Iron Man 2 - Movie Review

Iron Man 2 (2010)

 

Continuing on with my reviews of the MCU leading up to Black Widow, here's my review of the sequel to Iron Man and the third film in the MCU. Iron Man 2 came out in 2010, with Jon Favreau returning to direct, and Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark. I'm not gonna bother explaining the plot because if I explain the plot most of my review will be in the intro. Let's get on with the review.

THE GOOD

Alright, here's my opinion on Iron Man 2, this film is just okay enough to be a decent watch. I definitely have some major issues with this movie but let's talk about what I like about it! First of all, Robert Downey Jr. once again is wonderful as Tony Stark! He proves once again that this role was made specifically for him! Don Cheadle is great as Rhodey, much better than Terrance Howard. Some story elements are great, like diving deeper in Tony's story with his father, it was interesting and compelling. There's a couple of great action sequences, the final act is a ton of fun, it was so awesome seeing Iron Man mowing down all these flying robot things, shit is blowing up, it was stuff that was missing throughout the movie. Black Widow is in this movie, this is where she was introduced, and she was fucking badass in this movie, there was a great action sequence involving her in the final act, fuck she kicked so much ass! The visual effects in this movie are wonderful, definitely an improvement over the visuals in The Incredible Hulk. I think for the most part this movie does a fair enough job at giving more of what we liked about the first film.

THE BAD

Now let's get to the issues! This movie is very messy. Why couldn't I explain the plot properly? There's LITERALLY 12 different plot points in this movie. I'm completely serious! You got Tony Stark's declining health, you got the government after Tony's technology, you got Whiplash's revenge plot, Tony's alcoholism, Pepper Potts becoming the CEO of Stark Industries, Tony's public image, Tony's relationship with his father, the jealousy of one of the main villains, the introduction of Black Widow, Rhodey becoming War Machine, another subplot involving Whiplash's revenge this time being hired by the other main villain, and Nick Fury entering the plot because he's concerned about Tony. All of this crammed into a movie that's just over 2 hours. There's far too much going on in this movie, so it's very hard to tell what this movie is really about. Despite Black Widow being really fucking awesome in this movie, you really have to wait for that to happen, because before she becomes that badass you have to deal with her not really having much of a character at all, she's really just in this movie to be hot. This movie has terrible pacing, sometimes they'll really focus on one plotline for an absurd amount of time, while other plotlines are skimmed over and forgotten about. This was actually the result of a terribly rushed production. Apparently Jon Favreau wanted 3 years to make this movie, but Marvel and Paramount Pictures said that he could only have 2 years to make the movie, so because he had less time to finish the movie than he wanted, he had the rush the production process a lot more, and it really showed in the final product. Whiplash was completely wasted as a character, you get this revenge plot with him, one of the 12 plotlines in this movie, and they do NOTHING with it. There's also a terrible lack of action in this movie, I think there's maybe 30 full minutes of action tops in this movie. You get the race track sequence involving Whiplash, which was entertaining enough, but it ends almost as quickly as it starts, you get a VERY brief fight between Tony and Rhodey while Tony is drunk, and the final act, which is by far the best one, until the final confrontation between Iron Man, War Machine and Whiplash. The final confrontation is one of the most disappointing fights in comic book movie history. Not that is was badly executed or anything, it's because it was only 45 SECONDS LONG! Yeah, that's what we wanted to see for a final confrontation, a fight that was less than a minute. I feel like I was bitching a lot about a movie that I don't even hate. This is just coming from a person who expected a lot better from the follow up to one of the best superhero movies of all time.

CONCLUSION

Iron Man 2 is just watchable and enjoyable enough to not be a completely bad film. It's got terrific performances from its cast, a couple of awesome action scenes, fantastic visuals and I found some enjoyment in some of the multiple plotlines. However; this movie is a complete mess, wastes some of its characters and lacks the action we expected to see in the sequel to one of the best superhero movies. It isn't a terrible trainwreck, but it's a major stepdown from the first film.

GRADE:  C+

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language)

Run time:  124 min

Release date:  May 7th, 2010

Studio:  Paramount Pictures

Stay tuned for my reviews of Thor and Saw III coming very soon, and a special review coming soon.

The Incredible Hulk - Movie Review

 The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The Incredible Hulk is a superhero film from 2008, it's the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the second Hulk film adaptation. It tells the story of Bruce Banner, who already became the Hulk, as he goes on a quest to cure himself while also being on the run from the military who wants him as a weapon. The film was released on June 13th, 2008, was a box office and received mostly positive reviews. Let's continue on with my MCU reviews leading up to Black Widow!

THE GOOD

This movie isn't one of the best films in the MCU, but it's a great time! Edward Norton, while not quite as good as Mark Ruffalo, still gives a solid performance, I wouldn't expect anything less from an actor as talented as him! While the story isn't anything original, it's always engaging and it always kept my attention. I loved the execution of the story of Bruce Banner's fear of becoming the Hulk and his journey to finding the cure. I loved the fact that this movie didn't just choose to retell Bruce Banner's origin story again, especially because Ang Lee's snoozefest Hulk movie just came out 5 years before this movie did, this movie cuts right to the chase and decides to just have fun with the characters. I can't review a Hulk movie without talking about the Hulk action, and when it happens, it is fucking AWESOME! The action sequences in this movie are fucking fantastic, the big throwdown between the Hulk and the military about half way through the movie is so adrenaline fueled and white knuckled and fun, I really love that action sequence! There's only 3 main action sequences but each of them are very well handled and directed, each of them are unique and distinct, and they last a long time too so there's not a feeling of a lack of action whatsoever. I love the military characters in this movie, they were so much fun to watch, and Tim Roth's character is definitely one of the better villains in pre-Phase 3 MCU. There's also a few very nice references to the original 70s TV show, including the theme song being played and Lou Ferrigno also makes a cameo too!

THE BAD

I do have a few flaws here, some of the CGI definitely didn't age very well, especially in the final throwdown between the Hulk and the Abomination. Speaking of the final act, while the final act still kept my attention and was pretty entertaining, it was the least interesting part of the movie, and the entire thing looked like a video game that would have come out at the time this movie did. This movie also runs into the same issue I had with Iron Man, where the villain gains the same power as the hero to fight the hero, it's just not an interesting way to have a final fight in a superhero movie. There's nothing strong in terms of emotional weight, there's some here, and it's definitely well executed, much better executed than that piece of shit Ang Lee made in 2003, but there definitely could have been more.

CONCLUSION

Is The Incredible Hulk one of the best films in the MCU? No, but it is extremely entertaining! The performances are very good, the characters are fun, the action is exciting, and the story is fairly compelling, despite the lack of emotional weight and the fact that this is another film where the villain just copies the hero.

GRADE:  B+

FILM INFO

MPA rating: PG-13 (for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images and brief suggestive content)

Run time:  113 min

Release date:  June 13th, 2008

Studio:  Universal Pictures

Mortal Kombat - Movie Review

 Mortal Kombat (2021)

Mortal Kombat is the newest adaptation of the popular video game franchise. It was released on April 23rd, 2021 and received mixed reviews from critics. The plot of the film is a group of remaining champions are rounded up as they are being hunted down by SubZero, and they must train to gain their powers to stop him.

THE GOOD

Mortal Kombat is 2 hours of glorious gore and action. The movie may be dumb, but wow is it entertaining! The action sequences and violence never disappoint! The fight choreography is fantastic and the violence is extremely gory and satisfying. Not only is the action extremely entertaining but there's also a lot of it, this movie is action packed! If you're looking for a good action filled movie to be entertained by, Mortal Kombat is definitely a great choice! The tone of the movie is fucking amazing, mainly because of SubZero, whenever he's on screen, there's almost always this horror movie vibe going on, the atmosphere kicks up into high gear and I really loved it! The acting is pretty good for the most part, Josh Lawson as Kano absolutely carried this movie! Kano was hilarious and was great in the action sequences! Another standout was Joe Taslim as SubZero, he doesn't have much dialogue but holy shit he was so fucking cool! A lot of the best action sequences in the film involve SubZero! The visuals are fantastic, the film is colorful, they don't just go for a dull color pallet simply because it's a movie aimed at an adult audience. The movie is extremely fast paced, there isn't a single moment where this movie drags.

THE BAD

I do have a couple of problems with the film. I thought Cole Young (the main character of the movie) and Sonya Blade were extremely one note and uninteresting. They get a few cool moments here and there, but there's nothing at all to their characters. Also I wish the movie would have also went deeper into the lore of the characters, you get it with Scorpion and SubZero, but not as much with the rest. I really hope the sequel dives deeper into the characters.

CONCLUSION

Character flaws aside, Mortal Kombat was a great time! It's got the action, the gore, it's funny and it's got a great tone to it. I'm excited for the sequel, I was really surprised how good this movie was!

GRADE:  A-

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  R (for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references)

Run time:  110 min

Release date:  April 23rd, 2021

Studio:  Warner Bros. Pictures

Iron Man - Movie Review

 Iron Man (2008)

Hello ladies and gentlemen, I'm doing something special here, in honor of Black Widow (hopefully) coming out in July, I'll be reviewing the MCU films (or try to at least) leading up to it! This is going to be great because this franchise is something special to me! I've been watching these films since day one! I was 8 years old when Iron Man came out and when I saw this in theaters with my dad when it came out, I loved it then and I still love it now! Iron Man was released in 2008 and was the film that started the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was directed by Jon Favreau and starts Robert Downey Jr. as the titular character Tony Stark/Iron Man, which is definitely his most iconic role.

THE GOOD

Iron Man in my opinion still ranks as one of the best films in the entire franchise! This film is action packed, funny, has an amazing, compelling story and features one hell of a performance from Robert Downey Jr. The film is extremely well paced, there's never a dull moment at any time. The story is extremely compelling, I loved every character, and the story is so compelling because of the complete character growth of Tony Stark throughout the movie! I loved how Tony Stark doesn't start out as a superhero at all, he's completely carefree, all he cares about is money and pussy and shit like that. Once he gets held captive by middle eastern terrorists, that's when he really starts growing as a character, and I loved the entire process of him becoming Iron Man! Part of why the story is so compelling is because the writing is so strong! The dialogue is so good! The action sequences are fucking badass! The cave breakout sequence, when he goes back to the middle east to take out some bad guys, and the climax, everything is so white knuckled and exciting! Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Tony Stark is nothing short of legendary, he's witty, charismatic, and his comedic timing is perfect! I loved the use of comedy in this film, it's funny without compromising the serious moments in the film.

THE BAD

My only real issue is that even though I actually really liked the villain played by Jeff Bridges, I didn't care for the fact that he basically becomes just evil version of Iron Man for the climax. It's probably just me but I just find that to be the last interesting way to have a final showdown in a movie.

CONCLUSION

As I said, Iron Man is still one of the best films in the MCU and still remains my favorite pre-Avengers MCU film. The film is packed with fun action, the acting is strong, the writing is very well done, and the film is funny and compelling!

GRADE:  A

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  PG-13 (for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content)

Run time:  126 min

Release date:  May 2nd, 2008

Studio:  Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios

The Unholy - Movie Review

 The Unholy (2021)

The Unholy is a new horror movie out in theaters now, produced by Sam Raimi and stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (from Watchmen and The Walking Dead). The movie tells the story of a deaf woman who supposedly gains the power of the Virgin Mary and begins performing miracles on the people around her, but little does she now that it's actually a much more sinister supernatural force. The film was released on April 2nd, 2021, and was met with negative reviews from critics.

THE GOOD

Well, the cinematography was nice at times, the final act got somewhat interesting I guess.

THE BAD

This was a very, very, very dull film. This film was not scary in the slightest, and mainly consists of pointless exposition. I haven't been this bored though a horror movie since The Craft: Legacy and The Grudge (2020). All this movie has for scares is jump scares, that's fucking it! No tension, no atmosphere, not a fucking thing other than jump scares! If you like a horror movie that contains more journalism and investigating than actual horror? The Unholy is the movie for you! Every performance was very bland, come fucking on, you got JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN in this movie, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU MAKE HIM BORING IN A MOVIE? I want to fucking know how the director of this movie managed to do that. This movie doesn't even feel like a theatrical movie, it felt like a very low budget Lifetime film! Let's talk about the CGI in this movie. Good fucking lord it looked fucking awful! It was downright laughable. 

CONCLUSION

Wow there wasn't much to talk about, this movie just offered nothing! The Unholy is a completely unsatisfying, unscary, boring film! It was an absolute waste of time. It isn't the worst film of 2021 but wow it definitely didn't stand out as anything good. Thanks to a dogshit script and lazy filmmaking, The Unholy was an unholy mess.

GRADE:  D-

FILM INFO

Rating:  PG-13 (for violent content, terror and some strong language)

Run time:  100 min

Release date:  April 2nd, 2021

Studio:  Screen Gems

Nobody - Movie Review

 Nobody (2021)

Nobody is a new action thriller from Ilya Naishuller (the director of the fantastic and highly underrated Hardcore Henry) and stars Bob Odenkirk as an ordinary family man who after helping a stranger being harassed by a group of strangers, must let out some old demons after finding out a vengeful drug lord is after him. The film did surprisingly well at the box office considering the COVID-19 pandemic and was well received by critics.

THE GOOD

This was a damn good action film! The story, while nothing original, was always interesting and never lost my attention. There was never a dull moment in this film because it was paced so well, it's extremely fast paced. Bob Odenkirk acts his ass off in this film! He is fantastic in the dramatic moments and he is EXCELLENT in the action sequences. Christopher Lloyd is in this film too, and even he gets time to shine in the action, which was awesome as far as I'm concerned! The action sequences were orgasmic! They were extremely well shot, they are absolutely brutal and violent and bloody. Just a warning for people who are squeamish, if you don't like gore and brutal violence, prepare for gore and brutal violence if you decide to watch this film. The script is really good, there's lots of great dialogue and some really great subtle humor sprinkled in, I loved that this film didn't take itself so seriously. This movie also has a great soundtrack, it has by far the best use of Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar that I can recall being in a movie! This movie was just pure fun and was definitely needed during these troubled times!

THE BAD

Like I said before, there's nothing original about this movie, which wasn't a major issue for me because the movie is executed and written so well that the lack of originality didn't bother me at all. My only real issue with the film was that the villain was kind of weak, some improvement could have been made there.

CONCLUSION

Nobody is an extremely entertaining, fast paced, hyper violent action movie that I definitely recommend seeing! The action sequences are worth the price of admission alone, Bob Odenkirk gives a wonderful performance and I really want to see him do more action stuff! It was a quick sit, it's only 92 minutes long so it definitely never overstayed its welcome! As for Ilya Naishuller, please make some more action movies! This was another great effort, keep them coming!

GRADE:  A-

FILM INFO

MPA rating:  R (for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use)

Run time:  92 min

Release date:  March 26th, 2021

Studio:  Universal Pictures

Zack Snyder's Justice League - Movie Review *Spoiler Free*

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Zack Snyder's Justice League is the long awaited director's cut to the 2017 film. The film stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, among many others. Directed by Zack Snyder. The film was released on March 18th, 2021 on HBO Max.

THE GOOD

After the abysmal Wonder Woman 1984 left a terrible taste in my mouth, I didn't think I could sit through a DC film for a while, and how bad the original theatrical version was. I am glad to say that this movie was fucking fantastic! I loved every fucking minute of it! This movie was so much fun, the 4 hours flew by. This movie had fantastic action sequences, great visuals, everyone gives great performances, and the story was much more engaging this time around! The characters are far better developed here, Cyborg gets some incredible development, Batman isn't just a joke here like he was in the other version, Ben Affleck brings his A game here as the character as he did in BvS. Ray Fisher is fucking fantastic as Cyborg, mainly because he's not getting the fucking shaft this time like he did in the Whedon version. I LOVED Steppenwolf in this film, he's greatly improved as a villain, he actually has a character to him this time, he isn't just spewing stock villain dialogue, he looks much better and he's actually intimidating! The cinematography is wonderful, there are so many wonderful, breathtaking shots in this movie, especially with the action. Speaking of action, the action sequences are fucking fantastic! Just like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, Zack Snyder really knows how to create some exhilarating, larger than life, visually pleasing action sequences. By far the best was Steppenwolf's attack on the Amazonians, the scene was fine in the Whedon version but it was AWESOME in this version. This film is rated R, you get some blood in this movie, and the violence is more brutal this time. This movie isn't gory like other Snyder films such as Watchmen or 300, but the violence is bloodier this time, it was great! At 4 hours, this film moves by incredibly fast! The pacing is flawless! The musical score by Junkie XL is fucking eargasmic! This was easily the best musical score in the DCEU since Hans Zimmer's score for Man of Steel. The ending was incredible too!

THE BAD

I do have a couple of issues, granted not huge ones. The movie does have a few moments of stilted dialogue in the first hour, and some of the music choices were kinda iffy.

CONCLUSION

Zack Snyder's Justice League is the movie we deserved back in 2017. This film is infinitely better in every aspect. The action is exciting, the performances are fantastic, the story was always interesting and the movie is paced beautifully! I think it's wonderful that Zack Snyder finally got to make the movie he wanted to make! Thank you Warner Bros for finally letting a director fulfill their vision!

GRADE:  A

FILM INFO

Rating:  R (for violence and some language)

Run time:  242 min

Release date:  March 18th, 2021

Studio:  Warner Bros. Pictures