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Re-Crit: Iron Man (2008) - 10 Years Later

It didn’t kick off the current modern era of super hero movies; That was X-Men (2000). It’s not the best super hero movie of all time; That would be The Dark Knight (2008). But Iron Man (2008) is arguably the most important of any super hero film, not only for being the first film in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, but for setting the foundation for nearly every super hero film to come out since. Iron Man perfected the formula for success, a template which at its worst guarantees a competent film and at its best a phenomenal one. And it being the 10 year anniversary of Marvel Studio’s first film, coupled with Avengers: Infinity War (2018) looming in the immediate future, I thought it best to revisit the film that started it all.

Probably the most important thing Iron Man did for all super hero movies was the tone that it set. This is essential for any super hero film to be successful, because the tone can oft times make or break your movie. We’re dealing with a subject matter that is equal parts fantastic and absurd, but deals with characters and themes that are quite real and relatable. If your film is too dark and serious you wind up with Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). If it’s too campy and silly, you’ve got yourself Fantastic Four (2005). Iron Man is the quintessential example of what happens when you balance dark and outrageous appropriately. The film takes itself seriously, but not too much, and even goes as far as to acknowledge the ludicrousness of it all. Director Jon Favreau knows when to step back and allow the immensity of the film’s events to play out, but he also knows when it’s time to laugh, benefiting from the cast’s strong performances.

The next crucial part of the Marvel film making process is the casting. While it’s hard to imagine anyone else as Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. may not have been the most obvious choice when the casting decisions were made. Though an acclaimed actor in many great films, until Iron Man, he had never starred in a blockbuster film of any sort. And that’s the key. When you want to fill the role of your hero, you don’t necessarily want the most famous or well-known actor, but a capable, second-tier thespian that actually fits the role will do nicely. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, etc., have all enjoyed a surge of popularity since they took on the roles of their respective characters, but each one of these actors could never claim that level of success before they joined the Marvel-verse, which means when chosen for the part, it’s because they’re the right person and not because they’re a super star.

The rest of the trends that Iron Man set for future super hero films are almost obligatory at this point. Iron Man incorporates the one-off villain, the climactic sky beam, the love interest, and the end credits scenes that we’ve come to expect in most Marvel (and many other) super hero films. While these motifs don’t always make appearances in Marvel’s films, they do quite often, and it’s all thanks to Iron Man. It’s also due to these motifs that Marvel’s films are so often seen as cookie-cutter, cut-and-pasted, and clichéd, which may explain their absence in some of Marvel’s most recent films. Good call, Marvel, you don’t want to start going stale.

Even after 18 films, I still consider Iron Man to be one of my favorite MCU films. It’s been ten years and the film is still enjoyable and has aged better than most films with that much time. The special effects are the best kind of effects, where your brain doesn’t notice that they’re CGI. The characters are memorable, Robert Downey Jr.’s performance is iconic and a major highlight of the film, and the action’s execution is both exciting and comprehensible, which is such a difficult task to expect from an action blockbuster. Iron Man came out at a time when super hero films were still a relatively uncommon occurrence, but thanks to its release, we now have an average of four every year. What an age we live in.

Iron Man,

You Got Re-Crit

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

There’s no greater minefield to tread across than discussing a new Star Wars film, because the odds of me walking away from such a venture without some backlash from the internet is small.

Never tell me the odds.

But it really is a challenge to write about Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) because I’m a Star Wars fan AND a critic. I want to look at the film objectively but I also want to gush over it. And when I look at the initial reactions between the critics and the fans, I see a gaping rift of either loving it or hating it, and I find myself loosely in the middle. I’ve probably spent more time collecting my thoughts on this film than any other, trying to figure out exactly if what I watched was good, but also if it truly qualified as a Star Wars film.

Ultimately the answer to both questions is a resounding, yes kinda. As far as the quality of Last Jedi goes, it’s a good movie with peaks and valleys; some jaw-dropping sequences and amazing moments that are separated by segments that were useless and, in one VERY specific moment, downright ridiculous. The film is plagued with some slow scenes that drag on too long, and the plot suffers from tangents that never accomplish anything. The film also attempts to tackle complicated social and political issues, like war profiteering, oddly enough. Being over two hours in length, The Last Jedi could probably have done without some of those inconsequential subplots and commentaries. And yet, the film’s lightsaber fights are some of the franchise’s best, and the space battles are just as gripping. Every Star Wars film adopts the idea of “The Force” and expands on it, setting new precedents and pushing its capabilities and limits, and The Last Jedi does so perhaps more than any other film, with some cool outcomes as a result.

Stylistically, the film differs vastly from its predecessors. Last Jedi makes extensive use of flashbacks, and the film is thematically darker, even more than Empire Strikes Back (1980). But director Rian Johnson, despite his efforts to set this latest iteration apart from the rest and subvert expectations, implemented several choices in the production which made it more like the older films than he may have intended. And unfortunately, I mean that in a George-Lucas’s-Prequels kind of way. Where J.J. Abrams took great lengths to rely on practical effects as much as possible for The Force Awakens (2015), Johnson put more emphasis on the CGI. Many of the creatures and aliens in the film were put there digitally, and, much like the CGI in the Prequels, they looked fake and uninteresting. And yet, for one character’s cameo appearance, practical effects were specifically used, so I found it odd that for everything else they went the other way. I will say this, though. Porgs, the little owl-penguin-type creatures that make their debut in the film so Disney can sell more toys, are unapologetically and cunningly adorable. Damn, those things are cute.

With The Last Jedi, we pick up exactly from where we left off with The Force Awakens, with Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren, Poe, Luke and Leia all where we last saw them, more or less. All the questions and theories that fans have been pondering on for the last two years were finally going to be answered. Sadly, if you were going into this movie looking for answers, you’re going to be mostly disappointed. While a few things are addressed and explained, for the most part, many of our queries were either ignored or forgotten. It’s a shame really. The Force Awakens, having left us with all these questions and possible outcomes, made for a good jumping off point for the next film. But director Rian Johnson focused on his priorities instead, and largely overlooked the previous orchestration in favor of pointing the story into a new direction. And I’m fine with where the story is now headed, but to completely tune out the many things we were looking forward to was short-sighted.

We do see some great acting and development by the film’s biggest three characters: Rey, Kylo Ren and Luke. Luke, in particular, made the biggest transformation since we last saw him speak in Return of the Jedi (1983). We finally understand his struggle since then and why he has come to this point in his life. It was nice to see Mark Hamill back in the role, but not as the happy-go-lucky Jedi we were all accustomed to. And Carrie Fisher’s final portrayal of General/Princess Leia Organa was a touching and tasteful farewell to the actress who passed last year. Though everyone else in the film is nearly negligible, running around having their own adventures which have no impact on the story. None more so than new character Rose, who is thrown into the mix if only to drive the irrelevant subplot she’s part of. She was sweet, but the character development she made and her impact on the characters around her was forced, and I’m not very sure if I cared for her. The appearance of Benicio Del Toro’s character was also a miss. I liked his portrayal, but the character himself was convenient and excessive. And if you were looking forward to Captain Phasma making a triumphant return and kicking all sorts of ass, you best just sit tight and keep waiting.

All in all, The Last Jedi is an ambitious film that wasn’t afraid to take risks, which I appreciate more than I can say. It’s by no means perfect, but with all the hype, how could it be? Everyone has their own expectations, and there’s no way the film could meet them all. If you manage to look past its flaws (and ignore the one really, really screwball moment), The Last Jedi is a competent addition to the Star Wars mythos, but I’ll be happier when J.J. Abrams takes the reins again. I feel he had a better grasp of what a Star Wars movie needs to be.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi,

You Got Crit

Re-Crit: Hot Fuzz (2007) - 10 Years Later

The second film of what is known as the Cornetto trilogy, Hot Fuzz (2007) did for action movies what Shaun of the Dead (2004) did for zombie flicks. Starring comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and directed by Edgar Wright, this comedy brilliantly satirizes the action films of the 80′s and 90′s, while exploiting every action trope in the book. The film showcases Wright’s unique directing style and his ability to seamlessly combine comedy with action, something that we see often in his later films.

The writing and the direction of the film is what makes Hot Fuzz so pertinent. The dialogue goes hand in hand with every shot and every cut. The intense cutting and close-ups set the stage for action, yet every time we’re met with quiet, simple monotony of the country town instead. By the time the conspiracy is exposed, we’re finally rewarded with the action that’s been hiding under the town’s surface all along. The characters and props that were established throughout the film play significant roles in the every fight scene, serving as both comedic and foreshadowing visuals. 

But it’s not just the action that’s filmed well. It’s the little things: Nicholas Angel’s journey to the town he’s been relocated to, the processing of the underage drinkers, the montages of the officers making their rounds. Every shot is significant, every cut is perfectly timed. The day to day boring happenings of this town are so much more interesting and exciting when portrayed this way. Every victim in the film is established through Wright’s style, along with their respective crimes which ultimately bring their demise. The film is spectacular at leading the audience to and away from the real crime, supplying us with red herrings and actual clues that can be caught with a keen eye. Every shot and image serves a purpose, and for anyone paying enough attention it’s such a delight to see how it all comes together.

I love this movie. And because of Hot Fuzz I will watch any movie by Edgar Wright. If I had to describe the film in a sentence, I would use Nicholas Angel’s own words, “It was a no-holds bar, adrenaline fueled thrill ride, but there’s no way you could perpetrate that amount of carnage and mayhem and not incur a considerable amount of paperwork.” 

Hot Fuzz,

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