Entertainment,
It’s as if Marvel is begging you to skip this one. Besides an end-credits cameo from Tony Stark, there’s nothing anchoring this movie in the MCU. In fact, Marvel execs recast this movie’s Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) with a palate cleanser (Mark Ruffalo) when it came time for The Avengers to assemble. Norton’s decidedly not the worst thing about The Incredible Hulk, just an unfortunate scapegoat in an effort to make audiences forget this movie’s existence.
Let’s get this out of the way. Iron Man 2 isn’t as good as the original. The novelty of a man flying in a metal suit is lost, the story flounders in the middle, and, for the first time, the audience gets a taste of MCU set dressing. However, Jon Favreau still knows how to make an entertaining film and, at its best, Iron Man 2 is still funny, exhilarating, and compelling. Also, it’s got a little ace in the hole known as Robert Downey, Jr.
That’s it for Phase One. But don’t worry, you don’t have to have Heimdall’s sight to know that Phase Two is coming soon. Until next time...Excelsior!
This post by my favorite guest author, Brian Bolt. Check out his April Cool Cat interview to get to know more (you know you want to).
MCU Primer: Phase One
Do you feel bad all over? Do aches and pains keep you from living the life you want? Do you habitually wake up in a cold sweat screaming, “Why Jimmy Olsen, Snyder?! Is nothing sacred?!”
You, my friend, could be in the unrelenting grip of that dastardly malady known as superhero fever, a plague prophesied to seize the nation in the two-thousand and sixteenth year of our Lord when there is more superpowered entertainment in multiplexes than ever before. So much so, that an implosion of the genre may be imminent…
Or you may just be recovering from a three hour bender known as Batman v. Superman. If that’s the case, shake off that lost weekend and get ready for the newest addition to a franchise actually concerned with telling stories, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (heretofore referred to as the MCU).
The following is an MCU primer to prep for Captain America: Civil War, which is shaping up to be another gold star in the Marvel catalogue. Think of it as a refresher course if you already know your Howling Commandos from your Warriors Three.
If you’re an MCU newbie, have no fear. This primer serves as your guide into the weird and wonderful world of all things Avengers-y. Let’s get started...
Iron Man (2008)
...with the man who’s responsible for the whole universe. That’s right, the billionaire playboy with a high-tech suit of armor, Tony Stark. If Iron Man hadn’t been such a hit, there’d be no Shane Black resurgence, no sexy Chris Pratt, and your Mom wouldn’t keep asking you who Loki is.
Without a doubt, the ingenious casting of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark is the secret ingredient to this film’s success. No one really expected the actor, who suffered from a dark past of substance abuse and addiction, to pull off a summer tentpole. The end result, though, is nothing short of alchemical.
Downey’s Tony Stark is selfish, peculiar, arrogant, neurotic, hedonistic, and, most importantly, intensely likeable. He’s the kind of guy you’d want to grab a drink with, if you were remotely capable of holding his attention over a drink.
But director Jon Favreau knows that it’s not enough for the audience to want to hang out with Tony. They have to care about him. As Iron Man unfolds, Tony goes on a journey of redemption, finding his moral center in a world wrought with greed and violence. A stellar supporting cast helps (Gyweneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges) but it’s Tony’s arc that makes the MCU’s first entry required viewing.
It’s clear, though, that the franchise is still finding its “voice”. There’ll be recasting and there’s more sex than Marvel’s brand usually allows. Overall, though, the film defines a tone that will lead the MCU to improbable staying power.
Lastly, the franchise has a habit of putting fun comedians in key roles. In honor of that tradition:
HEY, IT’S THAT RANDOM COMEDIAN: Talledega Nights’ Leslie Bibb, as a journalist who challenges Tony’s personal beliefs in Las Vegas only to wake up in his bed in Malibu the next morning. Keeping her source under wraps, indeed.
MCU VERDICT: Introduces the best character but is still Iron-ing out the details. A-.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
But let’s get down to the nitty gritty. This film is ostensibly about Bruce Banner searching for a cure for his big green illness, but, in point of fact, it’s about a film searching for a plot.
The biggest issue is that there’s not really a first act. In lieu of introducing principal characters and motivations, the movie gives you a title sequence that illustrates a failed gamma radiation experiment wherein Bruce acquires his verdant rage issues. This is probably because Ang Lee’s Hulk occurred five years prior and the creative team didn’t want to rehash a similar plot (it’s fun to remember the days when studios cared about stuff like that).
Instead, the film plops you in Rio where certified genius Bruce Banner works in a bottling factory (because why not?) and hides from US military. There’s no real character introduction, he’s just an anxious white guy in South America sticking out like a sore thumb..
I think it might be trying to be a Hitchcockian chase movie, which is a subgenre that could work pretty well in the superhero genre, but for that to succeed, you’d have to have three-dimensional characters. The Incredible Hulk does not.
It has characters who whisper a lot (Norton and Liv Tyler), characters who shout a lot (William Hurt and a woefully miscast Tim Blake Nelson), and characters who are completely CGI (whatever Tim Roth turns into in the third act). There’s no room for nuance here. The only actor actually turning in a performance is Roth and he’s not even present in the third act (because of the aforementioned CG abomination).
The Hulk effects in the movie are close to looking believable, but it’s clear that benchmark hasn’t been reached (audiences will have to wait four more years for a credible-looking Hulk). Mix that with an emotionless finale reminiscent of the recent Batman v. Superman and a “Fuck you, audience” final shot and you’ve got a deadly cocktail on your hands.
HEY, IT’S THAT RANDOM COMEDIAN: A pre-Modern Family Ty Burrell, who plays the guy who rats Bruce Banner out to the military. I look forward to the movie that lets Burrell show off his dramatic chops...this...this isn’t it.
MCU VERDICT: Displays a lack of narrative intelligence that makes me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry. D.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
After revealing himself to the world at the end of Iron Man’s first outing, Tony Stark finds himself in the public eye in a big way. Most people love him. Others, a rival weapons manufacturer, a Congressional committee, and a Russian weirdo with a thing for whips, aren’t so fond of the high-flying hero.
There’s a lot of external forces attacking Tony this time around but, on an internal level, he realizes that wearing the Iron Man suit is actually killing him. To be specific, the palladium core powering the arc reactor keeping him alive is killing him. Iron Man just happens to be hastening him to an early grave.
Tony Stark’s internal battles are innately more interesting than what’s happening around him, mostly because Downey is so good at the part. A sequence in the middle of the film where Tony creates a new element is probably my favorite part of the movie because the audience gets to spend time with its main character solving a problem without blasting anything.
If you think about the movie’s plot for too long, it feels scattered and a little directionless, but the experience of watching it is filled with individual delights. Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer is possibly the best comedic force in a Marvel movie ever. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is introduced in a clandestine, kick-ass way that cements her as an MCU staple. Iron Man even lounges in the big Randy’s Donuts doughnut and we get to hear Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury say, “Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to exit the doughnut.” Come on, that’s some good stuff!
HEY, IT’S THAT RANDOM COMEDIAN: Garry Shandling, as the eternally annoyed senator leading the charge against Tony Stark. It would’ve been a throwaway role if not put in Shandling’s smarmy hands.
MCU FINAL VERDICT: Not as well-oiled as the original but a helluva lotta fun. B-.
Thor (2011)
It’s apparent that things are gonna be different as soon as the first scene’s lower third appears: Tønsberg, Norway 965 AD. Yep, it’s that kind of movie.
Thor is the film where Marvel first let its freak flag fly. It tells the story of a vain, warmongering Asgardian royal (Chris Hemsworth) who is cast down to Earth by his disapproving father (Anthony Hopkins). What ensues is an entertaining tale of a living Viking legend learning to become a leader by having everything that makes him legendary stripped from him.
Oh, and there’s Frost Giants.
The narrative is equal parts Shakesperean epic and fish out of water comedy. Your appreciation for the movie will likely depend on your willingness to accept both parts of the equation. I, for one, think the film succeeds in both instances.
Kenneth Branagh is a good pick for director. He’s able to wring the most out of the stilted, Shakespearean dialogue with sweeping landscape shots and meaningful Dutch angles. There are no weak links in the cast (featuring Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Idris Elba) and two of the set pieces are pretty spectacular (the Frost Giant battle on Jotunheim and the bare-knuckles brawl in the SHIELD facility).
Chris Hemsworth makes Thor’s transformation from selfish to selfless believable and his relationship with Portman’s Jane Foster can be genuinely touching. On the Asgardian side of the story, Hiddleston’s Loki broods tragically but it’s not until he shows up again in The Avengers that we really get a true taste of his villainy.
HEY, IT’S THAT RANDOM COMEDIAN: Two Broke Girls’ Kat Dennings as an intern who’s a constant thorn in Jane Foster’s side. She’s vexing and troublesome as a character but her pronunciation of Thor’s mighty hammer Mjölnir (“Mew Mew”) will forever ingratiate her to me.
MCU FINAL VERDICT: A refreshing change of pace that knows how to lay the hammer down. B+.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Some movies have a lot to say about the here and now. Some movies are WWII action vehicles that are about fighting for freedom by any means necessary, by golly. Captain America: The First Avenger fits squarely in the latter category.
This movie tells the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who goes from being a scrawny back-alley punching bag to a courageous hero a country can rally behind. All it takes is a little faith from German scientist Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) and a few doses of “vita-rays” and Steve becomes a super-buff super-soldier.
It’s definitely the most engaging plot of the franchise so far and the first MCU film with a real villain, the ghoulishly sinister Red Skull (Hugo Weaving). There’s a decidedly un-Marvel-like montage in the middle of the film where Steve suffers from politicians using him as a dancing monkey to encourage war bond purchases (there’s even an Alan Menken number!). Later, there’s a perfectly Marvel-like montage where Captain America kicks ass with his Howling Commandos. Both are great but First Avenger nailing Steve’s emotional turmoil as honestly as its action set pieces is a welcome surprise.
Joe Johnston (of Rocketeer fame) crafts a tonally deliberate film that’s wholesome and old-fashioned at its core. The action is rah-rah patriotic and the villain twirls his mustache with the best of ‘em. The battleground is clearly demarcated in black and white, which makes it all the more compelling when Steve is thrust into shades of gray in future MCU installments.
HEY, IT’S THAT RANDOM COMEDIAN: No comedian this go round but watch out for a cameo from a pre-Game of Thrones Natalie Dormer as a blonde seductress who tries to steal a smooch from Steve.
MCU FINAL VERDICT: A rousing story that only gets better with age, just like Cap. A.
The Avengers (2012)
After four years of anticipation, it’s the main event...and it doesn’t disappoint.
That’s right, this time around writer/director Joss Whedon knows what he’s doing and he absolutely nails it. Tony Stark gets to be clever in a way that doesn’t totally feel like tossed off Downey improv. The Hulk looks cool (finally) and for the first time gets to smashy-smashy in a fun way. Thor gets to trade blows with his ne’er-do-well brother. Captain America gets to lead a team and learn that there’s no place like home (“I understood that reference”).
In short, it’s a gut punch of awesome. Whedon moves his superhero chess pieces around in an emotionally complex way and it’s easy to tell he’s having fun doing it. The intelligent and geographically cohesive climax serves as a masterclass for any big-budget filmmaker who wants to balance high-stakes and character dynamics. Pair that with a rich score by Alan Silvestri and it’s a perfect blockbuster, plain and simple.
By far the crown gem of the MCU gauntlet and the perfect way to end Phase One.
HEY, IT’S THAT RANDOM COMEDIAN: How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders as Nick Fury’s gal Friday, Maria Hill. She’s tough, she’s smart, but she should keep a closer watch on her Galaga-playing employees.
MCU FINAL VERDICT: A blockbuster masterpiece that’ll make your Joss drop (yeah, not my best). A+.
That’s it for Phase One. But don’t worry, you don’t have to have Heimdall’s sight to know that Phase Two is coming soon. Until next time...Excelsior!
 |
| Source |
This post by my favorite guest author, Brian Bolt. Check out his April Cool Cat interview to get to know more (you know you want to).
0 comments: