is this thing on?

5/5

5/5

Holy cow. Finally some good fucking food.

I admit, I only ever saw this one once, maybe twice. Even at the height of my Marvel fandom, I just never felt compelled to revisit it. I am not the biggest Bucky girl, and especially after Winter Soldier came out I think I was overall just a little turned off of Captain America.

3/5

Fun little tidbit, one of my childhood dogs was named Loki. We adopted him right after this one came out.

I love Loki, I think he’s one of the best characters in Phase One. Mostly because he stays true to his comic character - he’s a self-serving trickster, and a masterful liar, and he wasn’t over or under done for this movie. I also love Thor’s development. He’s a brash asshole, always has been, and I love how he changes so much in this movie.

I also love Barton!!!! Hawkeye is one of my favorite Avengers!! I forgot he got introduced in this movie. I also love Coulson and his “I need to debrief you!” bit. I think once I’m done with the movies a rewatch of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is in order.

What I don’t like is how Stellan Skårsgard and Natalie Portman are just… wasted. Jane Foster is just a reskinned Betty from Hulk. She doesn’t feel like the badass scientist we’re supposed to believe she is. Everything that happens on Earth in the bumfuck nowhere town in New Mexico is really not that compelling.

5/5

Not only is this peak joyous 2000s actionslop, it sets up some of my absolute favorite threads in Phase One.

I’ve always loved War Machine. One of my favorite scenes is when Rhodes and Tony fight Vanko together. He’s Tony’s responsible, but loyal war dog. I love him.

I think the writing picks up a lot in Iron Man 2 compared to Hulk and Iron Man. It gets a little more quippy. I think the dialogue feels less generic and Tony’s character (and also Pepper’s, Rhodey’s, and everyone else’s) really starts to flesh out a lot. Tony is much more self aware and mature in this movie and it makes him a lot better to watch.

2.5/5

I always forget that Edward Norton was cast first, and while I think he played the role okay, I found myself missing Mark Ruffalo, already. That said I think Bruce is portrayed well as a tragic victim of his circumstances. It just doesn't feel like a role that the actor is well suited for.

I find this movie does a good job at balancing Hulk appearances... a little too good of a job. Bruce Banner's early journey with Hulk is supposed to be capricious and hard on him, and he doesn't have a lot of "outbursts." It feels like we skipped a lot of the early days and went right into the current conflict. It would have felt easier to sympathize with Bruce had we been shown the ramifications of Hulk.

Liv Tyler (holy cow I forgot she was in this) is... really boring. She plays as the perfect love interest, with minimal dialogue and then that bit at the end where she asks Hulk to stop before he kills Abomination. Maybe I can't separate her from her performance as Arwen but she seems kind of... detached, the entire movie.

3.5/5

Man, I loved this one when I was a kid. I think Tony's being roguish and womanizing was something I didn't pick up on as much, but upon seeing it again I think he's downright unlikeable for much of the film.

Granted, I know this serves as an introduction and set up, and not much else. I know he grows and changes and becomes a much better character.

The visuals are so mid nowadays, but back in 2008 they were unreal.

starting a full rewatch of the MCU!

i've seen most of it at this point. i was a huge fan from like ages 12-18 but fell off around infinity war.

lately i've picked up the comics again, and in my nostalgia i've decided i need to revisit it all!