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Herc Finds IRON MAN Highly Magnetic, And Offers 10 Reasons Others May Too!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
1) If you liked the original “RoboCop,” you’ll like “Iron Man.” Tony Stark, transformed into cyborg, makes lots of cool noise with every footfall, and dispatches his enemies with the kind of ruthless pragmatism I gleefully associate with steely law enforcement official Alex Murphy.
2) If you liked “Rocketeer,” you’ll probably love “Iron Man.” The new movie gets everything right the 1991 Disney actioner got wrong, with a more complex protagonist, a more grown-up grade of comedy and a greater emphasis on the messy, misfiring process of invention.
3) If you liked that scene with Bruce Wayne frolicking in the fountain in “Batman Begins,” you’re certain to love “Iron Man.” Tony Stark’s bad-boy behavior, bred from a lifetime of swimming in limitless cash, is hilarious. Adding to the fun is the fact that Stark’s outrageousness, unlike Wayne’s, is no act.
4) If you liked “Swingers,” you’ll like “Iron Man.” At junctures Stark puts one in the mind of an overfunded Vince Vaughn (who I think would also be great as Stark – if perhaps not as great as Robert Downey Jr.). “Iron Man” has the snappiest dialogue one could hope for in a superhero movie and represents for my money director Jon Favreau’s best work to date.
5) If you liked Peter Venkman in “Ghostbusters,” you’ll like “Iron Man.” There’s a load of channeled Bill Murray in the zillionaire genius’ wary and fluid outside-the-box wit.
6) If you liked “Less Than Zero,” you’ll like “Iron Man.” Downey continues to demonstrate his faculty for finding funny in conspicuous consumption, and “Iron Man” is my favorite movie on Downey’s four-decade resume, bar none.
7) Lanky Gwyneth Paltrow, who totters around on very tall shoes as Stark’s favorite employee, is one sexy wench. Leslie Bibb, as a fabulous and fabulously pissy news-hen, is nothing to sneeze at either.
8) Jeff Bridges, typically charismatic and likeable, turns out to be a superb choice as Stark’s bald, bearded partner Obadiah. Terrence Howard (the fellow whose woman was molested in “Crash”) is off-the-charts great as Stark’s best pal.
9) I harbor special love for the take-charge SHIELD agent played by Clark Gregg (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”), whose government experience extends to the recurring FBI-agent role he assayed during “The West Wing’s” Sorkin years. I’m hopeful we’ll see a lot more of him in what I’m sure will be a very long line of sequels and spin-offs.
10) If you liked “Spider-Man 2” and “X-Men,” I have every confidence you'll like “Iron Man.” There’s a reason so many are so keen to weigh in on the project via AICN; this is probably one of the three best superhero movies ever.
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Dave Letterman would be proud.
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can't wait to see it :)
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I did it it,after ten years!
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Ten years down the drain....fuck me.
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it will open big, but drop considerable,maybe will make the same amount as superman returns or X3
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... but, it's worth remembering most of the reviewers on this site said TINO was good, and look how that turned out. In fact Harry was the only one who was actually honest about what a let down TINO was.
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Really would have sold me with 11 reasons.
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We've been waiting for months! In all seriousness, though, Herc - just because everyone writes about the movie and weighs in on it, doesn't mean it's the best movie ever. I'm pretty sure everyone weighed in on the sack of shit known as Spider Man 3. I'm sure this is great, but I'm sick of people saying "this will be a great franchise." They said that about Spidey and X-Men, and look how THOSE turned out. Franchises = rarely work.
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Geez....I wonder what happen when Indy comes to play
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Oh c'mon...you were all thinking it....I just said it.
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that's pretty much par for the course for any big movie these days. when's the last time a movie has been #1 for more than 1 week at the box office?
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Murphy.
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That's a really good point. After a quick review I honestly can't think of one franchise (especially action film franchises) that haven't shit the bed at least once during their run. Die Hard - Die Hard 4 Spider Man - Spider Man 3 Alien - Everything after 'Aliens' X-Men - X-Men 3 Rambo - Rambo 3 Honestly, can anyone out there name a completely solid film franchise outside of the Police Academy films? (Also - The Godfather doesn't count because The Godfather 3 sucked, and you all know it).
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I don't get all the bitching about so many of the staff writing reviews for this movie. Iron Man is a big summer blockbuster and it's good to see all the enthusiastic reviews.
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1) I personally do NOT group Spiderman 2 into the class of "all-time best" superhero films. For my money, it had a lot of cheesy cinematography (close-ups of screaming women like some b horror movie) and I HATED the fact that they gave him Superman strength (able to stop a train), but somehow he couldn't knock out Doc Oc, who was just a regular guy. Sorry, I don't like such sloppy storytelling.
(2) While I think Iron Man is going to be VERY good, I don't think it's going to have anywhere near the box office draw of The Dark Knight (which I think will also be the superior movie). Basically, I think the "I am Iron Man" advertising campaign is going to keep away mainstream audiences that might otherwise like it, but will instead lable it too schlocky. I think that this advertising campaign, while pleasing to die-hard fans, was a serious missfire. The fan base isn't there to drive this to Spiderman dollars; only a mainstream audience will do that and I think it's off their radar. Batman, Indiana Jones, and Wall-E will get the lion's share of this summer's money. -
Fr shzzl
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Agreed. Looks like I 'shit the bed' with that major oversight. Is that the exception to the rule though? Can't think of other series' that I've thought was overall very sold.
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but it's damn fine.
There were maybe 3 points where I thought "Now that's stupid. Should have been cut."
And the ending does let it down.
But honestly, I'd put it up there with XMen or Spiderman as a super intro to the character, and a great start to the franchise. -
That was pretty solid all the way through, even though no one wore a metal suit.
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Lethal Weapon...I liked them from beginning to end. They didn't tread the same ground and they gave a good story arc that covered the themes of friendship and aging. I thought they were very well done.
I also disagree with the Die Hard movies going bad...I just think they got more and more over-the-top, but still kept a similar tone (it's a necessary evil that action movies have to keep one-upping themselves).
And last, but not least, The first three Indiana Jones movies were excellent (and hopefully the 4th will be as well). -
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Gack!
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easy, last month.. 21 has been the only movie this year (so far) that reached number 1 twice... i saw iron man twice last night, and although it got better for me on second viewing, it still has some flaws, like pretty much the climatic sequence, it is not very involvng nor inspired....but Robert Downy Jr does a great job as iron man
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If you like "24," you'll like "Iron Man." Tony Stark knows how to deal with enemies.
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http://eattheblinds.blogspot.com/2008/05/final-countdown.html
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http://tinyurl.com/3u9but...listen to the clueless crowd scream "focus"...joker is andy kaufman reincarnated
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Does Tony go around screaming "Dammit" everywhere too? And is he out of breath even when he's relaxed?
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Never heard of it.
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How is it that even Jaws get's laid at the end of that one... and Laser Beams? Pretty straightforward reaction to Star Wars. Yes yes, I'll suspend disbelief... but laser beams...
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I guess at this point Might Joe Hallenbeck is the only one left who hasn't reviewed it. I went to the Chicago screening and loved the movie but this is getting to be absurd. How many movies go by each week without a review and we get 20 or so Iron Man reviews? Time to diversify a little guys.
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Save some of that for Indiana Jones, the real movie of the summer.
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what are you, a fucking dork site that reviews dork movies?for all the assholes bitching:a) i can't wait for you to see it and flip your shit.b) i want AICN to NOT review The Dark Knight and listen as your collective heads explode across the nation.
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since universal wont shell out the same amount of cash that paramount clearly did, then INCREDIBLE HULK will get the worst reviews by the same people that have "glowing" reviews for iron man
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...then you're touched in the head.
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May 01, 2008 4:10:17 PM CDT
"...probably one of the three best superhero movies ever."
by -guyinthebackrow
Okay. I'll bite. If this is the third best superhero movie ever which two go before it?
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BGDAWES -- At first, the only one I could legitimately say "Okay, great franchise" was Star Wars. Sure people said ROTJ wasn't as good, but it was still a GREAT and climactic end to the trilogy. However, George Lucas, being a firm believer in Murphy's Law, decided to make Episodes 1-3 and it is even arguable that all THREE of them shit the bed. Gatsby - This is just a hunch, but are you a legitimate high schooler who just read The Great Gatsby and felt that you really understood the symbolism, which makes you feel like you have a fine and educated appreciation for literature and all things cinematic and plot-driven in nature? Because I feel that is where your user ID truly spawns from. And don't feel isolated because I'm calling you at. Half of these talkbackers started out that way. I'm one of them, and I have the English degree to prove it.
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I thought all three were great, long, drawn-out ending aside.
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I think all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies were on par with each other. People overrated the first one and underrated the sequels. They were all equally "pretty good".
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All great. Perhaps the worst one is the first.
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PotC sequels weren't pretty good either.
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Does anyone remember that old TV show "8 is Enough"?
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i'm a corporate desk type who loves Gross Pointe Blank, in which there is a diner scene where one of the specials of the day is the Gatsby's West Egg Omlet. "Also we have the I Left My Heart In SanFran Cheesy."i haven't read the book in years, and i remember his outlook on life being a bit odd. re-doing life or something like that. but i digress...IRON MAN!
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Indy looks awful. sorry to say, dude.and if folks get tired of reading reviews of the same film, then stop reading them. i don't get it.but i guess people need to bitch about something, and the BAD CGI HULK thread died down.
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I'm jazzed to see Indiana Jones... I just have a feeling I'm not gonna dig it as much as I would have if it came out 10 years ago. I'm more excited to see Iron Man and Wanted and Wall-E (of all fucking things) and Edward Norton's Hulk. I'm sure to see I.J., but I'm ready to be disappointed. I hope I eat some crow... I really do.
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Dear God. Did you say you're more exited for Wanted than Indiana Jones? It must have been a typo.
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the AICN crew thinks Iron Man is a good movie? From reading the reviews, I think you guys haven't been clear enough. Please elaborate.
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Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon, LOTR, 1st Star Wars trilogy, The Matrix, Die Hard. The best superhero movies...(1) Batman Begins, (2) X2, (3) Spiderman (4) X-Men (5) Batman (Tim Burton version) (6) Spiderman 2 (7) X3 (8) Superman 2, (9) Superman Returns, (10) Spiderman 3
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Every time I read a review on this site for Iron Man I get this sinking feeling inside. Just when I'm getting excited to see a film reading one of these ridiculously glowing reviews I then read a comment like "it gets everything right that The Rocketeer" got wrong or stuff like "its up there with the best comic book movies ever made...Spiderman 2 and X-Men. First off I doubt very highly that Favreu can even come close to the satiric brilliance that Verhoeven achieved with Robocop. Second, The Rocketeer is one of the best live action movies Touchstone ever released and the best film Joe Johnston will probably ever make. And third, Spiderman 2 is godawful and one of the worst comic book movies ever made. The best comic book movies ever made are Batman Begins and the original theatrical version of Richard Lester's Superman 2...Period. Those two films will only to be bested I predict by Dark Knight. The best non-comic book superhero film is The Incredibles. All this hype around Iron Man is just that...Hype. I'll try and keep an open mind but the more i am hearing about the film it sounds like its going to have a great performance by Downey and the rest of the flick will be a dissapoinment. I hope I'm wrong but all these positive reviews honestly aren't making much sense and every time they compare it to other movies they backfire.
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But of course I liked 24 back when it was about complex character interactions, thrilling twists and impeccable writing - not when it was about 'gittin dem Ay-rab terrurists'.
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i thought his ass was stuck firmly to his couch, breathesly waiting the next reality pos that the suits were trugding out...how much is aicn getting paid to pimp iron man?
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Hey Matt73 you cowardly little fucking pissant. I hope this message gets backs to you. This is Blackcobra you fucking bitch. You fucking forum sucks, you run the shit like a concentration camp, especially when people like me use facts to prove what a worthless and opinionated asshole you really are. And one more thing, Fuck Ron Paul, and your dreams of the master race you fuckhead.
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but accidently shredded the one that had five more on it.
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-You will hate the last act of Iron Man. Other than that its still a fun ride.
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Agree with the Dollars trilogy but hesitantly disagree with Dirty Harry, once Clint starting banging Sandra Locke and would cast her in every film he made the series lost it's balls too (for me anyway); everything aside from the quote 'Go ahead, make my day' was not as memorable to me as the first three films. I disagree with Planet of the Apes as well. The later films in that series started to get just plain silly. Also, one franchise I forgot that IS a classic - The Evil Dead series. Those are great films. I'm sure there are others too that I'll think of and then post.
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Why hasn't AICN reported anything on this story?
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/080501i.php
I'm stoked to see Lovely Bones because Heavenly Creatures is one of my favorite films of all time. Didn't like the last two LOTR films. Not a fan of the King Kong remake either...But Jacksons earlier films (Creatures, Frighteners, Feebles and Dead Live) are mad works of genius. I can't wait for Lovely Bones. Why not talk about that instead of all this goo-gaaing over Iron Man! -
You'll love "Herc Finds IRON MAN Highly Magnetic, And Offers 10 Reasons Others May Too!!"
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Yeah, that is interesting. Jackson always seems to be butting heads with somebody. I agree that we need something besides Iron Man, Hulk and TDK. "The Lovely Bones" coverage may be pretty cool. Hey, are you guys listening? Don't let Dark Horizons whoop your ass!
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Dark Horizons does have a lot of cool news on it. It's funny that we get 8 reviews of Iron Man here, and not one mention of Nick Fury's "Iron Man" cameo. That's a cryin' shame.
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=rqaQgLc0vKE
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I thought Jackson delivered a on the LOTR trilogy (meaning I thought it was surprisingly good). But I also was bored and wanted to walkout through King Kong.
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A reviewer can now say 'this is probably one of the three best superhero movies ever.' and not be laughed at.
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Fuck yeah Man, Thanks! Now if you can tell me were to find the rest, I'll be in your debt.
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Apparently, no one else caught that. I think that's funny.
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And if by the end of this movie you don't want to reach out, grab Gwyneth Paltrow and roger her silly for the next two weeks non-stop then stop your internal dialogue and except the fact that your gay. And do stay till the end of the credits... you'll be glad you did!
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So how about it? Have anything to share?
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Just wondering if anybody knows how many for guessing B.o.
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...AND he comes here for "intelligent debates."
That's awesome! -
Like the subject line.
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...just check out my earlier post.
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While FOTR is great and the Extended Edition of TT is a masterpiece, ROTK drove me nuts. That got so much wrong it's fucking ridiculous.
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since it openned yesterday here (Brazil), and tough it is indeed pretty cool, I have to say: one of the best three superhero movies of all times? C'mon, people! Repeat after me:
Superman, the Movie
Batman Begins
Dr. Strange (yeah, you heard me right)
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Period. End of sentence. End of paragraph. End of post.
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I must have missed that.
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I haven't heard word one about it.
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I don't disagree with you. It is all about taste. I saw Ladyhawk again about 8 months ago, and it didn't taste so good. But that's just me. I just thought it silly to rage feverishly against LOTR (which I thought was brilliantly crafted) while listing Ladyhawk (which was unintentionally humorous in its cheesy glory) in a short list of good fantasy films. But again, I agree with you that it all depends on your taste.
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I believe it was in the 1970s, and it had that "direct to television" feel, probably because it was a pilot (I think).
Yeah. It sucked. -
Oh the IRONY...
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at the end of the credits.....FUCKING SWEEEET!!
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cool
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So Iron Man is in the line-up. And Captain America, I assume. Then probably Ant-Man. Also Thor (though how they'll work that, who knows). Hulk will probably be in it, and it would be great if Hulk was the reason for the Avengers creation: to stop him, but Hulk comes into the fold to fight a greater evil (Skrulls? Kang the Conqueror? Ultron? or my vote: High Evolutionary).
Then they will possibly have Hawkeye and Black Widow. Black Panther maybe? I dunno. Power Man would be better. Cage is badass. The problem with the Avengers is the line-up has gone through so many iterations over the years...the only two I really associate with them are Cap and Iron Man. For the rest you could take your pick. She Hulk, Starfox, Ms. Marvel, Tigra, Beast, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Wasp, Black Knight, Quicksilver. -
Just returned from the movie. It was pretty damned good. The Dark Knight trailer got a better pop up until after the credits. That got fanboys screaming.
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Not only a Batman preview but a Hulk and Indiana Jones prviews also. At least from my theater.
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Ok - short and simple. Iron Man was VERY good. Favreau and Downey are a perfect match but didn't leave much for Howard, Bridges or Paltrow - who is perfect in the comic book "female sidekick" role. I must say, contrary to a few posts above, I found her incredibly sexy in the role.
Now the reality - the last 20 minutes was pretty much by the numbers and much like I Am Legend, the images from the Dark Knight trailer that preceded Iron Man were better than all of Iron Man. Can't wait to see the whole thing. For now, enjoy Iron Man - I predict HUGE weekend box office numbers. -
Saw it tonight, loved every goddamn second, I've been waiting over a year for this, it was hyped to the heavens in my mind and it met if not exceeded my expectations, loved it, best time I've had at the movies in a long long time, go see it!
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The Dark Knight trailer was good but it was not better than this movie. This flick kicked all sorts of butt and took names.
I'm as nostalgic as the next guy about some of the other great super hero flicks but after the first viewing I will not be surprised if I wind up considering this my favorite.
EVERYTHING about it is perfect.
I even dig on Paltrow now for the first time in my life.
Baaaaaaaaaah!!!! -
I need it! Herc, get her to unretire again! Who retires from internet reviewing anyway?
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It rawked.
Proof you can please the fans and the herd with just a little effort. -
Men In Black, X-Men 2, Iron Man
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just saw the full length trailer . . . it's lookin pretty good
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Go figure.
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If you liked Transformers' CG, You'll like the more advanced CG of IronMan, that lets so many people forget it actually is CG.
Argh, well, gotta have to watch it too, next week. Until then, I'm keeping myself from youtube-searching for Ironman, as i happened to get the End of Transformers, called simply "Transformers 2", where i thought, it might be something about the 2nd Movie. -
I just go back from seeing it. It lives up to the hype. I can't believe it managed to, but it did. Just go see it.
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I enjoyed this film very much. Downey owned the role. The acting was good and the movie was fun. But best of all time? No. Better than Batman Begins? No. Biggest movie of the summer? Nah. It will make money opening weekend and make its money back, but there was more enthusiasm in the theater for The Dark Knight trailer than there was for the entire film. The theater was 75% full and people were not really responding well. And it was an 8pm showing. I think people expected more. I know I did. For all Iron Man got right, there was a disconnect I couldnt quite figure out. Maybe it was how formulaic the story was. But again the good acting makes you overlook things. I was left expecting more. And at an 180 million price tag, the movie should have been able to own our asses. But I didn't leave the theater as excited as I should have been. And I am mad I waited till those long credits just to see Sam Jackson's overexposed ass as Fury. I stayed away from spoilers and reviews to be fresh, but I guess I got a different experience out of this movie than most did. And man, the hyperbole on here is in overdrive.
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Iron Man was a lot of fun. Definitely a fanboy crowd-pleaser. It was pretty much what I expected. Well-made, solid action flick. A great jump off point for the summer season, no doubt. Not disappointing at all, but my oh my, is the true spectacle yet to be seen. I agree with dvdbob, actually. The best part of the evening for me, on level with the postscript, was the trailer for The Dark Knight. The final shot especially. Somehow the Indy trailer didn't grab me, the volume was a little low in the theater (no thanks to the shitty management at River East - crank that shit up!). I gave it a "Yeah" as it started up, and I am still looking forward to it. 20 years - that's just plain eventful. Indy may walk away with Most Eventful. Dark Knight - Most Spectacular. Iron Man - Most Fun (Hulk will be on par with Iron Man). An Avengers movie? That will be eventful. Spectacular? It damn well better be.
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I just saw it and it was good, but not as great as many reviews on this site have made it out to be. It can go both ways, you can overhype a film saying it is better than it really is, and on the other extreme, you can bash a movie like these idiotic criticisms of LOTR that do not make sense. The thing about LOTR , what makes the films great is ultimately the story, and much credit goes to Tolkien himself. PJ deserves much credit as well, of course, but while changes are necessary, I didn't agree with a lot of his choices, especially in TTT. PJ also does not direct action very well, every frame is beautiful, but the great story behind the action is what provided the drama, and what was moving about the film, along with the performances to make great characters come alive. But the success of LOTR had much to do with telling a great story, and what great stories have in common is their climaxes and endings don't disappoint, there is true progress because there is a true satiffying ending. Iron Man failed this test. Great opening and build up, but to what? The ending I think still left some revising in the script to be desired. And the score is practically a non-factor, and is supposed to be a key element. Iron Man had some good acting, drama that works early in the film, but it digresses into just another entertaining film, pretty good, but not great.
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Can't seen how anyone could badmouth it if you enjoy these types of movies. What other superhero franchises were reviewed that well? Granted, when you look at the reviews, many are grudingly good w/ most citing Downey as the difference.
Speaking of Iron Man, I collected the comics in the mid 80s. I always remember when his suit malfunctions and he blasts some head of state through the chest with his beam. I'd love to see them do something like that, tied to the whole alcoholism thing...like he fucked up QC because he's on the sauce and blows a whole through Bush. -
Pretty much in agreement with you all the way. I enjoyed the postscript; I wasn't peeing my pants about it like some guys were stating as I walked out of the theater. That last shot of the Dark Knight trailer though, that's the image that's stuck in my head from tonight.
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Hasn't RDJ only been making movies since the early '80s? Wouldn't that be closer to 30 years than 40?
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I just came on to AICN just now to see reactions and man were they so wildly over the top with their praise that I felt as if I saw another film entirely. The movie is good, but let's not go crazy. Its in no way an instant classic. Its a typical action film with A list actors instead of Jessica Alba. They make up the difference here. And its funny how the same people who praised the shit out of Iron Man and defended it as "good fun at the movies" and are telling anyone who disagrees to "lighten up" are the same people who trash other mainstream action films that are either on par with Iron Man or even offered more action. Hopefully part 2 will be better, but I gotta say the trailer for TDK got the biggest response of the night. And that's troubling when a trailer eclipses a 2 hour film.
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It does not suck. And yes, the casting is as good as everybody says it is. Terrence Howard - there are no words. The guy rules in this movie.
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Finally! An Ironman review! I couldn't find one anywhere on this website.
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Anyone find a working video of Samuel L. Jackson's cameo at the end? Everyone in my theater was screaming so loudly that nothing at the beginning could be discerned.
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uh-oh. I knew Favreau should've gotten a mustached Vince Vaughn instead of RDj. damn.
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and i fugging loved it, ill see it again :) the only thing that bugged me is terrence howards voice. geez that guys sounds like a pansy. he was good, but he needs to work on sounding more authoritarian. jeff bridges was awesome, i just wish someone would have slapped a bath robe on his iron monger suit :) Sammy J. was the icing on the cake. I don't think i've ever been to a movie where everyone was so ingrossed that not a single jackass was disruptive. thats how good this movie is. as for tdk trailer, the joker-ized version is more fun.
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Everytime I watch that DVD Samuels portrayal of Mr. Glass mortifies me. How could M. Knight abandon his best idea yet? All of this other movies besides the 6th sense sucked balls. But Unbreakable is undoubtedly is one the best comic book movies ever made. Samuel is just trully amazing in that role.
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Just clearing that one up for ya.
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LOTR is deeply flawed. The result of three films being filmed back to back.
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Uploading to YouTube as we speak. I'll be back in a bit with a link.
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10.) It's 100 times better than any other crap that's released this weekend.
9.) It's gotten 1,260 positive reviews from AICN
8.) Robert will do two lines of cocaine with you after you watch it, and two lines with everyone else who watches it.
7.) You're a loser who has nothing better to do on a Friday night.
6.) The price of admission is less than the price of 3 gallons of gas.
5.) Dude, it has "The Dude" in it.
4.) Favreau is going to use the profits to get on a diet that actually works this time.
3.) It will be better than X-Men. A Billion times better.
2.) Gwyneth Paltrow will suck your dick while you watch the movie.
1.) You couldn't get a copy of Grand Theft Auto 4 this week.:( -
Greatest. Cameo. Ever! Wow. This movie rocked hard and the end was like the cherry on top an ice cream sundae. Perfect!
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10.) It's 100 times better than any other crap that's released this weekend. 9.) It's gotten 1,260 positive reviews from AICN. 8.) Robert will do two lines of cocaine with you after you watch it, and two lines with everyone else who watches it. 7.) You're a loser who has nothing better to do on a Friday night. 6.) The price of admission is less than the price of 3 gallons of gas. 5.) Dude, it has "The Dude" in it. 4.) Favreau is going to use the profits to get on a diet that actually works this time. 3.) It will be better than X-Men. A Billion times better. 2.) Gwyneth Paltrow will suck your dick while you watch the movie. 1.) You couldn't get a copy of Grand Theft Auto 4 this week.:(
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjBiVZ2uoeA
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Good vid. I went nuts tonight when I saw this scene. You could barely hear it because the entire theater was screaming our lungs out! Classic scene!!
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please, take your ritalin, overdose on it, eat aids and shut the fuck up.
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It's like some beautiful miracle!
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i was hoping ultimate nick fury wasnt true...i like having nick fury this mean old white guy, like wolverine without claws......samuel l jackson is going to be phoning it in
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I go to MIT and I'm happy to say that having Tony Stark as an alum makes me proud to be a student here. Not to mention it's fucking badass that Rhodey was wearing a brass rat.
Shellhead - 1
Blackjack - 0 -
Keep the wings on caps cowl! And those animated films were kind of meh...
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From left to right, up and down. Iron Man kicked my ass. In my blurry half-conscious state I saw fat kids. Yes, they were fat... they... were bumping chests in the aisles. I bought another ticket.
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on the workbench when his suit is being removed.
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filmed like saving private ryan. tell me that wouldn't be one of the greatest intros ever. The pkanes over the atlantic and the thousands of paratroopers. Captain America in shadow and only fully revealing himself when he leads the batallion to storm the nazi stronghold. BADASS.
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um, maybe I should rephrase that. Great flick. Still like Downey's Chaplin though, and of course Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
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and Starship Troopers was a good one too because they capture the spirit and outrageous characters of more adult/graphis novel material perfectly, don't dumb down anything even if it would seem to be completely rediculous and they're full of gory as hell comic book scenes like the melting guy getting splattered or the brain bug piercing skulls and lines like 'Bitches leave'. If you want kids comic movies then Spiderman or X-Men were great and the original Superman is still the best boys own pure and simple Superhero movie but for me it's the darker stuff like Robocop and Predator that are perfect comic book movies and don't even know it.
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Just got back from the midnight show of IRON MAN. One of the few times I had a smile on my face for 2 hours watching a modern Super hero movie. It was all good in my book. We even stayed for the end credits and made some tasty burger jokes on the way out. Looks like MAY is going to be a great month for movies. : ) 5 Stars for IRON MAN!
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I remember reading an really interesting interview with Paul Verhoven who said that Starship Troopers was the most fun film he made cause he had zero to no studio interference. Apparently there was some major behind the scenes shit going on at Sony so nobody bothered to check in on them. It was only when he screened the final cut right before its release that an exec asked him: "Why is everyone dressed like Nazis?"
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in SKY CAPTAIN but she was really hot in IRON MAN. She bugged me to death for some reason in SKY CAPTAIN but tonight I thought she was really good in the part. Maybe it was the hair... or that dress.
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May 02, 2008 5:19:50 AM CDT
Onesuper awesome to the max recast idea for the sequel:
by blindambition238
Keep Favrau behind of the camera and bring in Val Kilmer as Happy Hogan! That'll automatically make the movie 100x better! Anyways, its not like theyd have to address it, Jon had 2 lines of dialog and I don't even think they mentioned his name. Plus I hear Val needs something to do when hes not a car.
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Great movie. Now that you've reminded me of it I'm sure Iron Man will pale in comparison, but I'm going to go see it anyway.
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Serious, it's incredibly unfair to compare the two... apples and oranges. Depending on what your mood is, either one can be the better. Stan Lee as the ultimate pimp was awesome, thou.
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Great list/review. Let the love in for Iron Man continue (this years SuperBad)
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so, you're saying that the movie totally rips off a lot of great movies that have come before it?
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POTENTIAL SPOILERS. I saw this at 8:00pm last night and loved it. It's right up there with Spidey 2 as far as great superhero films go, and is simply a very solid, fun movie in general. Downey is excellent as Stark, and I dare say that with his wit and reverence for the source material, he carries the picture.
The theme of this movie is having a change of heart. Only in Stark's case, the change is literal as well as metaphorical. And like Raimi's spider-man, director John Favreau is astute enough to realize, and show, that it is this rebirth of conscience, not superior technology or superpowers, that defines the hero.
I'll just touch on some kibbles and bits that made this such a fun ride. We spend a lot of time with Stark in his basement workshop, and it's great fun to laugh along with his little mistakes as he tweaks each new "mark" of armor, and we also "wow" along with him when he realizes what his toys can do. It's great fun, and even though Stark is an older superguy than Peter Parker, Downey still imbues the right amount of wonder and curiosity into Stark's inventive (and competitive / arrogant) nature.
The FX are good. The CGI is well done enough that I never once questioned what I was looking at. There's a good combination of CGI with Downey in a "real" costume, so the totality of the Iron Man effect is convinving.
The action is good, and occurs often enough throughout the movie that it never gets sluggish.
The only problem I had with it was the ending. I read in some other guy's review that he felt the "big fight" at the end came naturally, and didn't feel "telegraphed" at all. I disagree. You KNOW the big fight between the two armored guys is coming, and it does. The least convincing thing about it is, we see Stark working with his armor and "practicing" with it over the course of a couple weeks. With Stane, he climbs right in the Iron Monger get-up the first time he sees it, and is somehow able to walk competently and operate what must be a very complex system of robotics and weaponry. The fight itself was a little anticlimactic, a la predator vs. predalien or Robocop vs. ED209. It just kinda happens, and Jeff Bridges, who was awesome as Stane up till then, is suddenly spewing cliche one liners like, "My armor is more advanced than yours in EVERY WAY!!" But I don't blame Bridges for that, that's a writer thing. Anyway, the fight is over before you know it, and you're wishing there were more. And the way in which Tony undoes Obidiah is your run-of-the-mill intellect over strength thing. And--go figure--neither combatant is masked for the big climax. So it felt like a Spidey picture in that regard, where the men (not their super-alteregos) have to settle it face-to-face.
The movie has one of the best, most natural uses of product placement I've seen in a while, with Burger King. I won't say more about it.
One thing I didn't get was Stark's new heart. At some point between the end of his captivity and a week of returning home, Stark goes from having an electromagnet disc on his heart to having his ENTIRE heart replaced with his ARC powered device. There's a very funny scene where Pepper helps Tony get things just right, with a funny nod to the old Milton Bradley game of "Operation." But at no point do we see, or is it inferred, that Stark ultimately went to a hospital to have a heart transplant. You can see at various points when the artificial heart is removed, that there's a vacant space in his chest where his old (human) heart used to be, so you're left wondering, "When did that happen?"
But in all, this was a very fun, well-constructed action movie, and Downey was great. -
I thought the only thing he changed was the power source force the magnet.
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Saw it last night. (That way I can stay home tonight for BSG). Thought it was excellent.
most "Superhero" movies, even when they get the character right, always seem to have at least a couple of scenes that just don't work, and pull you out of the experience. (Ex. As big a fan as I am of "Batman Begins", the scene with Gordon driving the Batmoble just seemed goofy to me). There's not one scene in Iron Man that felt like it didn't belong there. They got the character just right!
I'd say it's as close to the comic as I've felt since seeing Spidey swing around New York for the first time in "Spider-Man".
And that post-credits scene was a doozy. Got a big Geek-Gasm response from those that stayed around for it.
I hope it does well. They had it on 5 screens where we saw it, but ours (One of the first seating) was only about half full.
Hopefully good word-of-mouth will fill the theaters this weekend. -
you little fuckers.
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would need a bit more room around the waist of his Iron Man suit. And extra power in the thrusters. And maybe an on-board pie dispenser
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I want a Nick Fury Movie.
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I saw it last night at 8pm and the almost sold out theater loved it. I wish that I saw the Nick Fury part at the end. Also, the music could have been a little more memorable but over all, the movie was amongst the best action movies I have seen.
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The people that didnt stay till after the credits obviously don't read any of these websites. The movie was great. Def the best MARVEL movie i seen. Def liked Batman 1 and Begins better. But after the movie all I kept on thinking was....THEEEE AVENNNNNNNNNGERS ( the way they say it in the video game). Crowd went nuts for Fury
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And I haven't even seen it yet!! Imagine if I did ZOMG
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I can't wait for vietnamese steve rogers/Captain America!
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Maybe....'till they make Aquaman.
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I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable film, and not in the retarded sense like I like Fantastic Four and Ghost Rider. I have no hesitation in putting this one up there with Spider-Man 2, X-Men 2, and various other part 2s in comic book series' I have enjoyed. It may lack a little in depth, but it more than makes up for it in fun, mostly thanks to the genius casting of Robert Downey Jnr, who has more charisma than you can shake a giant iron robot stick at.Everyone should take a trip out to see this Iron Man. Except you whiners. Stay at home, whiners. You won't like it.
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..I liked the movie anyways :)
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saw it last night at 8, it shoved my dick in the dirt and I will be seeing it again this weekend (along with the other 5 guys I saw it with last night)
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Terrific movie in every way. Go see it. Something I noticed about marvel movies as opposed to Warner Movies -- Marvel movies are not afraid to cast their characters the correct age. Tony Stark is not a boy, he's a MAN. Iron MAN. Yes, I'm looking at YOU, Brian Singer.
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I imagine it is quite an unpleasant experience, the discomfort increasing exponentially depending on how far my dick is from the dirt when the shoving commences. Also, you've got grit and whatnot (and ticks, which I have learned from House are a bad thing - especially in your vagina), and I don't want any of that in my foreskin, thankyouverymuch.
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May 02, 2008 10:06:04 AM CDT
Notice how well Iron Man works because it's true to the source m
by snookeroo
it's not re-imagined, group-feel, homo-erotic, navel-staring deep angst Hollywood gush. It's Iron Man the comic book, simply brought to live-action. Nothing more. And it works. It works GREAT.
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damn.
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I'm looking forward to seeing it. This is that kind of film - the type where you leave the cinema and can't wait to see the sequel.I loved Terence Howard's "Maybe next time" line, so I've got my fingers crossed for some War Machine action in part two.
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I'll be seeing it this afternoon, good to hear you liked it in the "non-special" way.Mr. Spawn, I think you took the "rub some dirt on it" from Johnny Be Good a wee bit too literal.
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Like I said above, it's not the deepest film you're likely to see this year, but it's a lot of fun, and hiring such a top-notch cast really makes up for a few moments of overly perfunctory writing. The action scenes are well executed, too, so a pat on the back is in order for Jon Favreau and his army of computer monkeys.
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for the SPOILER extra scene after the credits. SPOILER It only lasts twenty or thirty seconds if that. It shows Stark returning home to his mansion at night in the near future (after the events at the end of the movie, proper) and he calls out for Pepper, but sees the silohuette of a man (back to Stark) gazing out his viewing window at the skyline. The man turns to Stark and introduces himself as Nick Fury (yep, Samuel Mutherfucker Jackson) and says he wants to talk to Stark about the "Avenger Initiative." Then the scene stops dead right there. It's a cool extra, yeah, but if you don't want to wait through the credits you aren't missing a whole lot. SPOILER there are references to SHIELD three or four times throughout the movie, with agents thereof wanting to brief Tony and Pepper about his escape. Only the agents refer to themselves by the complete acronoym, Strategic Homeland Intervention...whatever. I do know that the full name is slightly changed from whatever it originally stood for. Not big deal.
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Frankie. I think I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.
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It does sound like a good scene, but I think they should have just worked it into the ending of the movie.So what's your rating Abom?
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There's a sweet 8-minute Preview of IRON MAN that has interviews with Favreau, Terrence Howard and Robert Downey Jr, as well as some sweet scenes from the film over at YourGeekNews.com:
http://tinyurl.com/4ppxxq -
POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT I'd say solid eight. The movie was a LOT of fun. Downey just sucks you right into the coolness and joy of what he's doing, and it's so natural he doesn't need to work harder to "sell" it. Just a couple minor things I wasn't crazy about, which I listed in my review above (in this TB). Like the ending, which just sort of fell together for me and plays out in a more or less predictable way. The easiest way to say it is, the final battle for me was not the coolest-looking or most exhilarating part of the movie. The test flights and "first mission" were. RT still has it at 94, the best reviewed movie so far of the year, not just superhero movie, but MOVIE period. I'd say that's a bit high (94) on a 100 scale I'd give it like an 82. Oh, and I should say Paul Bettany does a great (voice of) Jarvis (Stark's computer system at home and in the suit) and Terrence Howard was cool as "Rhodey." Oh, and in addition to ACDC the movie features a classic hardcore Suicidal Tendencies song, which took me completely by surprise, and I was delighted at the choice.
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they played the (new) Indy trailer then went right into the feature. No TDK. Oh, and the "main" sound wasn't on yet for the Indy trailer so, having seen it online already, it was underwhelming without Williams' music bursting over the soundsystem. It was the first time in years where there was only one preview. Usually there's a bunch.
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I just wanted to throw that info out in a header so that people can appreciate the ballsy musical choices made by Favreau and (in that case more likely) Downey. ST in a superhero movie! Cool.
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He a cool exec with a heart of steel.. did anyone else recognize the theme song from the '60's cartoon? Most noticably as Rhodey's ringtone when Tony called him from the suit.
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Sorry Abom, missed your review from above. I'm quite happy that I'll be watching this in under four hours.
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Could it be that Iron Man gets the best consesus reviews of the year?
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But that's manageble considerign I have to wait at least 4 days to see Indy after it opens.
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it's cool. We'll stay for it, but I wish it was a bit longer. Don't see wy they couldn't have worked it in to the movie except that they wanted the "easter egg" effect. A little geek Word-of-Mouth marketing never hurts, I guess.
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And of the course the Indy things is an extraordinary case for the delay in you seeing it. I'm pretty sure your bride-to-be appreciates the effort on your part! :-)
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Yay, Finky posted four times in a row! (I guess I should get to work)
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during those four days. You can "rescue" her from the Russians.
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She's excited to see Indy too. Especially after she saw the new trailer this week. So, we're on the same page. I'm just belly-aching.
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in the actual movie.
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t-minus 3 hours until Iron Man.
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We are going to Kauai for our honeymoon and I've requested we go by the Menehune Fishpond again to pay our Raiders respects. In a way, if we see Indy on Kauai, it sorta seem appropriate since they filmed part of Raiders there.
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local multiplex or is there a cool vintage theater you hit up for "special" occassion films like this?
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It's close to home and never busy.
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I actually broke out the fedora this past weekend when I went to a screening of "Indyfans - Quest for Fortune & Glory" at the Newport Beach Film Fest. I've never seen so many Indy lookalikes in one place....ever? Though, if you've ever seen pics from a Star Wars convention or ComicCon, you know that the term "lookalikes" can often be a stretch. Haven't had a chance to break out the whip, yet, though.
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except I wish it was alot less populated by tweener kids. But, whatever. We did years of midnight opening shows and now we're "middle of the day on Sat or Sun - often weeks after it opens" movie folks. I think we're getting "old".
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Did you dive all over the place and then suddenly reach back and snatch your fedora from certain doom?
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May 02, 2008 12:19:18 PM CDT
yes, the days ol going to the late showing are over
by just pillow talk
for me as well. It's a hassle for us to go since we have to find a movie we both would want to go to and then have someone watch the kid.
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meant of...
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Remember that dude? Ralphie from "Christmas Story?" I forget what part he plays--it's small. But I spotted his name in the credits while waiting for Nick Fury.
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And just what is it with Favreau anyway? A Jewish guy that looks more like an Italian, with a French name. Car-azy!
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I suspect not many people knew Iron Man was "open" yesterday. Today's a different story, however. It's gonna make a shitload of money. How it'll rate next to the other summer blockbusters, who knows, but this picture will recoup, and that's nice, because it's a good fun movie and I want sequels greenlit right away. And my offer to stand in as a Downey double and get the shit kicked out of me is still open, Mr. Favreau.
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He works in "the biz" as a producer and sometime bit actor. A few years back I went to a big 20th anniversary screening of A Christmas Story here in OC where most of the cast (excluding Melinda Dillon) and Bob Clark came and did a Q&A before the film and Peter B talked about what he'd been up to and I remember there was some connection with Favs. I thin khe helped produce Elf, which Favs directed.
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He was also in Elf, so there's his connection.
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I would think Iron Man will do well this weekend.
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He'll probably (finally) post a review as it's open season around here.
The only one that truly matters isn't here though. VERN, if you're out there... -
Yes, i had just parked and was walking toward the theater when I realized I had left my fedora in the car. And because I ONLY HAVE ONE - JUST LIKE INDY-, I had to swerve back to thecar and reach in through the open window and retrieve it in the nick of time! My, uh, windows like auto-close....sorta liek the "cocooning of the Batmobile in Burton's Batman. yeah. Perilous stakes to retrieve the one and only fedora that day. I felt just like Newt. Which is a CALLBACK to a completely different moment of certain insanity.
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The stoop.
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though Merrick himself generates a fair amount of scorn. Or are you talking about Mike Tyson and I'm just completely misreading your question?
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Or, should that be "THREE CHUCKS UP!"
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He wore glasses, right?!
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finky, that's classic. I think I would do that all the time, going to a store where it has automatic doors, and dive after my hat. I'm sure a security guard would escort me out.
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being the Summer of Indy and all....
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the giant 12-inch talking Indy is a bit ...creepy? But some of the new Hasbro figs look pretty good and those little sets of cartoonish figures that come two in a pack look great. Might have to pick up an Indy/Marion/Cobra one for my office.
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Fucking Hilarious. Not to mention the details, like the Nintendo Wii under the tv screen in his house, etc. This move was fun! Loved it.
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I think that was sort of part of the joke. "You'll put your eye out" is one of those "old wives tales" moms and other adults tell children to "scare" them into not doing something or as a reason why they won't let them do something. I know there are a bunch of those things I heard growing up, but at the moment they're all escaping me. Maybe that thing about needles in halloween candy? Never actually happened but as a kid the idea scares the shit out of you enough that you won't question it when Mom says not to take "open" candy from strangers or not to eat the "homemade" stuff from strangers. Funny how mom never had any "bad" stories about the fuckers who gave me raisens on Halloween. Fucking raisens!
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Yeah I know, I just thought it was funny/weird because how can something put his eye out if it's protected by the glasses? I know she was probably talking about shot from the gun but anyway...
Look, don't listen to me man, it's after 4 in the morning and I'm starting to make stupid posts. I really don't think much of Mirajeff though. That bit's true. Have you guys seen the Sideshow quarter-scale Indy from Raiders? Superkewl.
'Night from Downunder (you know, the place that got Iron Man 3 days ago!)... -
I have seen the new Sideshow piece and it is FANTASTIC! The likeness is pretty damn amazing. They talk to those guys in the Indyfans movie and they talk about hwo this piece is liek the pinnacle of everything they have ever done. They put all their top folks on it and really, really watched over every bit of it to make sure nothing was "off". There's a certain angle from the front where you can look directly at the piece and I swear it's like a still photo of Harrison from Raiders. I'm not a big fan of those types of minibusts and stautettes, but that new Indy scupt is like none I have ever seen before.
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And AICN's TB population is shrinking down for the weekend.
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enjoy your weekend fellow warciple!
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but I welcome other opinions, that's why we come here (I mean, in addition to recruiting Warciples).
Pillow is probably in the theater right now at this very moment. We'll see what he thinks later! Adios 'ciples -
He left work for Iron Man saying he had a veterinarian appointment. Nicely done!
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Turns out they weren't. This is not a "typical action movie." Die Hard II was a "typical action movie," because "typical action movies" pretty much all suck. It takes real storytelling to do an origin story that has a strong second act. Almost anyone with some talent can write a good opener - and likewise a cool, ass-kicking set-piece ending. But the second act is always tricky, and IRON MAN nails it with such precision and great pacing I was really astounded. Final tally: Not as good as Donner's Superman On-par with Batman Begins Better by far than The Spider Man films The X-men movies look like a television series in comparison, especially in the action department
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what the fuck? does that include everything from Clark's arrival to metropolis which becomes one big joke? And X-men 2 looks like something out of television? Including the actin scene at the start which many people consider one of the greatest intros ever? idiot.
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so forgive me if it's already been mentioned,(and forgive the very minor spoiler)
but when Pepper is stealing Stane's files, if you look quickly at the laptop screen, one of the files says "Lebowski". -
stop bullshitin'!
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I'm not defending Xmen (I ;liked X1, X2 exceeded my expectedtations, X3 fell way short of expectations), just curious. SInce it opened on Thurs, it seems alot of the geek community went to see it.
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does that include everything from Clark's arrival to metropolis which becomes one big joke Yep. Including the actin scene at the start which many people consider one of the greatest intros ever? What the hell are you talking about? Nightcrawler's attempt on the prez? It was a great representation of Nightcrawler's powers, but hardly the pinnacle of action scenes. X2 was the best of the bunch, but it has to be judged with its brothers. idiot. Don't be so hard on yourself.
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not a fan of the Iron Man comics, so I saw no point to his character. he didn't do anything other than order the air force not to deploy fighter jets.
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And lots of easter eggs for the fans. Did anyone notice the still image from "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" in the movie? Nice nod to Bridges' earlier work.
And of course, it kicked ass to see Nick Fury on the screen exactly as drawn in Ultimates.
"You're not the only superhero in the world, Mr. Stark."
THAT LINE is why Marvel should have been producing their own movies from the start. It's just too bad Spider-Man and the X-Men are not part of the Marvel movie universe.
I propose we give the movie universe a number, in the spirit of Marvel universes each having a number for their Earth. Since the movies are from Hollywood, let's say this is Earth 323.
That's Hollywood's area code. Seems appropriate for Marvel movies. -
I've been a lifelong fan of Iron Man, and I'm really happy that it seems to have turned out so good. I have yet to read one negative review about the film. Almost every review I read is glowingly positive. Yay!
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but I think it'll just get too expensive to do it right. but having Tony Stark appear in Hulk and "Nick Fury" appear in Iron Man almost begs for somethign to tie the continuity together.
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1) Ironman 2) Indiana Jones 3)Dark Knight 4)Prince Caspian 5) Speed Racer. In a summer of sequels something fresh and new is gonna come out on top.
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But the Dark Knight trailer was better
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but the Dark knight film will be.
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I think Stark will own Speed, I'm afraid. I just can't see Speed Racer connecting with anyone over the age of 15.
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I might be wrong about this, but wasn't it DC that assigned particular continuity lines numbers, like earth's 1 & 2.. Which they basically ended with Crisis?
Who cares? hah Iron man was geeeewwwddd. -
Its a reboot of sorts, and, from what I understand, reflects the origin story portrayed in the movie. Originally he was in Vietnam, now, for obvious reasons, Afghanistan. Most of the story surrounds this weird Cronenberg like conceit where Tony Stark modifies his body with this genetic virus. Its really freakin' cool. And a great jumping off point for what the character is like now in the comics.
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May 02, 2008 6:47:04 PM CDT
SPEED RACER Will Do Just Fine With Kids And Nostalgic Adults
by laserpants
But yeah, I agree, IRON MAN is most likely going to kill it in terms of the box office.
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Man, I was shocked to hear Suicidal too. Most people have no idea who they are.
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http://eattheblinds.blogspot.com/
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I would agree with that review. On the other hand, for some reason Iron Man became more than the sum of it's parts.
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Give me a fucking break. At the end of the review, he/she says, point-blank that the only way his "high expectations" could be met is if SOME GUY ACTUALLY CREATED AN IRON MAN SUIT IN THE REAL WORLD.That's like saying I hated Lord of the Rings because they didn't find REAL HOBBITS to play Frodo and Sam.Fucking fail.
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It nailed every reason I liked this.The RoboCop references/tributes were #1 on my list too. Particularly the scene where he punches through a wall to get the bad guy and the bits reminiscent of the ending of RoboCop 2.I thought the tone was a little too light, and the writing/pacing got off in some spots (the beginning and the ending) but otherwise pretty enjoyable. It doesn't knock off Batman Begins or Spider-Man 1 & 2 or the Burton Batman films and Superman 1 and 2 from their top spots, but it's just at the bottom of that top tier, imo.Maybe I'd put Iron Man on top of Batman Begins but the writing in the latter was just better from beginning to end and didn't lose its focus, though Iron Man did have good dialogue. And of course the better fight scenes.It's better than any of the X-Men movies though.It also makes you realize how good Fantastic Four could've been. I don't know if they're gonna make a third one in that franchise, but hopefully they take some notes from this.I wonder how much of Hulk Ed Norton rewrote. Hopefully a lot. I hate that crew of guys (Zak Penn and co.) writing all these superhero films, they make the same glaring amateurish mistakes in all of them that bring down otherwise perfect efforts.Most of the problems I've heard people have with it could be resolved through a Director's Cut. It could gain a lot more from a DC than most films, easily becoming one of the best that way.
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Forgot to mention I loved the Rocketeer too. I remember my dad taking me to see that when I was a kid. I had no idea what the hell was going on except I loved seeing a guy flying around on a jet pack. [/harryesqueflashback]And yeah, word to what the other TBer said above. There's no way IM comes close to the satiric brilliance of RoboCop (even the heavy-handed, over-the-top RoboCop 2 which I actually preferred though most people found the first one more in line), but I think that's more due to writing.I'm just not sure how much of Iron Man's faults should be placed on Favreau and not the writers.Favreau is NO Spielberg though, wtf @ the other AICN guy who said that in another review.
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Usually I HATE that shit, I really hated it in Spider-Man, but it broke some of the shiny-cgi feel to the Iron Man suit I thought. Up until that point all you see is the Iron Man suit in seperate scenes from Downey Jr. in that cockpit view.
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Nobody seems to mention the war element.
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It was great to see the newest Hulk and TDK trailers on the big screen. Also, that was a brand new Indy trailer with it. It looked great, way better than the previous ones. Looks like they cleaned up the phony looking CGI a lot too.
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Iron Man has rocked my socks off, and the reason is RD jr. Holy shit this was good. I think I'll go back next week.
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I wouldn't call it a war movie, but yeah there was much coolness in the Afghan scenes. And they put it right in the middle of the movie, I didn't expect that. Everyone wanted to see Stark whoop their ass.
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Earlier Whydidntyousee said that Captain America's shield was on Tony's table during the scene when he's getting his Mark 3 armor taken off ("let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing.").
I just got back from seeing the movie for the second time and I looked for it and he's right... it's there, clear as day. Looks like it's still being built but it is VERY clearly Captain America's shield.
With all the references to Howard Stark as a nazi killer might we learn that Tony's dad created the original shield for Cap back in WWII?
Sooooo cool. Awesome movie. Liked it just as much the second time. -
Yeah, I think so.
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That clears it up.
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Yeah, I couldn't believe how boring and bland he was.
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Yeah, every superhero movie needs a hero beating the shit out of the Taliban.
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was the equipment and the armor. Everything from the Mark 1 to the Iron Monger at the end. You really believed this was some serious hardware.
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That's pretty cool if it's true. I'll have to pay attention next time. But the question is...What will come first, Iron Man 2 or the Avengers? They are obviously itching to do an Avengers movie.
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who the hell knows with all these alternate timelines Marvel runs
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I don't know... I think they're doing Hulk next.
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I thought the Iron Man without a mask on scenes worked well too.
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I saw this weird blue thing behind him with most of a star in the middle... wtf was that. It looked too big to be a shield.
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that this movie is as bad-assed as everyone says it is. It was genuinely funny, had great plot, action and suspense. The actors were great and it is one of the best superhero films to date. If you haven't seen it yet, get going.
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Saw this movie today and it's legit. Lots of fun and loved every minute of it. I'm going back to watch it again.
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The casting of RDJ as Stark, for me, was the film's one stroke of brilliance (although, it's kind of an obvious choice I'd say, so maybe not so brilliant). Everything else in the film felt like, well, like Favreau and Marvel were playing it safe, and not really going beyond anything we might otherwise see in a comic book. Films like X2, Hulk, Batman and Batman Begins transcend the comic books, become "films". Iron Man, to me, felt like, creatively and vision-wise, it didn't do that. Kind of like picking up a copy of Iron Man magazine written by Joe Schmoe, saying "okay", then putting it back down. Storywise, the film failed to progress from one point to another. I kept thinking they should have done this instead of that. Major story elements had no real organic link to other elements. Why were the terrorists terrorizing the Afghan village? For their goats? What was the emotional link for us, for Iron Man, other than the bad guys? There was none. Stark's scientist prisoner ally, to me, played no real role of emotional depth. Stark really got nothing from him, well he did save his life. But in the invention of Iron Man, he just simply played Watson to Stark's Edison. Kind of useless, really. I think it would have been better if Stark had REALLY got something from him, perhaps the idea for Iron Man itself? The sort of thing Stark's cold inventions were missing, maybe? There was none of that sort of emotional linkage I was looking for. Just a bunch of disconnected plot points sugar coated with action scenes and humor. I don't know. I really love Iron Man the character, and really wish this film could have done more for me. But again, Robert Downey Jr. was the one Knight in Shining Armor for this film, and Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't bad either, until the end, and I blame that on the writer and director...
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Why does Stane want to have Stark killed to begin with (in the desert)? Why would you kill your fucking bread and butter, the guy who is making you billions and billions? Really, the lazy story felt like it was written by some overpaid fill-in comic book hack. Really. For its credit, I'm trying to stay positive, there were some funny moments...and one or two touching ones between Pepper and Tony...but that's it for me...
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How the fuck are they going to portray The Mandarin? You know if you doesn't have alien rings that the pissant fan-boys are going to shit their D&D-themed Huggies.
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IRON MAN is fly, it’s dope, it’s off the chain or hook or handle or however you young people talk nowadays. I don’t know. It’s a badass movie where you will go, “OMFG” and you’ll probably “LOL” a few times during the film. You may pound fists with whoever accompanies you during certain moments…In short: It’s awesome.
Robert Downey Jr. plays a wealthy, wise-cracking dick that builds a suit of golden armor and decides to quit being such a wise-cracking dick (he keeps the wealth, though) so he can cruise around creating sonic booms in mid-air and fire rockets at Middle-Easterns while clad in his brand-spanking new outfit. Then The Dude shaves his head and gets a hold of an armored suit himself…which happens to be bigger and more menacing. Less colorful, though. This rivalry of who has the better Robocop Halloween costume culminates in a great big, shiny, metallic dick showing contest where there are explosions, ass-kicking and flying debris all around. And it’s awesome. Hell yeah.
With Wall-E, Indiana Jones, The Dark Knight and Sex and the City coming out soon, the blockbusters this season are gonna be as tight as your mama’s pussy in the seventh grade. LOL!
Awesome. -
1) Terrorists "terrorize" in Afghanistan because they believe in strict Islamic law...and they want to oppose it on those around them. The Taliban did this, and the baddies in this film are supposed to be Taliban, I think. Here's a quick reference for you: Saddam = golden bidets and mansions = not a terrorist/ al Qaeda/Taliban = religious zealots and wanna be martyrs = terrorists.
2)I thought that they were business partners. When Jacob Marley died, did Ebeneezer Scrooge go to the poorhouse? Nope. Kill his bread and butter? Are you serious.
3) You're an idiot. -
will be awesome because it's sammy J playing sammy j.
if he puts half the intensity of his better roles into it he could scare the piss out of the hulk. jewls winfield would make the jolly green giant cry. -
...wanting to off Steve Jobs to take over Apple. Yeah, okay, but Steve Jobs is the genius coming up with the gadgets. Without Steve Jobs, Apple sinks. It's like if Beethoven started his own music company, or Einsten started his own Theortical Physics company, you wouldn't off Beethoven or Einstein would you? That's what I'm getting at.
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...in my opinion. They're too close to their characters. I think they're afraid of what some film genius might do to their precious properties. Kind of like in-breeding. IMO, Iron Man is a film that just seemed to play it safe...
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invented the iRack and then overloaded it with iMicrowaves, iLamps, etc.. and made it unstable. true story
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I know we already saw the pirated version of the new Dark Knight preview on the site. But it was awesome to see it before Iron Man. Did anyone notice in the preview near the end when it shows Harvey Dent in the car - it's a profile shot but he's hold the side of his face looking like he's in pain. You can see the burn marks on his face plain as day. I'm betting that they pour gasoline on the ground and hold his face down in it as the joker lights a match.
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Had no emotional resonance for the story. Sure, it sucks to see innocents getting murdered or herded or whatever was happening to them, but what did it mean to the story? For instance, the town scene might have held more emotional resonance if, perhaps, they had somehow helped Stark get away after he crash landed, or harbored him, or sheltered him before cameling him away to the nearest U.S. base or something. Something. There was no emotional connection that was shown to us in the film. The town comes out of nowhere. Iron Man comes out of nowhere. Seriously, this script felt pieced together.
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They reason why there was emotional resonance is because, speaking from a consequentialist viewpoint, the results of their actions would be horrific to innocent people. If I saw a guy get eaten by a shark, I wouldn't think, "Oh well, he never....um, bought me, uh, groceries. So, I don't feel any emotion for him." And then there's the whole Just War Theory, but I'll leave that for you to discover when you finally re-enroll in Northern Detroit Community College.
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I just feel the scene could have been more. As it was, there was no familiar human connection in that town for us or for Iron Man to have a personal stake in it. It seemed a bit empty. The meek innocent villagers, the big bad Taliban. It all seemed a bit juvenile.
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Just saw it, and yeah, hugely entertaining, great cast. But it was pretty by-the-numbers and predictable. Didn't stop it from kicking ass, but there is a deeper story to tell if it wants to stand with Spiderman 2. Stark only scratched the surface with his new morality plotline, a story that was skimmed for more suit test runs and gags. Again, entertaining as hell but not that deep.
So while I highly recommend the movie for the summer movie syndrome everyone gets, I wouldn't call it among the very best superhero movies ever. -
Heroes who kill people: Dirty Harry, Rambo, Martin Riggs, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones....dude, it doesn't matter if they're super or not, some kill, some don't. Live with it.
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I was thinking about that when I saw Iron Man. I think the only person he killed was in the tank. Im gonna pretend that the 6 guys he shot with the shoulder guns were either tranquilized or hit in the shoulders. I also don't recall the X-Men killing or Spider-Man killing anyone in their films. except Wolverine but he was always the exception in the comics. On the other hand, there was Batman Begins. The "I won't kill you but I don't have to save you" scene was pretty fucked up, and went against the entire character. Everyone knows Batman would have risked his life to get Ras out... hell he'd do it for the joker who crippled and maimed some of his closest friends... I was actually surprised that nobody called out the film on that.
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or whatever. I think they were trying to imply that they were bigger than just the middle east though. We know china must have a faction right?
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is the town where the doctor guy who saved Stark came from. It's the town where his wife and kids were killed.
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May 03, 2008 1:50:08 AM CDT
Saw Iron Man this evening. Fucking awesome. Trailers reaction.
by allpowerfulwizardofoz
Fantastic. Totally lived up to the hype and the promises made. The audience I saw it with loved it. The show was sold out.
But some things about the trailers we all saw and the reactions.
The Hulk trailer plays MUCH better on the big screen than on the small screen. I loved it this time where as the first time I saw it it came across like a DTV movie to me. This time I felt the impact and the crowd must have too as they cheered.
Next up was the Dark Knight. Nuff said. This will be the biggest movie of the year.
The new Mike Myers comedy. Tons of laugh. Totally unexpected. The crowd whooped it up. This will be huge.
And this brings me to Indiana Jones. Not a peep from the crowd. Not one clap. Nothing. Dead silence. The trailer looks like shit and the crowd reacted to it by not reacting to it. It just doesn't feel natural. The whole thing comes across as forced. Actually I take that back about the crowd. One guy groaned when Shia made his appearance. -
ten factions america had stane middle east had whoever that guy was.. cells that work autonomously the head of the organization will be in china.. this will be alluded in pt2/avengers and played in pt3/avengers 2
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edit
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was each person looking at the other for their trailer reaction, and no one really saw the trailer...give me a break with the trailer reaction reports, the mean nothing!
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that was great.
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that was great.
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I'm more than convinced that this might be the BO smash of the Summer,but do we have to 5-6 threads of Ironman reviews? I think it's a bit of overkill don'tcha think?,And to think I was skeptical at Downey's casting at first.Yeah from the looks of it, he's more convincing as Stark than Keaton was for Bruce Wayne.However, TDK will obviously rake in millions. besides the installed fanbase, there's that morbid curiousity regarding ledger's last performance. it looks very promising unlike the Hulk remake.
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bettie page! not jenny!
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I got the impression he just sorta hired them since the terrorist sent him the video asking for more cash ti kidnap Stark.
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perhaps he WAS the leader of the ten rings, he also had a ring with a chinese letter on it.
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May 03, 2008 3:43:45 AM CDT
I didnt notice Stanes ring but good eye if it was there
by blindambition238
I remember seeing the ring on the head terrorist guy in the trailers and expecting him to be the Mandarin, which Im glad he wasnt. The Ten Rings thing would actually be a good way to integrate other villains. Like make Crimson Dynamo the head of the russian branch and Crusher the South American's, and maybe Justin Hammer as a rival industrialist from England
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10 Rings is a reference to The Mandarin. Iron Man's arch enemy.
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In the first post I mentioned it I pt it in quotes since it was being used as a name, and its also why I said that they'd obviously have a branch in China. And the second post where I replied to Ironic_Name I was just building on his idea that Stane could have been a member and that the 10 Rings would be a good plot device to introduce other Iron Man villains into the sequels without too much exposition. Do I still get to keep my geeky comic dork card?
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Robert Downey Jr.--- Superb, and this role played both to his strengths as a dramatic actor and his droll sense of humor. Favreau was truly smart to push for him.Gwenyth Paltrow--- nice segue into the MILF phase of her career, and her repartee with Downey Jr. was spot-on. These two need to do a romantic comedy together.Terrence Howard--- too young for his role. He should have been a more forceful presence here, but wasn't.Jeff Bridges--- Thanks for phoning it in, dude. Even with no prior knowledge of the comic book, he might as well had "Bad Guy Flimsily Disguised As Good Guy" tattoed on his forehead from the start. Hey, Jeff... how about a Duracell battery tie-in? Where's Brian Cox when you need him?The movie itself--- liked the first part where Stark designs the prototype suit to facilitate his escape. Favreau had the good sense not to rush this. Stark's change of heart seemed too abrupt, but the sequences where he revamps & perfects the suit were pretty good. The "Transformers" faceoff at the end was a letdown. At least the movie took a fairly serious tone and spiced it with humor, instead of the other way around. As mentioned previously, it makes one wonder how good the Fantastic Four" movies might have been had they followed this course.Good movie overall, though. I'd give it a grade of B+. But at a cost of roughly $180 million, I don't think its eventual box office will warrant a sequel.That said, WTF was with that Crystal Skull trailer? This WAS produced by Uncle George, yes? The guy who could make you practically bust a nut with trailers to three SW Prequels, and only actually deliver with one ("Revenge Of The Sith"). Even the crickets chirping in my theatre when the Crystal Skull trailer rolled out seemed lonely, and God help us if those were among the few good moments we can expect on May 22nd. Cate Blanchett seemed like she was channeling Natasha from the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons of a bygone era, and Ford was utterly listless. That doesn't bode well, amigos.
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the 'piece' from vanity fair tony was 'doing'
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I LOVED how he kept his kind of easy going surfer demeanor and used some pretty unique elements to make up the villainous persona.You can tell he put effort into making even the way he slurped his scotch on the works evil (definitely the most creepy moment of the film).Definitely not phoned in, only fault you can find with Bridges is some of the dialogue during the climatic slugfest, which of course is the script's fault, not Bridges.On the other hand, I kept thinking they were going to reveal Stane as responsible for Tony's parents death, and was kinda dissapointed that they didn't provide more motivation for why he would betray Tony besides the bottom line.
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May 03, 2008 4:58:33 AM CDT
in the part where obi give tony the pizza, check his singlet
by ironic_name
wierd fuzzy blurred area above the generator, HEY EMBASSY - USE CLONE, NOT BLUR!
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it avoided a cliche.
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Point taken... sort of. Yeah, the way he "slurped his scotch" reminded me of that scene in "The Contender" when he's sounding out Christian Slater's junior Congressman, zings him with a solid point, then takes a bite of that shark steak sandwich and drives the whole scene home (brilliant moment). Only a truly great actor can employ such little nuances to great effect, and Bridges is certainly one of them. Still, I knew he was playing deceptive from the start... maybe because I'm *that* familiar with Bridges' acting techniques, rather than any fault of the movie's intent for his character.You're definitely correct about the pseudo-"Transformers" climax, though. It was well beneath his skills.
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May 03, 2008 6:42:42 AM CDT
(hiccup) Anything worth seeing before Speed Racer gets here?
by jdanielp
Never type in the dark, especially before posting at AICN. Anyway, kiddin' around. I am so pumped for this movie...and I hope to see it this weekend.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgWg5yQjTHo
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May 03, 2008 7:24:59 AM CDT
people were pretty silent for the Indiana Jones trailer at my sc
by magic rat
the biggest reaction, shockingly, was for Don't Mess With Zohan, the Adam Sandler comedy.
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is that the new "jumped the shark?" If so, what movie/cultural phenomenon was good up until said shitting, after which point it sucked? Just curious.
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You have problems with a businessman wanting to have the owner of a company killed so that he can take control? Something that has probably actually occurred in real life. But you don't have any complaints about a man building an armour suit that can almost fly into outerspace, that can lift cars and that can shoot beams from his chest and rays from his palms? Unbelievable. I laugh at you.
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No. It's in the Spider-Man/X1 class of perfectly decent superhero films that make you want to see the sequel. It's not in the S2/X2/Batman Begins category of outstanding superhero films. Fortunately, it's also not in the Daredevil/Ghost Rider/X3/S3 category of films that make you wonder what the studios were thinking...
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I only ask because your comment about the lack of an emotional connection in the village scene sounded very much like a 'note'. If you're an executive; that's fine, I understand. If not; I'm slightly depressed to hear a fan bemoaning the lack of such a generic story idea.Personally, I was happy to see a superhero film where the bad guy didn't kill the good guy's parents or wife or goldfish or whathaveyou. It made a nice change to see a guy trying to do something because he thinks it's right and not because he's on some kind of vengeance kick.
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LOTR was (and is) wonderful, better than I'd ever dared to hope for - sure the ending of ROTK went on for a bit longer than necessary, but in the books Tolkien takes well over 100 pages to wrap up his loose ends.
I just got back from seeing Iron Man and although I thought it was good fun and well made, I'm 100% certain I'm going to forget about it pretty quickly (though I suspect that has more to do with not relating to Tony Stark as a character, than it does with the quality of the film itself). A good popcorn movie nonetheless. -
That's a very interesting observation about the kill count. I haven't seen IM yet (maybe tonight) and I'll definitely be keeping that in the back of my mind. Shame if Hollywood thinks it has to compete with the likes of Grand Theft Auto on the violence scale. That would really suck.
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And I disagree with jdb1972. It was so much better than any first installment of Marvel by far. I'll have to see it a second time to see where it ranks compared to all superhero movies, but it was pretty damn solid. And it was geektastic moments when he first put on each of his armors. RDJ was of course great in it. And the humor in this is just right, and really what the Spidey movies were sorely lacking.BSB, you'll have a hell of a good time.
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I for one and very excited to see this, and seeing the trailer on the big screen reaffirmed it. I'm sold.
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that would of just been too cliche. Liked that he was just an evil corporate dude who had enough.
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and i'm talking spidey himself, there were funny bits, but read ultimate spider-man or new avengers spidey or strasynski's spidey, Spidey is supposed to be fucking hilarious.
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Excellent movie. This is one of the most impressive superhero movies ever done. The best scene is just after the final credits. It is the coolest cameo ever!
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in all three movies and that's a shame. I noticed audiences were silent to the latest Indy trailer too. I saw the first trailer get a bigger reaction from people in the theaters back in February. General audiences were excited to see Indy was back when they saw the first trailer. Now the feeling is like "Okay, we'll see it but it doesn't offer anything new from the previous ones."
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Part II maybe?
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surpassed my expectations and just a bad ass movie all around
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2for2true bless you on this day...
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It would also be on the list. Say what you will about the Omen Trilogy, but it's one of the few horror franchises that actually justified being made, and had a good progression.
Psycho II and III are also a lot better than you'd think. Tarantino even prefers Psycho II to the original. -
how's it going man!
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My wife said during all the action scenes the baby was moving all around
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May 03, 2008 12:19:48 PM CDT
nice! The little warciple is already being programmed!
by just pillow talk
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until the little warciple joins the world?
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Check out thread 36566...you'll find some interesting stuff in there...
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but our little one will be brought into a world of wonder that's for sure
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I may try and log in tomorrow...
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we got to see the first ultrasound on wednesday. That was incredible.
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ok, now I'm gone...peace fellow warciple..
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everything Favreau directs must have Robert Downey Jr. in it. I hope this role brings him a new audience like Pirates did for Depp. Truly an underrated actor who has had a string of tremendous roles in recent years.
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You guys crack me up.
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Is the villain in the next Batman movie. Also, Rachel Dawes does die, and Dent goes after the Joker after he becomes Two-Face.
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Wouldn't it be weird if Marvel planned to do a Captain America origins movie with Nick Fury at the end, then for both Iron Man and Cap's second films they just did an Avenger's movie? We've never really seen a team-up movie of the like.
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It was awesome. Some DICK bashed my Rabbit while I was in there, didn't leave a note 'natch. I could kill. Flick was great though.
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May 03, 2008 2:01:34 PM CDT
the thing is a cap movie would be 3 yrs away, rdj would be 46
by ironic_name
so, basically rdj will have to stay in shape while they explain cap, so he would be 50 by the time they got around to joining forces.. or could they film both simultaneously?
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Holy Shit, it actually held up to the hype! Fantastic! It went far beyond my expectations, and they were pretty damned high! What a great way to kick off the summer movie season!Someone please duct tape Michael Bay to a chair and make him watch Iron Man over and over until he understands this concept of "Character Development" and good dialog. "Character development, explosions, and good dialog and co-exist?!?!"
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your dildo, pet or a car? I take ii you mean an actual rabbit, dude.. thats awful. is that ameri-slang for a car?
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May 03, 2008 2:06:09 PM CDT
so will they do an avengers movie and shoe-horn cap's origin?
by ironic_name
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..called a Rabbit, I'm referring to the Vokswagen variety, my sweet '07 pride and joy. Got severely bumped the first week I had it and bashed good just now and it really makes me despise humanity just that much more. You can't have a fucking nice thing in this world without some hater out there scopin' to make shit out of it. Ever see Ice T and that Player Hater speech he did on Cheppelle's Show? Those motherfuckers are out there man, "I keep hatin' on 'em until they're all broken down and busted and ain't got shit like me."
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The movie really was great though, all the kids and even the wife liked it.
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This flick, to me, rates as the number one comic book movie ever.
Earlier someone said something about there not being a superman-tossing-his-symbol or a commissioner-gordon-driving-the-batmobile type moment and that's big. This thing is pitch-perfect.
I think a lot of folks, myself included, liked Batman Begins because of the tone... it was appropriately dark and serious without being hammy (but darn it all if Gordon didn't drive that car)... this flick is the same way tonally... perfect. Not that it's dark and serious... that's not Iron Man's tone. IM's tone is about excess, genius and hot rods suddenly mixed with a conscience. And this movie nailed it.
RDJJR is perfect as Stark. Rhodes was awesome. I have ZERO problems with the way he was played, with his script, with anything... a few folks have said he had nothing to do or say... I thought he was awesome... the dynamic between he and Stark was perfect... like the getting hammered on the plane thing... but then there were the little touches at the awards ceremony and at the podium at the end of the flick when he says things off mic ("thanks for the save" and "stick to the cards" that were really nice touches too.)
Stane is very well played and I had zero problems with his modus operendi. Now I have to see this thing again to see if he WAS wearing a big ring, like someone mentioned.
If he's one of the ten... ? The nuance in this movie, between Fury, SHIELD, Cap's shield, Rhodey, The Ten... it's just awesome.
Not every super hero flick has to be a dark, brooding, revenge movie like Batman Begins. Iron Man does everything right that BB did right and nothing wrong that BB did wrong (though, admittedly, there wasn't much).
Not trying to convert any of the haters and the "this is only a middle-of-the-pack-adaptation" tools. Just figured I'd chime in with my fifteen cents. -
Fuckin Downey nailed the part to my surprise and for an origin story, there was not one dull minute.bridges as Obadiah made me forget my disapointment about not including the manderan as the main baddie.And the ending after the credits..WTF can i say besides a roaring ovation!! John faverau deserves props for not allowing a Iconic Comic character to be basterdized..*cough*Superman returns*cough*That being said, bring on the Armor Wars dammit!
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You apparently haven't read any Marvel comics in the past five years, have you? Not too long ago, Marvel ditched the Comics Code Authority and adopted their own ratings system. In doing so, they opened themselves up to all the things they weren't allowed to openly portray in comics while under the ridiculous rules of the Code.
Many heroes in the Marvel Universe do, indeed, kill. It happens a lot, now, in fact. Not just non-powered civilians, either, but other superhumans. Tony Stark doesn't have a code against killing the bad guys-- He prefers not to, but will do it if it's the choice between saving the day and failing. The only mainstream Marvel heroes I can think of with an "under no circumstances" code against killing are Captain America (the dead one, Steve Rogers. The current one, Bucky Barnes, has no problem with killing his enemies), Spider-Man (Pete's loaded with guilt, and tries to save EVERYONE), The Fantastic Four (although one could argue that they've all killed when it was absolutely necessary), and a few of the remaining X-Men.
Now, what was TOTALLY wrong was Batman 1989, in which Batman killed more people on-screen than the Joker did. The problem is that Batman DOES have a code against killing, unless it's absolutely necessary. In Batman 1989, He was blowing up factories full of workers, killing thugs left and right, and made it his GOAL to kill the Joker. That's just NOT Batman.
Iron Man, though, is a WEAPONS MANUFACTURER and he's not at all naive about the nature of his business. He kills if it's got to be done, even when Captain America would do everything he could to avoid it.
Add to that the fact that the 616 Marvel Universe's Tony Stark is the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ultimate Marvel Universe's Tony Stark has little to no remorse over his function as a government-contracted weapons designer, and you have a character who seems to have few problems with attacking with lethal force if the situation deems it necessary no matter what his universe of origin.
Marvel Studios Move Universe seems to be a nice combination of elements from Ultimate, 616, and other What If? dimensions. They picked the best and most interesting parts, updated for the current year and technology, and made something that pleases almost everybody. -
Tony's last line. Whoever thought of that as a way to end the movie was fucking brilliant. THAT is totally, completely, 100% Tony Stark
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Correction for my last paragraph, above.
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That final moment was awesome. You could just see the gears turning in Tony's head, and you virtually hear his inner monologue say "Fuck it!" before he blurted out "I am Iron Man."
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1. POSITIVELY a prototype Cpt. America shield on Stark's desk in the workshop. It's on the left side of the screen when it's pointed at Pepper when she enters the lab as he's trying to get out of his suit. It's got half the star, but it's red, white, and blue, and it's IT. Great easter egg.
2. Is it just me, or does reporter Zorianna Kit look exactly like Alison Mack (Chloe of Smallville fame)? A quick Google tells me she's an actual reporter, but the resemblance is striking.
3. For those of you looking for some more emotional connection for Stark for the village he saves from Ten Rings (which I don't think we need), I'm 100% sure that the village is where Yinsen, his sidekick in the cave, was from. Gulmira was its name. So, he was saving the lives of the people who are related to the guy who saved his life earlier in the film. Seems like enough justification, if destroying his weapons wasn't enough for you.
4. Favs' character, Hogan, kind of disappears halfway through the film. Kind of strange. Maybe there's more to his story that got cut out, that'll be in an extended DVD cut.
5. Earlier in the thread I posted a clip of the Nick Fury scene after the credits. It was a little shaky, and had some people talking over it, so I recorded it again, from a tripod (yeah, don't ask me how I got it in the theatre). It's a little better quality because there's no shaking. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGgLZFdINpg -
They kept half of the rename of SHIELD that I contributed to the Agent of SHIELD comic over a decade ago-- yes I renamed SHIELD!
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Please check your url and re-post, I didn't stay through the credits I wanted to check out the Mach 5 in the lobby.
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Wouldn't that be awesome to see twin cannons emerge from War Machine's back followed by a brief pause of silence... and then a thunderous THX BOOM that obliterates the terrorist standing in front of him?
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May 03, 2008 9:05:59 PM CDT
I saw Iron Man last night, VERY good flick except...
by orbots commander
that I wish it had a great "hum-able" theme score like John William's Superman theme or Danny Elfman's Batman score.
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It trips a few steps but the rest is a breakout run. RDJ...perfect.
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I agree, the flick is rock solid but I actually noticed how cheesey the music sounded at one point, it's a slight dent in the armor but a cool suit nonetheless.
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The URL is right, just remove the space.
Alternately, search YouTube for 'Nick Fury Iron Man cropped,' and you'll find it right there. -
It didn't surprise me. Before even watching it. It's such a typical modern blockbuster. Where do I begin? The desert scenes reminded me of the first Hulk Movie. Tony is cocky, witty and brilliant of course. Sleeps with hot babes. Batman begin did that and the red carpet thing. He has a rich house and fancy car to cater to the to the MTV Cribs crowd. It features technology that's so futuristic. It's utterly ridiculous. The typical hate love romance. The greedy rich villian. The dumb terrorist. Over the top shaky screen CGI that zooms in too close. Making it hard to see what's going on. I'd explain more, but I'd just end up sounding like another typical redundant talkbacker. I guess growing up in the late 70's early 80's era of film, makes me long for movies of that calabor. When movies had famous theme songs you couldn't get out of your head. You know, the musical score mattered. The special effects artist weren't spoiled but inventive with so much love and care. I hope Indy 4 brings this magic back. The only recent movie that came close was Transformers because it had that one scene where the Autobots arrived and the musical score took charge and it felt magical. Movies aren't magical anymore.
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Got everyhthing just about perfect except for a glaring lack of Jasper Sitwell.
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Loved every second of it. Smart, funny, exciting, and cool. Really excited about the inevitable sequel. Bring on War Machine and The Mandarin! And, even more importantly, bring on the inevitable Ultimates/ Avengers screen adaptation!!! Its all been set up masterfully in this film, and if the new Hulk turns out even half as good as this (which is seems it will), get set for the Avengers movie in like 2 or 3 years.
Btw, I believe it was the terrorist leader guy (Ten Rings? Hello!) who was wearing the big ring. -
I am 1 of 20 who thought Iron Man was complete dreck. I felt the dialog was weak. The script was overloaded with cliche after cliche. And the casting of Gweneth Paltrow instead of Rachel McAdams was poor. I'll take this all back if somebody could prove that this movie's main demo was 10-15 year olds. Because then I understand.
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So, no, it wasn't directed only at 10-15 year olds, since pretty much every review I've read ranges from glowingly positive to ecstatic. Oh, and I liked Ang Lee's HULK too, but I do think this new reboot looks better. I mean, yeah, HULK is all about loneliness, existential dread, and self-loathing. But its also about a big green monster kicking the shit out of stuff. There needs to be a balance between "WAH!" and SMASH! And, with a propertyy like the HULK, better to err on the side of too much SMASH! then not enough.
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I'm in a Quandary over the Rotten Tomatoes thing. I was so excited going in to this movie knowing how well reviewed it was. I just don't see it. I would like to know if people's opinion changes after a second and third viewing. If it does, I feel justified. If it doesn't, I must be missing the boat.
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May 03, 2008 11:56:49 PM CDT
Anyone have any thoughts on these two questions?
by the wolf at the door
(1) Did Iron Man really just FLY from LA to Afghanistan in one shot, without stopping for food or a bathroom or whatever?
(2) What the hell was Stane's plan exactly at the end? I think they just tacked in a line about him "going insane" becuase they hadn't actually plotted it out right. Was he going to be CEO in a Metal Suit, crushing anyone who stood in his path? Was he going to sell the suits? Was he going to take over the world? What the hell was his deal exactly?
Personally, I loved this film, but I think that's mainly due to RDjr, sharp writing for the most part, and the fact that Iron Man is fresh to me (not a comics reader or that familiar with the character in general). If anyone has any thoughts on my two questions, I'd like to hear them. -
The answer to question 1 is it's COMIC BOOK Logic - meaning small details don't have to be filled in. However, what was Stane's plan? That's kind of a big plot point to put in one line of "insanity" dialog.
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I couldn't say it's better then Batman Begins. But so far as superhero movies go, that and Iron Man definitely set the bar.
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Robert Downey Jr has pulled a Hugh Jackman on us. He fucking nailed Tony Stark in every measurable category. Iron Man has just been crowned the King of All comic book movie franchises. It didn't deviate at really from the Original source material. Iron man should be the blue print for now on, as to how to correctly do a superhero movie. Favaraue or however his name is spelled, did a magnificent job. Now how long do we have to wait for an Avengers movie? They should introduce Thor and Captin America in the Avengers movie. Then let them do their spin-offs. Fuck wating another 6 years for those franchises to be made and established. I want the Avengers now dammit:)
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Yes it had it's flaws, but I just re-watched the special edition DVD. The scenes where the Hulk was actually in it, were incredible. The scenes it wasn't in however, faltered. But overall, I think the movie was really good.
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It was probably exactly what it was supposed to be. I guess I just don't care for the whole Iron Man concept in general.
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Dude, WTF, that film was easily a 5 star movie. How does it feel to be on that lonely island of yours my friend;) But most of us here on the mainland are giving it 5 stars. I see my work with you Yack is far from done:)Oh well..
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His ultimate goal would be to mass-produce and sell the power suit. So, after he thought he had killed tony-stark, he planned to track down and kill pepper potts to silence her and then he'd be home-free. When he realized that the agents were coming after him he had no choice but to get in the suit and fight back.
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I only had fun watching the Suit on Suit slugfest at the end, and even that wasn't particularly clever. And the film was particularly offensive in the propaganda department. I don't care if all these elemets were lifted and transplanted directly from the original comic book, where I hear IronMan was a pro-military anti-Vietnamese figure. This film was viciously racist. Most of the movie dwelt on bad guys who were dark skinned, bearded, and fabulously hook-nosed. The film jingoistically changed the acronymn of SHIELD to include the word HOMELAND to tie it in to Bush's "Homeland Security". The audience is informed that our military is so good that they refuse to attack enemy military targets when they have "human shields", which totally twists the original use of this term during the Iraq Wars, where this term was used to EXCUSE the deaths of civilians from U.S. bombs, blaming the collateral damage on the targets for being too close to the civilians. How nice of this movie to rehabilitate the U.S. military's reputation in this area. And Tony Stark's sudden decision to stop manufacturing weapons is ... not because his weapons cause civilian deaths at our hands, but because (as far as he knows) SOME of them fell into the hands of the enemy, who then killed some U.S. soldiers with them! No explanation is supplied as to where they get their money from to BUY the weapons, or what Tony Stark's treacherous uncle realistically plans to get out of supplying such weapons to these cartoon monster Terrorists. As another reviewer pointed out, it's kinda galling to watch Tony Stark being tortured by drowning him, as a blatant way of shifting the sense of blame from the Waterboarding (which is also drowning) torture used by the U.S. in Guantanamo and other interrogation camps. Oh look, it's the TERRORISTS that do that to an American! I have no idea what relationship the black military guy originally had to Tony Stark in the Comics, but here he is a Top Brass in the U.S. military (hey black people, join up, this movie is providing you with a fantasy of how high you can go!) to further highlight the goodness and decency of our military. And Iron Man proves how heroic he is (after rather viciously killing many unarmoured terrorists) by saving the pilot of a missile-launching U.S. fighter plane. Way to go, Iron Man, you stick up for those decent fighter pilots who never launch while Terrorist hold human shields!
The bits where Tony Stark plays with the prototypes of his suit are fun, and the final Suit vs. Suit slugfest is fun in a nostalgic comicbooky way, but this movie has been WAY overhyped. Robert Downey Jr.'s much vaunted charm sadly failed to amuse me, and I think has been ballyoo'd by rather competent and effective marketing. The way his character is played, he comes off as a rather nasty piece of work, especially in his treatment of his sexual conquests (one of whom is an anti-military-industry reporter, who he seduces and then obnoxiously ignores (with Paltrow's assistant blatantly referring to as "trash" ... take that anti-war activists!). One high school guy hooted with delight every time Downey's Stark dissed another woman he'd slept with in the past, when he failed to remember her name. Hooray for misogyny as well jingoistic bashing of any anti-war attitudes.
I've always found Gwyneth Paltrow beatiful, and she's especially so in this, dressed up as a 40's style glam princess. Every moment on the screen was an eye candy treat. But her romantic chemistry with Downey's Stark is way way below the sparks the hype has been reporting.
All in all, I'd say this is another one of those superhero movies that gets it's positive buzz from immature, insecure comic book fanboys whose idea of a good comic book adaption is to have it have a dark, violent, "badass" edge to it. These people will rate this highly because they got to see the human version of a tank kill people with no real defense against him. It's another step downwards for heroism and idealism, and another step towards militarizing the population through Entertainment. Hooray! -
I guess I have to humor you. Yes, little Gotham, there is only one kind of racism, and Tony Stark having a black man as his friend totally makes the movie bigotry-free. You are so smart. Here's a gold star and a lollipop.
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It's because a carefully engineered buzz has convinced the 90% of reviewers who are scared Sheep that they had better jump on the bandwagon and ride the wave of percieved public opinion. It happened with The Phantom Menace too. Took quite a while for the 90% plus rating on RT to settle down. And look where it is now. Don't point at RT for proof of a film's quality. It never is.
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Period. We shouldn't forgive Pro-War, Pro-Military Recruitment ads because they are "comic book".
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It seems Internet geeks are easily amused these days or just so excited to see their childhood heroes come to life on the big screen, that they refuse to see what the actual movie is, a hollow piece a shit.
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Fucking brooding crybaby rich boy. Tony Stark is my hero.
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May 04, 2008 4:08:06 AM CDT
my post is missing an "I". Can you find where it belongs to?
by david cloverfield
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Why the hell is Nick Fury black? I thought he was supposed to be a white guy. Sorry, I haven't read comic books in almost 15 years.
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That while there are some elements that could be considered "weaker" (like the ending). Iron Man is basically one of the few, if not the only, superhero movie to make the "stick-out-like-sore-thumb-blunder-moment".Others have pointed this out before but I want to reiterate it because I think it's been lost in the shuffle. There isn't an Emo-Peter-Dancing-With-Pistol-Fingers moment, or a Commisioner-Gordon-In-The-Batmobile moment, or a Superman-Throws-His-Logo moment.
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While these aren't necessarily "sore thumb" moments, how about seeing RDJ's digitized mug on magazine covers in the Stark life story montage? I was immediately reminded of those cheap mall gimmicks where they put your face onto the cover of Sports Illustrated or something. It was like, "hey, it's that dude from those bad 80's films!" And how about that shameless Burger KIng product placement? It was even more blatant than the Cingular ad from Spider-Man. Can't really think of anything else at the moment. Maybe I'll see the flick one more time (to make sure it's as weak as I thought it was initially) and I'll get back to you...
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^ Tony Stark is world-famous. Of course he'd be on magazine covers. On the other hand, Commisioner Gordon shouldn't really be driving the Batmobile, and Superman has never had a "cellophane superman logo net" power.I'm not defending the product placement in Iron Man, but I think you've got what I meant by the "blunder moment" confused.(IMHO the most outrageous product placement in a superhero flick was that super-close-in shot of the Dr. Pepper can that filled up the entire screen for like three seconds before Peter shot it with a web in the first Spider-Man. I remember basically laughing out loud in the theatre)
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May 04, 2008 8:32:06 AM CDT
How Iron Man could have been a little better... (spoilers)
by chishu_ryu
First, ditch the flashback sequence of Tony pre-Afghanistan. I think they should've just played the film chronologically. We would've been able to see Tony unfiltered without knowing he's in for a rude awakening. Thus, having his heart blown up in the desert would have had more impact.
Iron Man's creation and evolution into here was a bit too automatic. I really think Iron Man should have been co-created by Stark's fellow prisoner. Where this feeble little scientist gives Stark the heart, the humanity that Stark's inventions needed. And the face of that being Iron Man. Perhaps it was the feeble old scientist's initial plan to escape, but he couldn't make it work. Stark can. Perhaps Stark, who's never had to face the enemy face to face and has never been on the verge of death, is a bit overwhelmed by the situation. It's the feeble old scientist and his crazy ideas of Iron Men and humanity that bring him back to life and begin the spark of change in Tony's soul. And perhaps before the scientist dies, he makes Tony promise him that he won't turn their creation into another weapon of mass destruction. Stark says "yes."
Continuing the problem I had with Iron Man's evolution into hero, there's the problem I had with the town. Perhaps while he's still in Afghanistan, Stark, after his escape, is rescued by an Afghan tribe, he's taken to their village to be picked up by the U.S., he sees first hand the desctruction his weapons have wrought on humanity. Destroyed buildings and infrastructure, dead children, broken families. He sees the remnants of a missile with his name on it. This completes his understanding of the effect his past actions have brought to the world while he irresponsibly cavorted in Las Vegas casinos.
When he returns stateside, as a result of Iron Man, he rediscovers the sheer enjoyment he had of creating, inventing, not just for profit, but for love. He perfects Iron Man. The whole "I want to do this to make better armor for the troops" is a bit shallow and too pro-war. Did Stark not learn anything of depth from his time in hell? In my version, he would. After he has perfected Iron Man, he remembers promise he made to his friend in the cave. What to do with Iron Man? He sees the Afghan village story on CNN, recognizes it, and the decision is made. Iron Man becomes a hero. Something more like this would have made Iron Man's progression a bit more organic.
The Burger King thing. I thought the product placement was cheap and underhanded. If you're going to sell out, sell out. Perhaps while they're driving down the road, Stark decides to go with BK over McD's (who hasn't been forced to make this cosmic decision) and they go to the drive thru and order a couple of value meals. Something Stark hasn't done since his college days, again, maybe a return again to the simpler person he was before losing his soul to the highest bidder.
Scrap the idea of Obidiah Stane wanting to off Stark in the desert. That's just stupid and makes Stane look like an asswipe. Again, as I stated before, if your corporation is making trillions inventing cool weapons for the military, why would you kill the guy who's inventing those military weapons and making the corporation and stockholders trillions? It's a bit of a bad business decision, I think. If Stane was part of some Ten Rings evil organization, or HYDRA, or whatever, again, why kill Stark? After Stark's decision to scrap weapons development, then Stane's anger with Stark would make more sense. As is, Stane's character is too lazily developed and convenient. Too summer blockbustery.
After the "ice" fight with Iron Monger in space, there needed to be some consequence of that Icing when they returned to Earth. When they get back down, it's like, they just picked up where they left off. There was no consequence of Iron Monger's icing, that inexperience with the suit, that dooms him. This was a problem with the whole film. The script, as written, needed doctoring. Call me next time, Marvel. I'm available.
I could go on and on, but I've got other things to do right now...over.... -
May 04, 2008 8:34:02 AM CDT
Crap, thought I was doing the paragraph break thing...oh well..
by chishu_ryu
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The reason Nick Fury is black is because Marvel put out an alternate line of their superhero's called Ultimate (Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Avengers, etc.). This line is pretty much a redo. They allow the artist to change aspects of the characters origin and personality. Most of it is basically making the characters more brooding and darker. In Ultimate Avengers Nick Fury is an African American. I've never read any of these lines so I couldn't tell you what other changes have been made to his character, but that's why they decided to cast Sam Jackson.
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I believe Ultimate Nick Fury was based on Sam Jackson, so it ultimately makes sense.
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try br surrounded by carrots.
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May 04, 2008 9:10:24 AM CDT
How Iron Man could have been a little better - Part II (spoiler
by chishu_ryu
First, ditch the flashback sequence of Tony pre-Afghanistan. I think they should've just played the film chronologically. We would've been able to see Tony unfiltered without knowing he's in for a rude awakening. Thus, having his heart blown up in the desert would have had more impact. Iron Man's creation and evolution into here was a bit too automatic. I really think Iron Man should have been co-created by Stark's fellow prisoner. Where this feeble little scientist gives Stark the heart, the humanity that Stark's inventions needed. And the face of that being Iron Man. Perhaps it was the feeble old scientist's initial plan to escape, but he couldn't make it work. Stark can. Perhaps Stark, who's never had to face the enemy face to face and has never been on the verge of death, is a bit overwhelmed by the situation. It's the feeble old scientist and his crazy ideas of Iron Men and humanity that bring him back to life and begin the spark of change in Tony's soul. And perhaps before the scientist dies, he makes Tony promise him that he won't turn their creation into another weapon of mass destruction. Stark says "yes." Continuing the problem I had with Iron Man's evolution into hero, there's the problem I had with the town. Perhaps while he's still in Afghanistan, Stark, after his escape, is rescued by an Afghan tribe, he's taken to their village to be picked up by the U.S., he sees first hand the desctruction his weapons have wrought on humanity. Destroyed buildings and infrastructure, dead children, broken families. He sees the remnants of a missile with his name on it. This completes his understanding of the effect his past actions have brought to the world while he irresponsibly cavorted in Las Vegas casinos. When he returns stateside, as a result of Iron Man, he rediscovers the sheer enjoyment he had of creating, inventing, not just for profit, but for love. He perfects Iron Man. The whole "I want to do this to make better armor for the troops" is a bit shallow and too pro-war. Did Stark not learn anything of depth from his time in hell? After he has perfected Iron Man, he remembers the promise he made to his friend in the cave. What to do with Iron Man? He sees the Afghan village story on CNN, recognizes it, and the decision is made. Iron Man becomes a hero. Something more like this would have made Iron Man's progression a bit more organic. The Burger King product placement, I thought, was a little cheap. If you're going to sell out, sell out. Perhaps while they're driving down the road, Stark decides to go with BK over McD's (who hasn't been forced to make this cosmic decision?) and they go to the drive thru and order a couple of value meals. something Stark hasn't done since his college days. Again, it signifies a return again to the simpler person he was before losing his soul to the highest bidder, as well as an evolution. Scrap the idea of Obidiah Stane wanting to off Stark in the desert. That's just stupid and makes Stane look like an asswipe. Again, as I stated before, if your corporation is making trillions inventing cool weapons for the military, why would you kill the guy who's inventing those military weapons and making the corporation and stockholders trillions? It's a bad business decision overall, I think. Even if Stane was part of some Ten Rings evil organization, or HYDRA, or whatever, again, why kill Stark? After Stark's decision to scrap weapons development, then Stane's anger with Stark would make more sense. As is, Stane's character is too lazily developed and convenient. Too summer blockbustery. After the "ice" fight with Iron Monger in space, there needed to be some consequence of that Icing when they returned to Earth. When they get back down, it's like, they just picked up where they left off. There was no consequence of Iron Monger's icing, that inexperience with the suit, that dooms him. This was a problem with the whole film. The script, as written, needed doctoring. Call me next time, Marvel. I'm available. There are other things, but I've got to go make doughnuts...
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Still need to work on that, didn't get the space between paragraphs
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to make the spaces use but without the spaces obviously.
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Can't wait for the next one. Seen it twice already. This is the first time since L.A. Confidential that I walked out of a movie and wanted to go right back in to see it again. RDJ brought the heat with his performance. I was dead set against him from the start. I always thought Gerard Butler would have been better. This is his best role yet. Paltrow was spot on. Howard should've had more to do. Bridges is incapable of giving a bad performance. The photo of him with daddy Stark at the award show was from "Tucker: A man and his dream." Top notch action sequences and Nick motherfuckin' Fury at the end. The Avengers Intiative. Hold on tight people.
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You're so dead on. Glad I'm not the only one.
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have the avengers' flick be the vehicle for captain america's origin story instead of a standalone film. i'd say the same for thor but thor's story is way too out there and needs to be told seperately. if at all (who doesn't know who thor is? norse god of thunder, 'nuff said)
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Nice job, Herc! This 10-point-thingie should be done more often! Way better than 3-7 pages full of praises which come to exactly the same point.
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I think that pretty much seals the deal on this one. I think the haters have been soundly felled by the tidal wave of glowingly positive to ecstatic reactions from general public and critics.
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That would be the best way to do it. Start it in WWII with Steve Rogers going trough the super soldier program. It would be great.
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Glowing reviews on RT for opening weekend. Look where Phantom Menace is now.
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It looks like Iron Man took in $100 million. I liked the movie so I'm pretty happy about this. I think we can all rest assure that an Avengers film won't be far behind.
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I vividly remember the general consensus on TPM ranging somewhere between OK to Disappointing to Awful. I also don't recall it ever going above 60%-70% on RT. It certainly never hit 90%+.
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You know, associating a comic book crime fighting organization with a George Bush sponsored Republican phony "initiative" to fight terror? And that this sense of Both "Homeland Security" and the Fussy Friendly military helping Stark out pervades this whole film, making the film an ad for both Bush and the U.S. Military? Is this really Kosher with you geeks?
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but I found any political implications declawed. They set the events in Afghanistan rather than the more controversial Iraq and they made Stark a prisoner along with someone of Middle Eastern decent. So it's not exactly East v. West. Plus, the main villain is a U.S. military contractor which could be construed as pointing more towards a liberal agenda (one which I agree with, the no bid contracts in Iraq have been devastating and I wonder why there haven't been more investigations into war profiteering). I think you rightly point out that when you try and tie superheroes to real world geopolitical events you risk dumbing things down. So, while I see where your coming from I think the politics of the film are more confused than they are right or left.
Of course maybe this is because I just enjoyed the film, particularly Robert Downey Jr.'s performance. -
Did you watch the movie? You did pick up on the fact that the main narrative thrust involved Tony Stark having a profound change of heart / crisis on conscience about being a war-profiteer? You did catch that right? Oh, and btw, SHIELD has been around for like, what, 40 years or so? Long before Dubya slithered out of his mother's filth. If anything, Iron Man skews to the left as a film with an underlying progressive viewpoint, not a neocon one.
But, even if it was a neocon propaganda piece, didn't Tony Stark basically tell SHIELD to go dangle? The final scene was basically Tony saying, I call the shots, not you. Again, mirroring a more subversive and progressive viewpoint. -
In a deleted scene he stops in Dubai. and remember Iron man can fly at least at mach 1.
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if you believe that fine, but only now did it ever cross my mind because someone mentioned it, but i think you 2 people on here may be the only ones on the planet that had a problem with it. it seemed normal, i didn't see anything out there or weird about it. must be a bunch of dumb fucks to be bothered by it.
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Ultimates style. I don't know where Marvel got the intelligence to think people would actually go pay to see a movie called 'Captain America' when no one likes America. BUT if you make an avengers movie and introduce Cap there and show what a cool character he is and that is isn't a right wing jingoistic nutjob, then you can make a Cap movie and people will see it. Smart business. Start of the movie with the atlantic flight and Cap in shadow getting ready to drop with the paratroopers and filmed like Saving Private Ryan, tell me that wouldn't shock the shit out of the audience. Anyone agree with me? You listening Kevin Feige? NO CAP MOVIE UNTIL AVENGERS! It's the only way it will work. PEOPLE WILL NOT GO SEE A CAPTAIN AMERICA MOVIE UNTIL THEY LIKE HIM IN AVENGERS.
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the shield issue is because it was changed to Homeland when the H usually stands for hazardous.
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I thought Batman Begins was great until that part, and then it became the single worst movie ever made in human history.
JUST KIDDING! It was corny, sure, but I think any comic book movie needs wiggle room for corny moments. BATMAN BEGINS was fuckin' great. The ONLY good Batman movie so far. Though I supposed that TDK will unseat it. It really looks great. -
So it was changed to more accurately reflect current events. And thats bad because... why? I think it makes sense. Not to mention funny! the SHIELD acronym always having been patently ridiculous.
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It's also that they are these creepy guys in black, and they turn out to save the day, and be Stark's buddies, along with the U.S. Military. It's practically George Bush's version of kissing babies only he's kissing Iron Man instead. LOOK, COMIC BOOK FANS, REPUBLICANS LIKE COMIC BOOKS! LOOK COMIC BOOK FANS, THE U.S. MILITARY AND IRON MAN ARE FRIENDS! JOIN NOW!
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In the "Ultimate" alternat reality line, their black Nick Fury was deliberately designed to look like Sam Jackson (with Sam Jackson's permission).
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Again, the main narrative thrust is totally anti-neocon. Its about a man who turns away from war profiteering, about a man finding a conscience, not tossing it out the window for a protracted oil war. I think it comes off as more progressive than neocon; at the very least, center-left.
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where are the Superman Returns fans saying that the sequel will bring in the action because the first one had to restablish characters. Hey dumb fucks. Iron Man established characters, gave much love to the comics and entertained like hell. where's your argument and your singerman now? it made half of what Superman returns made..In a fucking weekend. What a way to make Iron Man an A-list hero, now everyone will know who Tony Stark is. Another one for Marvel. DC is trying to do the same thing for their potential character, Green Lantern, by hiring the homosexual behind pansy shows like Everwood and Brothers and sisters to direct DC's Manliest hero, and they got Marc Guggenheim to write it, who can't even write a great comic, but not Geoff Johns, he who is the only one capable of making Hal Jordan interesting. idiots. Hire Speilberg or Ridley Scott to direct and Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons to write. Dc will hit it off with Green Lantern by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. Fucking hell.
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the superman returns fans unconvinced that bad word of mouth is what kept the movie so low. Look at Iron Man, gerat movie, great word of mouth. Bang. More than half the budget done in 3 days.
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I think word of mouth helps a bit, but these days people are more influenced by pretty trailers, which Iron Man had. People have open contempt for critics these days, and the number 1 movie in America is often embarrasingly terrible. I don't really remember an Superman trailers, but I'm pretty sure they weren't fun(there wasn't fun in the movie), didn't show action (how could they?), didn't have fun music, and didn't make people want to see the movie.
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Episode I is the 5th best movie ever, and POTC: DMC is better than Black Pearl.
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Sometimes it's fun to discuss and predict box office, but that's a completely different matter than quality.
Those who like Superman Returns (including me) generally argue that the film focused on themes and character rather than action (I would argue in a more complex way than Iron Man--that's not to disparage Iron Man which I also liked, they're two different movies). I think the lack of action did hurt the box office of Superman, but that doesn't mean the film wasn't good. It just meant people wanted less thought and more action. -
...so that means X3 is a better movie than Iron Man, and Brett Ratner is a better director than Jon Favreau...
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I don't know what I'm supposed to be convinced about, or what you're expecting a SR fan like me to say in response to Iron Man. I liked both films ... some great films make very little at the BO (and get very little love from critis, see "Donnie Darko" and, well, "Citizen Kane" - not to put both on the same pedistal).
Conversely, some shitty films get rave reviews, Oscars, etc. ("Crash," I'm looking in your direction.) Wacky world like that.
Sorry, guess I'm not "convinced" yet about ... uh, something ... Come again?
(And, guy, "hiring the homosexual behind pansy shows"? Seriously? Grow the fuck up.) -
that Black Military guy you were refering about, Jim Rhodes had assumed the role of Ironman back in the 80's while Stark was drunk and penniless.He even held his own during the Secret Wars.Needless to say his more promient role is War machine. (Love that little reference in the movie.).Mark Millar who created Ultimates had based ultimate Nick Fury on Sam's image,who ironically SJ was a fan of the Avengers comics.That explains Fury being Black.
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simply fantastic, very very good work. for the first time in years, I want to see a second time, maybe a third.
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May 04, 2008 4:06:39 PM CDT
When Jim Rhodes Looks At The Suit And Says, "Maybe Next Time"
by laserpants
I nearly kicked the seat in front of me with joy. So good! Bring on War Machine for part 2!
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1.Prologue
2.That cool big band version of the Ironman cartoon theme during Ceasar's palace.
3.Tony escapes while fragging the terorists.
4.Jarvis is automated!
5.Tony goes at it again with the extremists, this time, rightfully so as the Golden Avenger.
6.John Faverau plays a Marvel sidekick twice from Froggy Nelson to Happy Hogan.7.Ironman vs Starman; Jeff bridges was great as Obadiah and the Ironmonger fight reminded me of Robocop 2.8."Maybe next time" Nuff Said9.Speaking of nuff said, Stan mistaken as Hef. niiiccee.
10.Epilogue following the credits:unforgetable!
Superman Returns: 1, Ironman: 4 golden stars! -
Speaking as the author of the revised acronym "Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage and Logistics Directorate" -- allow me to note the important letter is S -- Strategic. In Military terms that means million-man armies, Carrier fleets, nuclear arsenals, Galactus, etc. Threats to the entire nation (not to skyscrapers or mall shoppers). Hydra was a Strategic threat. Galactus was Strategic threat. The Black Death would qualify. Turning Strategic Hazard into Strategic Homeland, isn't that big a meaning shift, its more along the lines of a jurisdictional change-- presumably it would mean threats to the homeland as a whole (despite my massive distaste for the modern use of "Homeland" which has an unpleasantly Nazi/Commie ring to it). I think the new name is perfectly consistent with SHIELD and doesn't reflect W-ism (beyond the fact that as a "Directorate", SHIELD was always rather super-legal with unclear accountablility).
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I'm well aware that the actor who portrayed him is named Terrance Howard. If you pay attention, you'll notice that most actors in movies are not playing themselves, but fictional characters! Like, Robert Downy Jr., for instance. We all know that in real life, Robert Downy Jr. is Robert Downy Jr. BUT, in the movie, this movie, he plays a character named Tony Stark who builds a suit and becomes a superhero called IRON MAN. Its true! All movies are just make-believe! None of what you see on the screen is really real, and the people you do see are actual real people in real life with their own names and stuff completely unrelated to the movie they were in! Usually when people talk about movies, or particular aspects of said movies, especially in relation to the narrative and characterization, we often refer to the characters names, NOT the actors who play them, especially while discussing plot, dialogue, and the like. Why? Because the actor who plays the character doesn't actually do the things the characters in the movie do, its just make believe. I know it can be confusing, but if you calm down, take a deep breath, and clear your mind, you'll be able to enjoy yourself without discomfort and avoid saying unbelievably stupid ass things that make no sense.
Retard. -
We all make mistakes. Next time make sure you know what you're talking about before you get all indignant and pedantic; for indignant pedantry will be thrust upon thine own furrowed brow in an even more condescending manner!
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Especially when Iron Monger told that one terrorist "This side of the world has always had problem (Becoming more technologicly advanced)". If they had done their research they would have known that isn't the case. No matter, the movie was pretty good.
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I was digging into Superman Returns fans, when a character nowhere near as known as Superman made a shitload of money and will continue to do so because of how good it looked and word of mouth, yet Superman Returns didn't look so good and had bad word of mouth. If a blockbuster is good, people will see it. Obviously box office doesn't equate quality, just that people will see it.
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You realize you are quoting THE villian of the movie, rather than some sort of press release from the production itself, right?
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Hey they used the theme from the old 60's IRON MAN cartoon 2 or 3 times during the movie so that was good enough for me. messi: Iron Man will pass SR's BO in just a few more days and it will have legs. They forgot to give SR legs- The scene where Superman saves the space shuttle/plane was really the only time the movie worked for me, IRON MAN was like that cool "geek buzz" feeling for 2 hours. How Stark ended the press conference was great way to jump out.
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and one that understands the idea that war is sometimes necessary to gain and preserve liberty. Evil must sometimes be fought.
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in other words they changed Nick Fury from white to black just to gain more black readers and to hell with the longtime fans of the original Nick Fury (not that I was one).
if people want a comic book hero for black people to admire why can't they just fucking create an original character instead of fucking hijacking well established characters?
This "Ultimates" idea that Marvel introduced sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me. Shit, with that stupid concept you might as well go all the way with it. You can do anything you want. Hell, why not make Spiderman black? Why not make Wolverine black? Hell, they should even make Thor black! Why not? It's an alternate universe.
fucking stupid.
glad I'm not reading comics anymore. looks like they've become way too politically correct.
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Shrek proves you can peddle shit and still make squillions (even 3). But Pixar proves if you make a quality, timeless flick you'll make even MORE money, both short AND long-term.
And INWO, I don't think the ads were great - in retrospect. Sure I watched those trailers too much, but basically I didn't know they gave away the whole movie, and spoiled (as in took some of the joy out of it) the movie for me because I felt like there was nothing new. If it was a Zemeckis movie I would have known to be wary of it because he does it on purpose, but even though I thought it was great I can't deny seeing essentially the whole arc in the ads took the wind from my sails a bit. I'm not watching any more Indy, DK, Speed Racer or especially Hulk ('cause I feel like there may not BE that much more to it) trailers no matter HOW good people think they are! -
Batman Begins had the stain of the previous franchise which analysts agree on, because the movie was in theatres for along time due to good word of mouth. It's the reason why the dvd's were explosive and why The Dark Knight will be huge. And Iron Man hasn't made more than Batman begins yet. Batman Begins made 350 million. Where did you get that information from?
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You saw the part about how Tony Stark was getting out of the weapons manufacturing business, right? How he realized that war-profiteering was a bad thing? It informed the better part of the narrative and defines his character arc.
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...as in pro-US War effort. I believe Stark stops weapons development because he says it's killing our own troops, right? And he develops Iron Man as a way to help protect them better or something. I'm not sure exactly, I just remember it being a lot about the troops and him seeing young American men and women being gunned down in front of him with his own weapons. Before he flies off to Afghanistan, Pepper doesn't almost quit because he's going to go kill some Arabs, it's because she thinks he's going to get killed. So he goes off to Afghanistan, and kills some Arab terrorists. On top of that, Rhodes, a top military officer, is his best friend throughout the film, and the SHIELD agents are likened to Homeland Security and they play like the Cavalry at the end of the film. Sounds all a bit USA! USA! to me. Maybe the only thing missing was Iron Man holding up the US flag at the end...but that's been done like two hundred times already...Lord, we don't want to accuse this Iron Man movie of being cliche...
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that still has joy in it NoDiggity, you start yapping about inane shit yet again. Why do you focus on something and then just drill the hell out of it? I can't believe you have a problem with the "Homeland" in SHIELD. And like Chishu just said above, Stark is pro-troops.
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I haven't scrolled up yet. Did you see IM? Post a review?
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changing the "Hazard" or whatever to "Homeland" in the SHIELD acronymn. In a post 911 America, it makes a lot more sense and is therefore a more credible name. You believe such a division could exist.
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I have no objection to seeing a ton of Iron Man reviews because word of mouth on this one is what will make it.
Iron Man is a second tier character that not many will have heard of but the movie itself isn't just for us comic book geeks. In fact its probably one of the best melds of comic book goodness and blockbuster for adults you'll see. It deserves to do well for getting right what so many others have failed to do.
My personal rating is that, after Superman the Movie, which for all its faults succeeded in being a film for everybody, this film is up there with Batman Begins as the next best Superhero Movie ever.
I thought it was let down by the climactic battle but everything else was so great I can live with that. Oh and why is it that Iron Man has better quips than Spiderman Mr Raimi ? Loved the "oh this looks like it might be something important " line when he's fighting Bridges at the end.
Final word, if you haven't seen it. Go, take some friends, you won't regret it. -
He's coaching the New Orleans Hornets.
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Marvel Entertainment released their first quarter report to its shareholders this morning to coincide with the announcement about the success this past weekend of Marvel Studios' first production Iron Man, which grossed an estimated $100.7 million domestically and over $200 million worldwide. The announcement included an update of Marvel Studios' feature film slate with the already-rumored Iron Man 2 announced for a release on April 30, 2010, followed by three more movies for the summers of '10 and '11. Matthew Vaughn's Thor is set for a release on June 4, 2010, and The First Avenger: Captain America (the working title) will kick off the summer of 2011 on May 6, followed by the highly-anticipated and foreshadowed The Avengers scheduled for July 2011. (Edgar Wright's Ant-Man is also listed as being in development with no release date set.)
With that in mind, one can start expecting a lot more announcements in the coming months about creative teams and casting for those movies including who might direct the Captain America and Avengers movies. (Whomever plays Steve Rogers AKA Captain America presumably will be making two movies at once.)
There will be a webcast for investors at 9AM Eastern at www.Marvel.com/webcasts where the same information should be relayed. -
Favreau and Downey turned what was arguably a "B" level comic hero into a class "A" movie hero.
But I also agree with with Yackbacker said above: as good as the movie is, some of the community orgasm will subside and we'll have more perspective. That's why I gave it 82 last Friday (out of 100). I thought it was VERY fun, VERY well done, but I did see room for improvements. It's VERY good, on par with whatever else anyone says is the best superhero movie so far, but it's not a perfect MOVIE movie. -
Yup, I saw it and really, really liked it. I'll reserve my final ranking in the superhero movie world until I see it a second time. And that Indy trailer was fucking great.
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at Captain America and Avengers movies being two months apart. that's CRAZY.
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if someone had business sense they'ed know people around the world don't like America, but they might see a Captain America movie if they introduce him in Avengers and people see what a cool character he is. Some idiot on newsarama said it wouldn't matter because independance day, armageddon and transformers had military in good light. What a fucking idiot. Fanboys and fucked up perspective. You can't compare big disaster movies to a movie called 'Captain America'.
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so much money on Captain America's movie. thank god the avengers movie will already have been made and set for release by then.
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Does anybody know who made this movie? http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lyw2ZnbJsJQ&feature=related
It's just seems too damn good to have been done by an amateur -
Sorry, Link doesn't work. Go to you tube and type: New Animated Iron Man 1 - Part 1. Is this part of a video game or something?
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Sorry, Link doesn't work. Go to you tube and type: New Animated Iron Man 1 - Part 1. Is this part of a video game or something?
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you dumbass. talk about ignorant. The Ultimate line has produced some of the best comics of the past 2 decades. It is a modernized version of the Marvel U, more film-esque, more 'realistic' and also more adult. The Marvel U may be PG, but the Ultimate U is Pg-13.
The Ultimates(The Avengers) is done in the way Mark Miller thought an Avengers movie should be like, less funny costumes, more cinematic costumes. Each arc written like a Blockbuster movie. it has nothing to do with gaining more black readers, Marvel has been at the forefront of prominent black superheroes, has nothing to do with that. They decided that Samuel L Jackson would be a good cinematic version of Nick Fury and as such they based and were allowed to use his likeness. They also called the Avengers the Ultimates because Millar and Hitch didn't get the avengers name since they never avenged anything. Plus they aren't politically correct, the Ultimates itself is a more fucked up, violent version of the avengers. Cap is more violent, Tony is less redeeming, Hank is a wife beater virtually from the start and a depressive etc. If it was politically correct it wouldn't be so violent and nor would there be allusions to an incestual relationship between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
why are aicn people so quick to take the opinion of others and not that of themselves. Ultimate Spider-man is one of the greatest runs in comic history.
And you're glad you're not reading comics? what an idiotic statement, get a mind of your own and stop assuming and you may find that comic books are better than they ever were. It's a true golden age. Not only are indie comics amazing but superhero comics have stepped up and become pieces of art. -
May 05, 2008 9:03:21 AM CDT
People on newsarama actually think the world doesn't hate americ
by messi
they use the thing "have you interviews 7 billion people", I guess none of them are going to be film producers. not smart enough. It's common sense to know that a movie called Captain America will not make much money around the world. The only hope they have is if they introduce him in Avengers and people see that and go 'hey a cap movie, i might see it because I know what cap is about'.
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The witty wisecracks were apparently all RDJ's doing I think.It just goes to show that the Spider-Man franchise, while temporarily all worn out, isn't dead. They can still make it absolutely perfect if they ever decide to restart it one day. Maybe they'd have more freedom too, because they can go the Batman Begins route without actually needing to reboot it.Although I still think the first Burton Batman film was better than Begins, or at least tied because the origin parts of Begins were amazing, but we haven't really seen Burton attempt that. Batman Returns was also a very decent followup I thought, though that was a better fantasy movie than it was a comic book movie.
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have RETARDED VILLAINS.it's too focused on the heroes. which it did breathe life into tho.
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I liked it better when it was called Spider-Man 2099. Best. Spidey. Evar.(ok, I don't know if there are any similarities, but the premise of the characters is similar... a darker, edgier Spidey)2099 Universe > Ultimates Universe, imo. None of the complaints about rewriting shit either.The success of the Ultimates (and the failure of the 2099 universe) just goes to show that Marvel can't make new properties that will sell. They wrapped it up in the '80s, it's all about the properties turning into their own brand names now.And how fucking awesome was the multi-comic plot arc of Doctor Fucking Doom taking over the post-Capitalist Fascist-Corporate remains of the United States of America and IMPROVING it?
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turning Betty Ross into a ho.did we really need to hear the Hulk threaten to rape her?even though I mostly dig the new take on the heroes, just wish they had better villainy (although they might have done that by now, i only read the first couple runs over a year or two ago).World War Hulk was a promising attempt at injecting some life into the old universe, hope they don't give up.
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Trailers giving away too much is a problem for me too(even worse is the previews for TV shows that explain what is going to happen 2 seconds before the show starts), but for getting people to the theater it is usually effective.
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as anything other than a comedy. It could work, but, I dunno. Ant-Man always struck me as silly.
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May 05, 2008 11:42:34 AM CDT
Stark IS Pro-Troops, But He's NOT A Neocon, He's Progressive
by laserpants
Tony Stark gains a progressive (say, center-left) viewpoint through his trials in Afghanistan. If anyone is the neocon its Obidiah Stane who wants to keep selling weapons to terrorists... something the US govt. had done for years under Reagan/Bush; a legacy that Cheney and Rumsfeld were gleegully apart of (whilst Dubya was snorting coke and praying to Jeebus for more retards to execute in Texas); a legacy which informs the now all but dead neocon movement. Movement as in bowel.
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uhh what? darker edgier spidey? have you read ultimate spidey? the dark edgier stuff is with the ultmates, but Ultimate spidey is all about taking him back to his iconic best and making it a super fun book and spidey hilarious.
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Stark is completely in it for the money - at least up front. It's part of his character, but he doesn't even take being IN the war zone very seriously. It's someone else's job; his is just to sell them the weapons. But after Stark is personally affected by his weapons falling into the wrong hands (very easily) and sees what other people are put through because of his cavalier attitude toward the responsibility of creating those weapons, his "eyes are opened". RDJ even has a line in the movie where he specifically says "his eyes were opened" when he got hurt in the beginning. Assigning some kind fo political stance to Stark is stupid and pointless because it's not germaine to the story. But Stark was only "pro-troops" so long as he was making money from them.
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Absolutely correct about Stark as portrayed in the movie. Only in it for the money.
I loved the movie BTW. I am a very long-time IM fan, and I could not wait to see it. It ranks high on my personal pantheon of superhero movies...
1) Xmen2
2) Spiderman2
3) Iron Man
4) Blade
5) Batman Begins
6) Hellboy
7) Superman 2
8) Batman '89
9) Superman
10)Daredevil, Hulk, FF#1 -
she better be smoking hot, like in the comics. If they can make that little pixie from the Avenger animated movies come to life on the bigscreen, geeks will COME
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...he witnessed American G.I.'s getting slaughtered by his own weapons, when he is kidnapped in the opening scene. He states this to Obadiah Stane after he returns from Afghanistan and wants to take Stark Industries in a new direction. He thinks they can, in the words of Dubya, "do better." He never once sees innocents, except maybe Dr. Yensin, get killed with those same weapons. So, I don't think the true atrocities of war factor into Stark's decision. Stark is pro-America, pro-military, pro-capitalist, pro-war, anti-Islamic terrorist.
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and killer of Captain America, Betrayer of Spider-man, deciever of Thor.
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Dude, um, the entire arc of his character is going from a conscienceless war-profiteer to superhero! He has a profound change of heart and all but shuts down his company because he knows he's in the wrong business. He then officially, publicly, and hilariously says he will no longer make weapons of any kind for war. If anything, its a very anti-war movie, with an anti-war viewpoint. Its the entire fucking plot! Did you watch the movie?
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best movie this year till. batman
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