beside me to stay, there is still more. They watched for a while, all went to pee, and still had not missed it before they came back. It was a damn long list of credits which seemed to take a freakin year and a half! Hubby was walking out of the theater saying, "That's not what he looked like in the comic books... yadda, yadda, yadda..." "Yes, dear, okay honey, I know... " I said. I had no idea about what he was talking about. Whatever... it was effing Great!

 

[jomar]

It was a damn long list of credits which seemed to take a freakin year and a half!

I think they padded the credits. I took FOREVER to get to the goodie.

 

[3113]

"That's not what he looked like in the comic books... yadda, yadda, yadda..." "Yes, dear, okay honey, I know... " I said. I had no idea about what he was talking about.

Tell him it IS what he looks like in the current "Ultimates" comic

I think they padded the credits. I took FOREVER to get to the goodie.

Agreed. Maybe they wanted to make sure that people could go out and pee and come back?

 

[rgraham666]

Just got back. It was fun. Downey is a damned good actor.

And Gwyneth Paltrow is delicious.

I enjoyed it a lot.

 

[Spawn_of_Cloudy]

They are already working a sequal sooo yeah. I wanna see this movie as well lol.

 

[Belegon]

... the exact opposite is true. A person in a costume of any sort, be it armor or a cape and tights, needs to be truly excellent and superior at his craft to pull it off.

A superior actor, who takes the role seriously and can make the audience believe in the character no matter what funny outfit that character puts on or what absurd powers or background they have, will carry the movie. An inferior actor, however otherwise popular in other television or action movies, who can't get the audience to believe in them, will cause the entire movie to crash.

The end result will be the really tough movie to pull off, especially in this day and age.

...and let's face it, the direction they are headed has an actor's part that is far too easy to have devolve into corn and cliche. If they cast it well, it will stir hearts and minds. If they do it poorly, it will drag everything else down.

 

[IrezumiKiss]

...and let's face it, the direction they are headed has an actor's part that is far too easy to have devolve into corn and cliche. If they cast it well, it will stir hearts and minds. If they do it poorly, it will drag everything else down.

It would more a little more than half on the director's moxie and ability. Ang Lee wasn't a great choice for the Hulk, but Jon Favreau was apparently the bee's knees for Iron Man. X-Men 3 coasted on the strength of its characters instead of Mc G's ham-fisted direction. All movies have great actors who are able, even though some are clearly better than others. I'll hold out for hope if Favreau takes the reins on the next joint.

 

[kimbalee]

Tell him it IS what he looks like in the current "Ultimates" comic

Will do. I don't think he has seen any comic books lately... actually I'm pretty sure he hasn't. How bout that... I can fill him in on something he's not aware of. Thanks for the info.

 

[Belegon]

It would more a little more than half on the director's moxie and ability. Ang Lee wasn't a great choice for the Hulk, but Jon Favreau was apparently the bee's knees for Iron Man. X-Men 3 coasted on the strength of its characters instead of Mc G's ham-fisted direction. All movies have great actors who are able, even though some are clearly better than others. I'll hold out for hope if Favreau takes the reins on the next joint.

It's gonna take a combination of multiple factors to pull off.

I went into Jackson's F.O.T.R. just hoping I wouldn't hate it, knowing that a poor casting for Gandalf or Aragorn would be damn near impossible to recover from, although my own feeling was that Peter Jackson was a perfect choice for director.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

...and let's face it, the direction they are headed has an actor's part that is far too easy to have devolve into corn and cliche. If they cast it well, it will stir hearts and minds. If they do it poorly, it will drag everything else down.

I have no idea where this is going. I never read Iron Man, Hulk or shield related comics...

 

[Belegon]

I have no idea where this is going. I never read Iron Man, Hulk or shield related comics...

I can't tell you without spoilers. If you are sure you want to know, PM me.

 

[3113]

I have no idea where this is going. I never read Iron Man, Hulk or shield related comics...

We're engaging in secret handshakes and codewords here. Don't worry. We just saved the planet from yet another alien invasion. All is well. Carry on, citizen.