Ensign Lestat's Film Log, 05/05/13
So, the blockbuster season has finally arrived! Couldn't have come any sooner, to be honest. I was beginning to suffer serious withdrawal symptoms. How else would one explain my previous visit to the cinema?
Despite having left it to the last minute, me and the family were all set and ready to catch 'Iron Man 3' on the big screen, and in 3D. All this was decided the day before, when we were scattered across four different areas of the city, frantically messaging each other, while also attempting to do our jobs. Phew!
We made it in good time and settled in... to watch ads. I think we sat for about 45 minutes watching ads. They weren't even film trailers. It was just ad after ad after ad. It was ridiculous. And frustrating.
To top it all, the system was obviously glitchy, because from time to time the screen would go black, and then the ad would begin. After a while, just when we thought the film would begin, the screen went on flickering green, white, black for an age. This is a discotheque then?
More frustration abounded when this strobe lighting was followed by pitch darkness. For the first time in my life the crowd around me began hooting, clapping and shouting out 'Where's the movie?' It was uncomfortable, to say the least. My family made light of it, but others weren't taking too kindly to the delay.
Once the screen came back on, we were treated to... trailers. Sigh!
We were beginning to think we read our tickets wrong, and that it actually said 'Ad Man 3000'.
But never fear, we got there eventually. Robert Downey Jr.'s unmistakable gravelly voice soon filled the hall, as he walked us through an event that took place in Tony Stark's life over a decade before. Here we are introduced to two new characters, Rebecca Hall's scientist Maya Hansen and Guy Pearce's character Aldrich Killian. They are important to the plot, so we must keep them in mind.
Fast forward to the present and Tony is not doing too well. It appears the incident with the Chitauri has affected him deeply. He is consumed by his work (read: advancing the Iron Man technology), while attempting to maintain his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), CEO of Stark Industries.
At the time of the story, a terrorist by the name of the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is devastating towns in the US and around the world. His bomb attacks have struck fear into all, and the US government plans to take action.
These scenes are interspersed with our re-introduction to Pepper and Tony's former security guard, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Happy chances upon some rather disturbing information, which lands him in the hospital.
This sets the entire film in motion. Tony gets embroiled in his investigation, in tandem with the Mandarin's continuing attack. The re-entry of Killian becomes a thorn in Tony's side as well.
Enter, one of the sillier decisions made by any thinking man. This isn't really a spoiler, but look away if you want to go in 100% blinkered (like I was). Tony makes a huge, overt threat directed at the Mandarin. This causes an exquisite action sequence, which was brilliant to watch, but the move by Tony seemed out of place. To be honest, the Tony of this film isn't quite the cocky, over-confident person that we saw in the first film, or in 'The Avengers' for that matter. He is different. But perhaps this dangerous step taken by him might have been his innate self-confidence getting the better of him again.
Anyway, Tony and Pepper are separated due to this and Tony decides to take on the bad guys with the help of... a little boy. Yeah, I'm not sure what happened in this part of the film, because it was just so out of place with the Iron Man genre. Granted, there was endless amusement to be gained from the sequence, but again, completely unfit for this franchise.
Pepper in the meantime, unfortunately, gets captured and is used as bait to get Tony.
Eventually, after an interminable age, Tony joins War Machine, now referred to as the Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) and they get together to take down the baddies.
Now, that is a very brief outline of the events of the film. To be honest, I caught a couple of trailers of the film beforehand and thought perhaps they'd given the best bits away. In a way, yes they did. They hinted at the spectacular action sequences, instead of properly surprising us during the film. But the trailers also suggested an action-packed film. I'm not saying this film lacks that, but it was surprisingly slow. In between the action pieces there would be slow-boiling development scenes, and during most of those scenes, I felt the film didn't really progress at all. Another issue I had was that there was a lot of focus on the supporting characters. I am not sure if it was just me, but there were times when the focus detracted from Tony, and well, Tony's the reason we come to the theatre, so that defeats the purpose.
There are interesting twists that could have been much better handled. To be honest, one twist was given away right at the start, which was a pity. Also, that twist was not used to its full potential.
I will at this point, mention a handful of things that really bothered me about the film. Be warned, spoilers abound.
This film was released barely a month after the Boston marathon bombing. Unfortunately, with much of its plot centred on terrorism, terrorist activities and bombings, it hit a little too close to home. I may also point out that I'm not the only one who noticed this. I like my films to take me away from reality. But the two are merging more and more these days. The impossible seems possible, and the bad guys can be truly evil. With the news of Boston so fresh in our minds, it was, at least for me, impossible to fully immerse myself in this other world. Reality came to the forefront.
To top it all, the film deals with regeneration of the human body. It was about immortal beings, with a propensity to overheat and blow-up. Considering the Boston bombing saw an incredible number of people maimed, it disturbed me to think of what people watching this film might feel.
Also, these immortal/ regenerating creatures seemed out of place in the Iron Man universe. It felt at one point that they belonged on 'Supernatural' or something like that.
But, none of the above are the film's fault. Well, not directly, anyway. What I do blame the film for is its poor timeline. The film is set in and around Christmas time. What? Don Cheadle mentioned that this film was completed sometime last month. In time for the blockbuster season. This film was always going to be released during the summer. But yet, the movie time is Christmas. So these events, that we are watching now basically happened during Christmas 2012. It just completely took me out of the world. In the beginning, when Tony's trying on his new suit (a rather funny scene), he asks Jarvis (Paul Bettany) to play some music. The music is a Christmas song. Suffice to say, all of us in the audience burst out laughing, till we realised, much to our horror, that, that wasn't the joke. Pity.
As if the rather disturbing nature of the film wasn't enough, we had to put up with a rather odd situation in the hall part-way through the film. The lights kept coming on. Much muttering and complaining went around. They'd go off, then come back on again. No explanation was given. We assumed that the technicians were acting up, but then there was this utterly faint announcement, that we made out, only after several repetitions. Something about there being 'an incident in the building'. It's enough to make your blood run cold. My family and I got up to leave, as it became obvious that some kind of alarm had also gone off outside the theatre. Just as we were descending, people returned from the door saying it was a false alarm. Trust me, all of this was very alarming.
Even as we sat back down, we could hear the alarm outside and the lights continued to come on intermittently. Worst movie experience ever.
The combination of all these elements means that I do not look at IM3 very fondly. I firmly believe that a second viewing, when it's out on DVD will be required for me to fully appreciate the film.
There's another big problem with this film, and it comes down, I believe to the change in director. Shane Black takes over the reigns of IM3, and hence the film appears to fit exclusively into its own world. We're talking about a universe where super-powered beings are now public knowledge. But, at no point in the film does Tony ask, or even think of asking, for help from his allies. Nor is there any sign of SHIELD. SHIELD is missing. SHIELD! You've got to be kidding me. SHIELD basically, well almost, took over the whole of the second film, and suddenly in this one, they're non-existent. This comes into especially sharp contrast, because of the clear 'The Avengers' references in the film. How can those heroes not be there to assist Tony?
I can't say the 3D was very effective. It certainly didn't stand out for the most part. I felt it was okay, but it should have been extraordinary during the action scenes, and it wasn't.
In the acting department, I finally felt like everyone had come into their own. I felt Paltrow was holding back a lot during the first and especially the second film. Her character got ignored in the second, to give importance to the Black Widow, which was a serious misjudgement Here, she's allowed to embody her character and let her grow, and I really love that. The best thing about Pepper in the franchise is that she's a mature woman with a mind of her own. She goes from being a PA to the CEO of Stark Industries, and the transition is smooth-sailing. I really enjoyed watching Pepper in this film.
It was good to see Favreau reprise his role as Happy, despite having bequeathed his directorial duties. It shows no animosity between the two directors. I felt the writers could have really used Hall's character to the story's advantage. They propose it at the beginning of the film, but never fulfil that promise. She's a capable actor, but her role here does not do her justice.
I'd say the same goes with Don Cheadle. I haven't seen much of him, but I like his acting. I feel like there could be a lot to explore of his character Rhodes. I wanted, expected actually, more of Rhodes in this film. What we see is brilliant, but it's just not enough.
There was much talk in the house on how good Guy Pearce looked in the film. Well, his looks certainly belie his age. He is charming, and quietly menacing. His acting is effortless. Pearce is always his character, and here too, he doesn't let us down.
The biggest disappointment has to be Ben Kingsley. Not because of his acting - seriously, can that ever be a problem? The problem is that his character is hardly there. I was incredibly disappointed, considering the hype and focus on the Mandarin, to sit through the film and not get an enigmatic villain was a huge let-down. It would not have been an issue, had he been replaced by a larger-than-life villain - say a character like Magneto, with a long history and lots of personality. But, the replacement is just a bad guy. He wasn't someone who captured your imagination, or with whom one could share a bond. Or maybe it's just me.
So, well, let's just get to it. I love RDJ. I blame my dad. He's a fan. I only found this out when the first 'Iron Man' movie was released. I had a passing familiarity with Tony through my brilliant PSP game 'X-Men: Legends 2". My only knowledge of him came from that game, and I thought him most interesting. It helped that early previews of RDJ looked like he'd walked right out of the game. I was excited to see a comic book film. But when my dad bought tickets of his own accord, it propelled the experience to a whole new level. I enjoyed the first film, and yes, I was smitten by RDJ's talents. Seriously, despite his past, the man has fantastic ability. I've seen him in a few other films and I've always been floored by how much he enjoys playing the characters he does. He doesn't quite disappear into his roles, but I suppose with a face like his, it might be a bit hard, unless he's got make-up on. And even then.
RDJ is especially fabulous in this film. Equal parts vulnerable and heroic. He's frustrating and sympathetic all at the same time. The best bits involved him, and I only mention this because there seemed to be a lot of attention on the supporting characters in this film.
Having said all that, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Here are some of the things I absolutely loved about the film (in no particular order). [SPOILER ALERT - Oh heck, the whole thing has been full of spoilers!]
1) 'The Avengers' references - This film takes place shortly after the very public events of 'The Avengers'. This means that several characters refer to the incident. But best of all, Tony himself suffers serious repercussions for his heroic actions at the end of the film. He suffers from insomnia and incredible attacks of anxiety. It's brilliant because it makes Tony so real and vulnerable, as well as makes it heart-warming to see him overcome it.
2) The suits - Woooo! This film is full of them suits. Tony's new suit can be assembled and disassembled, making it convenient and allowing it to prove as an important plot point throughout the film. But, I love the cavalry. A number of suits turn up to rescue Tony and Rhodes during the finale. Each has a distinctive design, and some even have some cool names!
3) The action - No convoluted action here. Though the action is interspersed with a lot of slow-moving scenes, when they come they're coherent, comprehensive, and most importantly, impressive. I love the attack on Stark's home, Tony's escape, and even War Machine's sequences. Let's not forget the aforementioned finale. The suits really show up the bad guys. Both Tony and Rhodes are at their best, despite being out of their suits. My favourite part of the finale I will come to later. The best action sequence, and that's probably because it had daring-do, teamwork and tugged at some of our emotional heartstrings, was Tony's rescue of the crew and passengers of Air Force One. Simply outstanding that whole sequence. I was bursting with pride at the end of it.
4) The scene at the end of the credits - We all expect it, but it is always exciting when there is one. The scene at the end explained why we had voiceover narration in this film. Tony was speaking to Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. Mark Ruffalo reprised his role for this one scene, and it was quite funny. Banner had conveniently fallen asleep and hadn't heard any of the story. Can't blame him, because he's 'not that kind of doctor'. Loved it!
5) Pepper Potts - Like I said, Pepper comes into her own in this film. Yes, she gets captured and has to be rescued. But Tony does a poor job of that. What I love is that she holds her own in the film. When Stark's home gets attacked, Tony guides his suit to wrap around Pepper. And Pepper saves him! She also saves Hall's character. I loved that she got into the suit finally.
But the best has to be the finale. She's crashed to her death. But, I kept wondering if she'd absorbed enough of Killian's drug to have survived. I think we all knew that she had. But seeing her come back to life wasn't the interesting the part. What's great is, she saves the day! She kicks the baddie's behind. She gets her own cool action scene. I absolutely loved it. Can't reiterate just how much. It sure left me feeling really happy. Nice for the female love interest to get some action in.
6) My favourite part of the film actually comes after the film has ended. It's the end credits sequence. Brilliant 70's style retro theme music is coupled with title cards that emulate the look of a comic book. The credits encompass footage of all three films. It certainly has a finale feel to it. It was superlative and wonderfully catchy. I really loved it - I want that as my screensaver. And I want it now.
So, from the looks of it, there are a lot of negatives, and only a handful of positives. This doesn't necessarily make IM3 a bad film. It's raking in the moolah, and I can see why. It is an interesting film. It's probably a good action film. But, is it a good finale? Is it a finale at all? Tony will be back in 'The Avengers 2', or so has been said. So, what does the ending of this film mean for the second Avengers film? Tony's removed his chest plate, is that directly related to his effectiveness as Iron Man?
I'll admit, there are a lot of problems with this film. This entire review is full of them. The sheer lack of help from other super-powered beings and SHIELD is enough to make you scream blue murder. Also, one of the issues plaguing this franchise is the sheer number of characters. The posters are crowded with people, and this film continues that. Way too many people being squeezed into one film.
But, can I really complain that it felt too real? The Iron Man films have been about reality. The first film is about a gun-runner getting his comeuppance at the hands of terrorists. Terrorists! In the age where a war against the same continues, and attacks by various factions plague us. This franchise has not been about escaping reality. And hence the new instalment does the same. It is indeed a coincidence that the storyline was similar to the Boston attack.
All in all, another viewing of IM3 might change my perspective of the same. Yes, it doesn't allow for escapism, but as a film on its own, its well-made, well-acted and has some spectacular scenes that are actually worth re-watching.
So, the blockbuster season has finally arrived! Couldn't have come any sooner, to be honest. I was beginning to suffer serious withdrawal symptoms. How else would one explain my previous visit to the cinema?
Despite having left it to the last minute, me and the family were all set and ready to catch 'Iron Man 3' on the big screen, and in 3D. All this was decided the day before, when we were scattered across four different areas of the city, frantically messaging each other, while also attempting to do our jobs. Phew!
To top it all, the system was obviously glitchy, because from time to time the screen would go black, and then the ad would begin. After a while, just when we thought the film would begin, the screen went on flickering green, white, black for an age. This is a discotheque then?
More frustration abounded when this strobe lighting was followed by pitch darkness. For the first time in my life the crowd around me began hooting, clapping and shouting out 'Where's the movie?' It was uncomfortable, to say the least. My family made light of it, but others weren't taking too kindly to the delay.
Once the screen came back on, we were treated to... trailers. Sigh!
We were beginning to think we read our tickets wrong, and that it actually said 'Ad Man 3000'.
But never fear, we got there eventually. Robert Downey Jr.'s unmistakable gravelly voice soon filled the hall, as he walked us through an event that took place in Tony Stark's life over a decade before. Here we are introduced to two new characters, Rebecca Hall's scientist Maya Hansen and Guy Pearce's character Aldrich Killian. They are important to the plot, so we must keep them in mind.
Fast forward to the present and Tony is not doing too well. It appears the incident with the Chitauri has affected him deeply. He is consumed by his work (read: advancing the Iron Man technology), while attempting to maintain his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), CEO of Stark Industries.
At the time of the story, a terrorist by the name of the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is devastating towns in the US and around the world. His bomb attacks have struck fear into all, and the US government plans to take action.
 |
| Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin |
This sets the entire film in motion. Tony gets embroiled in his investigation, in tandem with the Mandarin's continuing attack. The re-entry of Killian becomes a thorn in Tony's side as well.
Enter, one of the sillier decisions made by any thinking man. This isn't really a spoiler, but look away if you want to go in 100% blinkered (like I was). Tony makes a huge, overt threat directed at the Mandarin. This causes an exquisite action sequence, which was brilliant to watch, but the move by Tony seemed out of place. To be honest, the Tony of this film isn't quite the cocky, over-confident person that we saw in the first film, or in 'The Avengers' for that matter. He is different. But perhaps this dangerous step taken by him might have been his innate self-confidence getting the better of him again.
 |
| Stark Mansion |
Pepper in the meantime, unfortunately, gets captured and is used as bait to get Tony.
Eventually, after an interminable age, Tony joins War Machine, now referred to as the Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) and they get together to take down the baddies.
 |
| The Iron Patriot gets a lot of flak from Tony |
 |
| Let's take a look at another version of the poster. See those people there? There are an equal number of other supporting characters as well. |
I will at this point, mention a handful of things that really bothered me about the film. Be warned, spoilers abound.
This film was released barely a month after the Boston marathon bombing. Unfortunately, with much of its plot centred on terrorism, terrorist activities and bombings, it hit a little too close to home. I may also point out that I'm not the only one who noticed this. I like my films to take me away from reality. But the two are merging more and more these days. The impossible seems possible, and the bad guys can be truly evil. With the news of Boston so fresh in our minds, it was, at least for me, impossible to fully immerse myself in this other world. Reality came to the forefront.
To top it all, the film deals with regeneration of the human body. It was about immortal beings, with a propensity to overheat and blow-up. Considering the Boston bombing saw an incredible number of people maimed, it disturbed me to think of what people watching this film might feel.
 |
| Some images were a little too close to reality. |
But, none of the above are the film's fault. Well, not directly, anyway. What I do blame the film for is its poor timeline. The film is set in and around Christmas time. What? Don Cheadle mentioned that this film was completed sometime last month. In time for the blockbuster season. This film was always going to be released during the summer. But yet, the movie time is Christmas. So these events, that we are watching now basically happened during Christmas 2012. It just completely took me out of the world. In the beginning, when Tony's trying on his new suit (a rather funny scene), he asks Jarvis (Paul Bettany) to play some music. The music is a Christmas song. Suffice to say, all of us in the audience burst out laughing, till we realised, much to our horror, that, that wasn't the joke. Pity.
As if the rather disturbing nature of the film wasn't enough, we had to put up with a rather odd situation in the hall part-way through the film. The lights kept coming on. Much muttering and complaining went around. They'd go off, then come back on again. No explanation was given. We assumed that the technicians were acting up, but then there was this utterly faint announcement, that we made out, only after several repetitions. Something about there being 'an incident in the building'. It's enough to make your blood run cold. My family and I got up to leave, as it became obvious that some kind of alarm had also gone off outside the theatre. Just as we were descending, people returned from the door saying it was a false alarm. Trust me, all of this was very alarming.
Even as we sat back down, we could hear the alarm outside and the lights continued to come on intermittently. Worst movie experience ever.
The combination of all these elements means that I do not look at IM3 very fondly. I firmly believe that a second viewing, when it's out on DVD will be required for me to fully appreciate the film.
There's another big problem with this film, and it comes down, I believe to the change in director. Shane Black takes over the reigns of IM3, and hence the film appears to fit exclusively into its own world. We're talking about a universe where super-powered beings are now public knowledge. But, at no point in the film does Tony ask, or even think of asking, for help from his allies. Nor is there any sign of SHIELD. SHIELD is missing. SHIELD! You've got to be kidding me. SHIELD basically, well almost, took over the whole of the second film, and suddenly in this one, they're non-existent. This comes into especially sharp contrast, because of the clear 'The Avengers' references in the film. How can those heroes not be there to assist Tony?
 |
| Where was SHIELD? |
In the acting department, I finally felt like everyone had come into their own. I felt Paltrow was holding back a lot during the first and especially the second film. Her character got ignored in the second, to give importance to the Black Widow, which was a serious misjudgement Here, she's allowed to embody her character and let her grow, and I really love that. The best thing about Pepper in the franchise is that she's a mature woman with a mind of her own. She goes from being a PA to the CEO of Stark Industries, and the transition is smooth-sailing. I really enjoyed watching Pepper in this film.
 |
| Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts was one of the highlights of this film. |
I'd say the same goes with Don Cheadle. I haven't seen much of him, but I like his acting. I feel like there could be a lot to explore of his character Rhodes. I wanted, expected actually, more of Rhodes in this film. What we see is brilliant, but it's just not enough.
There was much talk in the house on how good Guy Pearce looked in the film. Well, his looks certainly belie his age. He is charming, and quietly menacing. His acting is effortless. Pearce is always his character, and here too, he doesn't let us down.
 |
| Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian shows off to Pepper |
So, well, let's just get to it. I love RDJ. I blame my dad. He's a fan. I only found this out when the first 'Iron Man' movie was released. I had a passing familiarity with Tony through my brilliant PSP game 'X-Men: Legends 2". My only knowledge of him came from that game, and I thought him most interesting. It helped that early previews of RDJ looked like he'd walked right out of the game. I was excited to see a comic book film. But when my dad bought tickets of his own accord, it propelled the experience to a whole new level. I enjoyed the first film, and yes, I was smitten by RDJ's talents. Seriously, despite his past, the man has fantastic ability. I've seen him in a few other films and I've always been floored by how much he enjoys playing the characters he does. He doesn't quite disappear into his roles, but I suppose with a face like his, it might be a bit hard, unless he's got make-up on. And even then.
 |
| RDJ is brilliant. As always,. |
Having said all that, it wasn't all doom and gloom. Here are some of the things I absolutely loved about the film (in no particular order). [SPOILER ALERT - Oh heck, the whole thing has been full of spoilers!]
1) 'The Avengers' references - This film takes place shortly after the very public events of 'The Avengers'. This means that several characters refer to the incident. But best of all, Tony himself suffers serious repercussions for his heroic actions at the end of the film. He suffers from insomnia and incredible attacks of anxiety. It's brilliant because it makes Tony so real and vulnerable, as well as makes it heart-warming to see him overcome it.
2) The suits - Woooo! This film is full of them suits. Tony's new suit can be assembled and disassembled, making it convenient and allowing it to prove as an important plot point throughout the film. But, I love the cavalry. A number of suits turn up to rescue Tony and Rhodes during the finale. Each has a distinctive design, and some even have some cool names!
 |
| The Suits! |
4) The scene at the end of the credits - We all expect it, but it is always exciting when there is one. The scene at the end explained why we had voiceover narration in this film. Tony was speaking to Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. Mark Ruffalo reprised his role for this one scene, and it was quite funny. Banner had conveniently fallen asleep and hadn't heard any of the story. Can't blame him, because he's 'not that kind of doctor'. Loved it!
5) Pepper Potts - Like I said, Pepper comes into her own in this film. Yes, she gets captured and has to be rescued. But Tony does a poor job of that. What I love is that she holds her own in the film. When Stark's home gets attacked, Tony guides his suit to wrap around Pepper. And Pepper saves him! She also saves Hall's character. I loved that she got into the suit finally.
 |
| Pepper to the rescue! |
6) My favourite part of the film actually comes after the film has ended. It's the end credits sequence. Brilliant 70's style retro theme music is coupled with title cards that emulate the look of a comic book. The credits encompass footage of all three films. It certainly has a finale feel to it. It was superlative and wonderfully catchy. I really loved it - I want that as my screensaver. And I want it now.
So, from the looks of it, there are a lot of negatives, and only a handful of positives. This doesn't necessarily make IM3 a bad film. It's raking in the moolah, and I can see why. It is an interesting film. It's probably a good action film. But, is it a good finale? Is it a finale at all? Tony will be back in 'The Avengers 2', or so has been said. So, what does the ending of this film mean for the second Avengers film? Tony's removed his chest plate, is that directly related to his effectiveness as Iron Man?
I'll admit, there are a lot of problems with this film. This entire review is full of them. The sheer lack of help from other super-powered beings and SHIELD is enough to make you scream blue murder. Also, one of the issues plaguing this franchise is the sheer number of characters. The posters are crowded with people, and this film continues that. Way too many people being squeezed into one film.
But, can I really complain that it felt too real? The Iron Man films have been about reality. The first film is about a gun-runner getting his comeuppance at the hands of terrorists. Terrorists! In the age where a war against the same continues, and attacks by various factions plague us. This franchise has not been about escaping reality. And hence the new instalment does the same. It is indeed a coincidence that the storyline was similar to the Boston attack.
All in all, another viewing of IM3 might change my perspective of the same. Yes, it doesn't allow for escapism, but as a film on its own, its well-made, well-acted and has some spectacular scenes that are actually worth re-watching.
Comments