Iron is the Man

Iron Man is one a movie that I respect the heck out of because a studio has finally realized to leave comic book characters in the hands of capable and inspired directors. This is the case here with Jon Favreau. He is a bona fide Iron Man comic book reader. This no different than Sam Raimi's love of Spider-Man. These are two franchises that will continue to bloom and entertain because there is great care. We have all seen the destruction of what happens when a studio goes for a quick cash grab like X-Men: The Last Stand and the abysmal Batman and Robin. Iron Man has the chance to be a great story and it is off to a terrific start in one of the better origin stories.

Tony Stark is a womanizing alcoholic who happens to be a brilliant weapons designer. He is also the worlds largest jerk and needs to be kidnapped by terrorists to be given a dose of reality. That is why Robert Downey Jr. is perfect for the role. His own demons clearly come out in the character of Stark and his road to redemption is similar.

Pepper Potts is played by Gwenyth Paltrow and she is perfect has is Tony's "Money Penny." The "love story" isn't over the top and truly understated as it should be. This role is a departure for Paltrow and makes her likable among the "fan boys" who love this stuff. I loved their relationship because she plays Tony's babysitter, yet she knows his dark secrets and accepts his faults.

There are so many things to appreciate in Iron Man. It was thoroughly enjoyable to see Tony Stark creating the Mark 1 in Afghanistan and then using it to escape. During this scene we learn that Stark, although brilliant, is naive and not as smart as we had previously given him credit for being. His weapons are being sold to the enemy and the entire time he thought he was protecting his country. His true enemy is capitalism and he must decide on what is important upon is return to the United States. Does he protect those who need protecting or does he turn away and cash check after check? I also like that Iron Man is who he his. Unlike Spiderman or Peter Parker, Tony Stark isn't afraid to let the world know. He doest allow the villians to put a bulls eye on his chest. He calls himself out and lets the world know his true identity.

It is clear from the opening scenes of the movie who is true enemies are and although it is supposed to come as a big reveal at the end we are not that surprised. This does not detract from the movie, but the "secret" could have been more guarded.

Now for the suit. The birth Iron Man was so utterly fascinating that I could have watched an entire movie about how Tony Stark perfected its awesomeness. Yes, I said awesomeness. The Iron Man suit is so freakin' cool that it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. There are so many opportunities for Stark to use the suit and he does so in a bad-ass way time after time.

Frankl, I cannot wait to see where Iron Man is going to go. I hope Marvel doesn't ruin the franchise by trying to stuff too much alfalfa into this pita. The idea of cross-over films is an interesting idea, but be warned, there is more to the Tony Stark story that needs to be told uninterrupted.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Dull?

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is built upon expectations. It is nineteen years of wanting and waiting. It is supposed to be the return of an iconic adventurer. I had to ask myself, do we need another Indiana Jones movie? The answer is “yes” we certainly need another Indiana Jones, just not this one. Crystal Skull gets so much right and at the same time it gets so much wrong. Our hero Indiana is the same as he was years ago just a little grayer and far more intelligent than I remember. This Indy figures out riddles and puzzles with such simplicity that it made me uncomfortable. The Henry Jones Jr. I remember stumbled onto things with good guesses and savvy survival skills. Yes, he was smart too just not to the point that he didn’t have to work for it. The problem with Spielberg and Lucas’s latest effort is that script is not basic enough. It is spread thin in all directions and its focus is never fully realized.
The biggest question mark going into this movie was Harrison Ford. He has suffered a string of awful films and he needed Indiana more than the audience. He delivers. There is only a “look” Ford can give as Indy and it is clear that he is more than just a hat and whip. It was refreshing to see Ford not “mail it in” for another pay-day. He was just as charming as he has always been and the main reason to see this film. So what’s wrong with this film?
Let’s start off with Cate Blanchett as Agent Spalko. Spalko is the fair haired girl of Josef Stalin during the Cold War. Stalin made it no secret that he was interested in finding ways of perfecting psychic warfare. He was also hell bent on creating ape men that would replace Red Army soldiers and bring about the end of democracy in the West. This was a reminder of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark where Adolf Hitler’s obsession with the occult was explored, but unlike Raiders, Crystal Skull complicates the matter. It isn’t about the evils of communism spreading into the west by the means of an all powerful crystal skull. You see, the Ark was just a device that was to be used for world domination. Blanchett does a fine job of playing a villain, but in my estimation she isn’t mean enough and never puts Indiana Jones in any real peril. He is never beaten or truly tortured and his escapes are too simple considering the painstakingly effort the Russians take to apprehend our hero.
Karen Allen’s return as Marion Ravenwood was the one thing I was looking forward to seeing in Crystal Skull. Marion has always been the women that would never back down to Indiana and their relationship was electric in Raiders of the Lost Ark. She is THE WOMAN for Indiana. She challenges his sensibilities and yet he loves her more than any other woman. So I ask the “Beards,” Why is she so smitten with him in her return to the series? She is like a wide-eyed school girl who is looking for Indiana to give her his varsity letter jacket. They made her a woman of the fifties and the truth is Marion as always been a head of her time. Although there is a certain nostalgic sweetness to their very first lines together in the film, she was almost submissive. I was disappointed and delighted at the same time to see Allen reprise her role. Again, Lucas has made things bitter-sweet.
There are some things that are dead on in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The set pieces are amazing and the opening sequence is something to behold. It was evident that Lucas was returning to his days of American Graffiti. Racing cars in the fifties is just cool and I was hooked by the first half of this film. I was also pleasantly surprised by Shia LeBeouf’s Mutt Williams. He was the perfect sidekick for Indiana and did exactly what he was supposed to do in the movie. The motorcycle escape had me believing this was going to be the Indy film we had all dreamed about. Unfortunately, this movie becomes unraveled in the second half and loses its wit rather quickly. Again, they failed to keep it simple and the Crystal skull turns into implausible scene after implausible scene before deflating.
It is important to remember that I cannot spoil this film for those who have yet to see it. As a fan of Spielberg and Lucas, I could write pages about this movie. It is hard for me to only like half a movie, but this is the case here with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The first act is very solid and the second doesn’t come to a crescendo. I am not disappointed by the movie, but I am concerned that this film cannot stand on its own. Crystal Skull is a nice piece of nostalgia just not a great movie.