Avengers: Infinity War (2D / second-pass / Thematic Spoilers)
Cert: 12A / 149 mins / Dir. Joe Russo & Anthony Russo / Trailer
Well, this is awkward. My second-pass review of a movie (particularly one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe variety) is usually an opportunity for me to unpack the contents a little; to try and break down everything which overwhelmed me the first time I watched it; to begin to focus on the cool details without being pulled back into the overriding plot.
But I watched Avengers: Infinity War for the second time on Friday evening, and as I finally write this the following Wednesday I find I don't have too much to add to my initial reactions (hence the five-day procrastination). And it's not that the film bored me - far from it. I gave the Russos team-effort full marks the first time and I stand by that*1. If anything, I probably got slightly more from the second-pass as I was able to enjoy what foreshadowing the relentless pacing allows, running alongside some of our heroes as they hurtle unknowingly to their doom*2. But other than a couple of minor 'how did he get there?' plot-points, the writing and execution is tight enough that it appears I caught pretty much everything at the Midnight-screening. Which, with a character-list of this size, is a gold-plated compliment, not a criticism.
The directorial brothers are adept (and proven so) at handling the in-universe politics, mixed with frantic action and character-appropriate quippery. Luckily, our chief antagonist - the mighty Thanos - is given enough ponderous depth to just about paper over one of the most slapdash Evil Plans ever to grace a cinema screen*3, and he's certainly got more personality than is normally granted to someone of his narrative status.
Infinity War is a precision-engineered rollercoaster of a movie, where every nut, bolt and rail is exactly where it's needed. The film is outstanding.
It's just that… well, as much as I was looking forward to this, and as much as I absolutely loved it - I just wasn't Excited™ before I first watched Infinity War, and my faith in Marvel Studios is such that it didn't surpass my comfortably-high expectations. MCU flicks used to be event-movies. I still remember (precisely a decade ago) grinning like an idiot at the end of Iron Man, when Tony Stark returned to his apartment to find Nick Fury had let himself in, announcing the gameplan from that very first chapter. This was A Thing. Slowly, the pieces came together, and even though Avengers Assemble was little more than a two-hour fight scene, it felt like the culmination of everything we'd watched up to that point. An event.
And sure, Infinity War is the beginning of the payoff for the last ten years of interconnected adventures, and really feels like it. But the paint isn't dry on Black Panther yet, and before this movie has been out a week, Marvel are already starting the promo-push for this Summer's Ant-Man & The Wasp*4.
The bottom line is, when you're putting out three movies per year in the same series, that's not event-cinema, no matter how consistently high the quality (or perhaps because of that consistency). Gone are the days when we could pore at our leisure over each scene looking for Easter Eggs, safe in the knowledge that the DVD/Blu-ray would be out to help us before we could ramp up the excitement for the next chapter. And even if you're only particularly bothered about the MCU strain of superhero, it can still feel a little… well, relentless.
Can you have too much of a good thing? There's only one way to find out*5. The cinematic sausage-machine is now in full production mode, and Marvel sure hope you like sausages…
Well for the purposes of this question, the other MCU movies.
It is.
All of, yes.
Best is debatable, but this will be a high water-mark.
No, because you'll agree with me.
One of my esteemed colleagues tells me there could be one at the moment when Ebony Maw goes hull-diving. That's not a plot-spoiler, I haven't told you how get gets on. Future passes will confirm of course, but by all means post below if you heard it too.
*1 I know it's by no means unusual for me to award MCU flicks either a 6 or 7 out of 7, but still. Infinity War really is amazing stuff. [ BACK ]
*2 Because I've marked this review 'thematic' spoilers, I'm not going to name the casualties at this point. Needless to say, I did make a point of compiling a list, as much to see if there was any hidden meaning in their order of exit, as anything else. And you've got to feel sorry for poor old [REDACTED], who got to buy the farm twice… [ BACK ]
*3 I don't mean to be ungrateful - really I don't - because the last time we had a big purple Marvel villain trying to take out a huge cast of heroes, his only motivation was to smash shit up for the sake of it, and quite frankly it was boring as hell. But Thanos' plan of "bring balance by killing half the planet" stands up to precisely zero scrutiny. As greater minds than mine have pointed out, over-population isn't the root of the problem mate, that'd be the arseholes in charge. Especially if the killing is as random and indiscriminate as you're claiming. But hey, since when did a flawed supervillain have to have an un-flawed plan, right? We're not supposed to agree with him. I imagine this genius-scheme is what happens when you spend a lot of time sitting in a rock-throne on an asteroid with nothing but Jeremy Kyle and Homes Under The Hammer to watch. Although after that, killing half of humanity seems quite lenient, frankly… [ BACK ]
*4 Which, at the time of writing, is due to open in the US on July 6th, and in the UK on August the 3rd. A month later. The word on the street is that Marvel don't want to compete for viewings with the World Cup. Now, I understand that in the Venn Diagram of entertainment-pursuits, of course there will be some crossover between football and superhero movies, and lord knows that the recent entitled, tantrum-throwing to Star Wars releases have demonstrated that I'm not the petition-signing type. But this kind of bullshit can fuck right off. Either delay the movie globally or not at all, Marvel. And good luck trying to get the casual, less-disciplined audience into the cinema in August when the movie's already been on Sh*wbox for three weeks. Of course I'll be waiting for August, and of course I'll encourage everyone else to do the same. But do I support the month-long lag? Do I fuck.
And yeah, that's how annoyed I get when I have to think about The Sports... [ BACK ]
*5 And no, I'm not giving up on Marvel, and yes, I'll be seeing Infinity War again. But I'm probably going to let the dust settle for a week or two and see how it plays after that. [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Okay folks, first-pass rules apply. I'll be keeping this brief because a) it's late (actually early) and I have to be up in the morning but still want to commit my thoughts to the aether before grabbing not-enough-sleep, and b) as is so often the case with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this movie is far too much to take in on the first go; not least because Civil War is two and a half hours of superhero goodness with basically no downtime. Although this review is free of spoilers, it does assume you've watched the trailers and know at least who is going to be in the movie.
So, with Joe and Anthony Russo back on directing duty, it's safe to say that this is a spiritual successor to The Winter Soldier as well as a chronological one. Furrowed brows and earnest exhortations are the order of the day once more, and the occasional quips that surface through the script might ease the tension, but they certainly don't break it. The larger thread about the Infinity Stones takes a back seat as the world's governments become increasingly nervous as to the accountability of the Avengers. This film manages to be a direct sequel to both TWS and Age of Ultron at the same time. Steve Rogers' ongoing quest to redeem Bucky continues, but characters introduced in the last movie(s) also come into play. And there are also the new faces, of course.
Young Mr Parker makes his MCU debut here, and while his introduction feels a little offbeat, he soon fits in like a natural once things heat up. Of course the character is in very safe hands, and I'm feeling a lot more assured about his Homecoming standalone. We also meet T'Challa for the first time in Civil War, in a more subtle callback to Age of Ultron's Vibranium subplot. As his super-alter-ego isn't quite as mainstream as Parker's, T'Challa's backstory feels a little more crammed. He pans out well, and if the intention is to pique the audience's interest (rather than just not having enough time to get to know him), then it succeeds admirably.
On more familiar territory, it's great to see War Machine back in the thick of it, and Ant-Man is a welcome (if seriously under-used) inclusion. William Hurt's (ex-general, now Secretary of State) Thaddeus Ross makes a relatively low-key return, and a couple of 'slightly-more-incidental' players from Winter Soldier are given a bit more fleshing out. But if Civil War has a major stumbling block, it's just too many characters. In its defence, at least all those characters are pulling in the same direction, but this really feels like a cinematic geek soap-opera. Any viewers new to the franchise (and statistically, there will be some) will have no idea what's going on, such is the narrative price of entry.
One for the fans? Absolutely. But Civil War is a fantastic ongoing installment in its own right, rather than just an extended trailer for the next movie. The actions in this film have consequences which will be felt throughout the MCU, which is precisely how it should be...
The business-end:
• Is there a Wilhelm Scream? See below.
• Is there a Stan Lee cameo? Yes.
• Is there a mid-credits scene? Yes.
• Is there a post-credits scene?Yes.
…previous Captain America films?
For maximum effect, absolutely.
It does.
The Russo brothers can be proud, as can the expansive cast.
No, because I know that this won't be the carefree movie a lot of audiences want.
…I didn't hear one. Although sleep-deprivation could have been kicking in by that point. If you caught one in there, let me know.
Level 2: …I think this is the first MCU movie to not have a member of the Star Wars cast on-screen, somewhere. Plenty of behind-the-scenes folks, but let's level-2 it by going for Don Cheadle, reprising his role as War Machine here, and he turned up very recently in Miles Ahead alongside Ewan 'Kenobi' McGregor.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Much like any documentary worth its salt, a well-executed biopic will take a subject you don't really know and make it captivating (at least for the run-time of the film, but ideally afterward, too). Cue Mr Don Cheadle, the (co-)writer, director and (co-)producer of Miles Ahead*1, a fittingly meandering study of American jazz musician, Miles Davis. Usually, that many credits being assigned to one person in a production (especially the lead actor) would set critical alarm bells ringing, but Cheadle commits himself completely to the role in what I can only call a transformative performance (in fact I'd be genuinely amazed if he hasn't now got stage-3 lung cancer from the number of cigarettes he smoked throughout the course of making the movie. Do they have special fake-film-fags, or something? I do hope so).
The story follows Davis in a purposely fallow period, trying (with a shambolic journalist in-tow) to recover a privately made session-tape stolen from his house by the record-label anxious to milk the cash-cow of Miles' success. Quizzing by his new biographer leads to a series of reminiscences, showing us Davis' earlier successes and the events which lead up to his self-imposed exile.
Making full use of framing devices and flashbacks, the film flits effortlessly around like the narrative equivalent of the music which serves as the foundation, but for all its time-hopping, never loses sight of the story it's telling. The thing is, I don't really speak jazz*2, but the J-word is laid to rest fairly early in proceedings, being brushed aside as an unnecessary and restrictive label*3. Truth be told, this film is far more about Miles Davis the man than Miles Davis the musician, even though his work is never dismissed or relegated. In addition to the fantastic looking 1970s setting of the central storyline, the escalating flashback sequences have a grainy quality that sets them aside visually, and places them in a separate timeframe far better than the sets or costumes could.
Although his performance is the centrepiece of the film, Miles Ahead is Cheadle flexing his directorial muscles and showing us that he's actually more powerful on the other side of the camera. That may well be due to his familiarity and enthusiasm for the subject, but it goes to show what creative-vision can bring to 'true story' film-making. Away from the considerable glare of the title-role, Emayatzy Corinealdi puts in a respectable turn as Davis' wife Frances throughout their turbulent relationship, although there's the feeling that a very different (but equally engaging) film could easily be made out of that thread (using the same cast, of course). Meanwhile, Ewan McGregor is having fun as Rolling Stone journalist Dave, even if he's effectively just a comic-foil and exposition-drawer for the larger than life Miles. The music itself is also a cast-member in its own right, but like I said, I don't really speak jazz so I'll leave that side of the film to those that do.
The longer Miles Ahead runs (it's only 100 minutes, but an exhausting 100 minutes), the more apparent it becomes that this is a meticulously assembled film, and far more than the sum of its parts.
Well, it's got a sort of Inherent Vice vibe to it, a little.
For full effect, although you shouldn't lose too much by catching it at home. Be in the mood for it, though, it's not a film to doze through.
I think it does.
Everyone concerned can be very proud of this being on their CV.
Nope.
Nope.
Level 1: Obi-Wan Kenobi's in it.
*1 Although really, come on. "Miles Ahead"? I know that mirrors the name of one of his albums, but it sounds like the title of a Christmas-release celebrity hardback which will be available in The Works for £3, come March.
*2 Blues, yes; jazz, no. Suspect I fear the lack of boundaries, or some-such.
*3 But again, really, come on. That's like when metal bands sniffily try to disown the label of 'metal', despite playing to metal crowds in metal venues and knowing full well they'll never be found in HMV in anything other than the metal-section.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Iron Man 3 (2D) - Fifth-Pass / Spoilers Cert: 12A / 135 mins / Dir. Shane Black
I know what you're thinking, and part of you might be probably a little bit right, but I was there for the first screening of this at my local, and in the absence of anything else to watch I may as well be there for the last one, too.
The dust has settled, the film's been picked to bits, and it seems that Marvel/Disney have pulled a good one out of the bag. RDJ's current contract is done now, and it'll be interesting to see what occurs for Avengers 2 & 3 as the closing card of IM3 states simply 'Tony Stark Will Return', leaving us (me) to speculate what form this will take. Iron Man 4 looks like a no-go (which is fine by me; go out on a high), but we've got Cap and Thor sequels to take us towards Avengers 2, and it'll be interesting to see if young Mr Stark makes a cameo in those.
So, in closing, I didn't really get anything new out of my fifth watching of IM3, but it did reinforce something I've been thinking about for a while now. There's been some talk, both on and offline, comparing the third Iron Man film with the third Batman one. While there are very valid points to be made in this, it seems to skip over the central theme that separates the two heroes (and indeed, films). Iron Man isn't the same kind of hero as Batman, and isn't trying to be. Throughout Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Batman repeatedly puts over the point that the people of Gotham need a symbol. That symbol can be anyone; anyone who's prepared to commit himself to justice. It's the suit that's important, not the man. In order to effectively monitor Gotham, Bruce Wayne keeps his alternate identity a secret, knowing that the revelation will (and does) compromise his ability to function.
Tony Stark, on the other hand, outs himself as Iron Man at the end of his first movie. The problems that come his way are less to do with street-crime, and more to do with his past as an arms-dealer and Grade A Arsehole. Stark is the public face of the Avengers; you just can't keep that kind of ego down. It's the ego that gets him into trouble, and the ego that helps him out of it. In the third IM movie, when young Harley finds an intruder in his garage, and Stark shines the spotlight on the armour, the boy asks "…is that Iron Man?" to the reply "well no, technically I am". There are multiple characters who wear the suit (both Iron Man's and Iron Patriot's) in the final film, and on top of that there are a bunch of empty ones that show up for good measure. But they're not Iron Man. Tony's last words to the viewer (and/or listener, depending on how you want to look at it) as he drives away from the ruins of Stark Mansion are that you can take away the house, the gadgets and even the suits; "But there's one thing you can't take away… I am Iron Man."
Whereas in TDKR, Bane orchestrates the destruction of Wayne's personal and financial empire, breaks his back and leaves him in a Middle-Eastern jail to rot; Tony Stark's major stumbling block isn't having his mansion destroyed, it's a series of panic-attacks. It's the one entirely personal obstacle he has which wasn't placed in front of him by the Ten Rings organisation, the one which only he can fix, and the one which isn't really fixed by the end of the film (because Tom Conti punching you in the spine doesn't really work for anxiety issues).
I'm not saying one character's better or worse than the other, just that their motivations are too differing to compare directly.
There's no doubt about it: Batman is a hero. But Iron Man is a super-hero.
Bring on Thor.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Iron Man 3 (2D) - Fourth-Pass / Heavy Spoilers Cert: 12A / 135 mins / Dir. Shane Black
Here is an exclusive transcript of an extended/deleted scene which will feature on the BluRay release of Iron Man Three…
Int. Stark Enterprises. Day.
PEPPER POTTS and ALDRIDGE KILLIAN are seated in a plush business office, having an informal meeting.
Potts: Right, first question - Why was I so goggly-eyed and taken aback when I saw you just there?
Killian: Erm, because I'm a super-smooth playboy now, and not the awkward nerd you remember?
Potts: Well, you're super-smooth to the point where you're wearing a blue checked suit, a red patterned tie, brown loafers and no socks. What fucking school of cool did you enroll in? I notice you haven't fixed the part of your brain that governs fashion sense?
Killian: Wow. Start strong, eh?
Potts: Trust me, in five minutes you'll be looking back at the sartorial critique with a sense of warm nostalgia.
Killian: Oh, good.
Potts: Right. Anyway. Second question - You're telling me Killian, that in the third film in the series, a nerdy, narcissistic scientist is going to come to me, the CEO of an international tech giant, and ask for funding and development of a project which re-writes/enhances human DNA by means of an empty socket in the brain, and I'm obviously going to turn you down on general principle in a move that will come back to bite me on the arse in the second or third act?
Killian: ...yes..?
Potts: Right. And you're hoping that throughout this scene, not one person - not one - is going to say aloud in the cinema "Oh what, like in Batman Forever, you mean?"
Killian: ...also yes?
Potts: I don't think evoking the spirit of Jim Carrey in green lycra is going to work for you, Killian.
Killian: Piss off, you thought Batman Forever was cool!
Potts: In 1996, Killian. Around the same time I thought Kula Shaker were cool.
Killian: You're such a hipster.
Potts: Says the guy wearing a check-suit and no socks.
Killian: Look, can we get back to why I'm here please?
Potts: Oh what, your big brain?
Killian: My big brain.
Potts: Right. Big brain. Go.
Killian: ...so, if you look at the hole in my big brain here, you can clearly see that it's a sign that we're designed to be upgraded!
Potts: Hmmm. Surely the implication, even at this early stage of the film, is that you've undergone 'the upgrade' yourself? I mean, I know we won't know for sure until the third act, but it's kind of a foregone conclusion, isn't it?
Killian: Erm, possibly. What's your point?
Potts: Well, why is there a hole in your big brain then? If that's the socket for the upgrade, and this is a live-feed, does that mean you're not all badass super-strong yet?
Killian: Be fair, Pepper, I haven't mentioned anybody being badass yet. All I said is that the DNA can be re-coded to repair itself, it was you who instantly thought it could be weaponisable.
Potts: True, this is what comes from dating an arms-dealer, I suppose.
Killian: So, no. There's definitely no way that the technology I'm working on to regrow lost limbs could be-
Potts: Oh, is that what it's for?
Killian: Yes, sorry, didn't I say?
Potts: No, you didn't. Although to be fair, you didn't get very far with what it's actually for, before I assumed it was weaponisable and was about to throw you out.
Killian: That bit with the plant that Maya was working on earlier? That's what that was hinting at. Although the limb thing won't come into play until later when Tony's snooping around my files.
Potts: Okay. Still, it's a bit... Lizardy, isn't it? Regrowing lost limbs?
Killian: ...Lizardy?
Potts: Erm, yeah. Like in last year's Spider-Man film.
Killian: You've got a point, there. That's two 'references' to other superhero films and we're not even past the first act, yet. It's probably best if I don't really mention the limb-thing, and just concentrate on the Extremis glowy-hot human-weapon thing.
Potts: ..the what?
Killian: Well, you're right. Obviously. Of course it's weaponisable. This shit makes people go all glowy-red-hot and super-strong. And turns them into evil-henchpeople. Obviously.
Potts: Ah, speaking of that, I read ahead in the script and I've got a third question.
Killian: Go for it…
Potts: How come when you're prising Rhodes out of the War Machine armour (call it by its name), and you go all super-shit-hot and breathe fire etc, but your shirt doesn't catch fire?
Killian: Probably the same reason your sports-bra doesn't burn when you fall into the fire later on?
Potts: Whoa! SPOILERS! I hadn't got that far into the script! I fall into a fucking fire??
Killian: Oh, don't worry about it, you've got super-shit-hot-Extremis powers by that point, so you and your sports-bra just climb out.
Potts: Super powers? Ooh, does this set me up for an action role in Avengers 2? Ni-i-i-ice!
Killian: Nah, you get 'fixed' in one very short voice-over line at the end.
Potts: Bunch of arse.
Killian: Hey, at least you're still around…
Potts: True… but y'know, your fate as antagonist is more or less a straight line. We all know how that'll end.
Killian: I've gotta try, I've gotta try…
Potts: What's more worrying is that you somehow believe that even with all this, Yen over at WorldofBlackout will still give the film full marks.
Killian: Oh, trust me, he's sold. He loves it because of its faults, not in spite of them.
Potts: Well, yes, let's not forget he enjoyed Prometheus... Listen, we should get back on script.
Killian: Yeah. So. 'Extremis'. You're in?
Potts: No, I'm not in. I'm Doubting Wayne, remember?
Killian: Balls. I'm off then. I'll see you later at the hotel when I've snapped that hapless waiter's neck for no reason, okay?
Potts: Wait, wha?
Killian: BYE!
FADE OUT
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Iron Man 3 (3D) - Third-Pass / Spoiler-Free Cert: 12A / 135 mins / Dir. Shane Black
Oh, hello there. I've been to see Iron Man 3 again, and while I do have some thoughts I want to expand on, I need to do a bit of background/context reading first. If it's words you're after, you can read my first (spoiler-free) review here, and my second (mildly spoilery) review here.
Meanwhile, as is par for the course, I've made you some pictures (click for big, opens in new window).
Hey, don't even mention it.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Iron Man 3 (2D) - Second-Pass / Contains Spoilers Cert: 12A / 135 mins / Dir. Shane Black
Now that I'm recovered from the midnight showing of Iron Man 3 (and have had an actual night's sleep in between), I can sit back, watch it again, and take in more detail. Well, certainly make more sense of the plot anyway…
Not withstanding the slight red-herrings in the above (ie who's in which suit at any given moment), and the massive red-herring (ie the true nature of the Mandarin threat), there are still a lot of lines which never made it into the movie;
• My name's Tony Stark, I build cool stuff… • You elected me on a single platform… • You don't know who I am…*1 • Today is the first day of what's left of your life. • Do you want an empty life, or a meaningful death? • …Here's my boys
None of these are in the cut I watched. I'm used to one or two lines, but six? Some of them point towards a film more centered around The Mandarin, and I can certainly understand the people grumbling on the message boards about how his character was treated. Personally I loved what they did with him, even if the Extremis thread could have been handled better, and it's worth remembering Extremis doesn't even get a mention, visually or verbally, before you sit down to watch IM3.
So, ^that^ trailer: not overly representative of the actual plot, but it captures the feel perfectly.
Iron Man 3 certainly engaged and entertained me for its entire run-time, although it was easier to enjoy the second time around, when I could see past the bluster and concentrate more on what was going on. Speaking of which...
If what it sets out to do is conclude the Iron Man trilogy while keeping the focus firmly on Tony Stark, then yes. If there's meant to be a clear agenda for The Mandarin which sets out his motivations, methodology and goals, then no. Even discounting the lines from the trailer which don't arrive in the cinema, it certainly feels like there's a whole backstory which has been cut to stop this being a three-hour film. The threading of the Ten Rings group throughout the movies seems shamefully overlooked, and instead of being an anchor which pulls the trilogy to a close, it's treated like an Easter-Egg for the hardcore fans to grin over. Elsewhere, Extremis is handled in the same manner, as if it had already been explained in a previous movie and here we were just seeing it being used.
But, as I said, in terms of rounding out Stark's personal story and setting it up for the evolution of the Iron Man character, it's damn near perfect. And since Stark's always been the most likeable thing about these films, that's what's important, right?
If you're a fan, you'll want to see it as soon as possible so cinema, obviously. It'll be just as much fun on DVD or BluRay, but it definitely feels like a cinema-film. The 3D is fairly well applied with no ghosting etc, and it is there, but didn't add a lot for me (confirmed by a second viewing in 2D). As with Avengers, there's already too much happening for the third dimension to make much difference.
If you don't like this film, you have no soul and are dead to me. Now get out of my house.
As if you have to ask that...
I initially said no, but this time around I could have sworn I heard one very low in the mix. In the final confrontation between Stark and The Mandarin, when Jarvis tells Tony that the Mark 42 suit is incoming, there could be one when that suit bites the dust. Although I may just be wishing that.
*1 This one is especially misleading. The recurring catchphrase, theme, and indeed the clue laid down for Stark to follow is the words "You know who I am". If anything, this trailer actually makes less sense after watching the film.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
