The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk

There is probably some debate on if The Incredible Hulk (IH) counts as a Marvel-verse movie. However, the list I am going off includes it in the cannon, so I shall watch and review. IH debuted in 2008 and the events take place somewhere after the first Iron man and before the second Iron man. 

Plot:

Bruce Banner is chilling (actively to keep the Hulk at bay) in Brazil. During his stay in Brazil he is trying to find a cure for his Hulky-ness. During his search for a cure, General "Thunderbolt" Ross discovers his whereabouts and sends a unit to capture him. Bruce turns into the Hulk and basically escapes back to the US. 

Once back in the US, Bruce finds his lady friend (Betsy Ross) and they meet with a biologist (Samuel Sterns) who thinks he can stop Bruce from Hulking out. Bruce is captured during their attempt to permanently "shelve" the Hulk. After capturing Bruce, the mercenary hired to capture him (Emil Blonsky), forces Samuel to give him some Hulk juice (cause bad guys gonna bad guy). This turns Emil into a Hulk like creation (the Abomination), which starts tearing things apart. Bruce, thinking that he has shelved the Hulk decides he will "Hulk" back up to save the city. A fight ensues and the Hulk wins. In the end, Thunderbolt lets Bruce go. In the post-credit scenes, Tony Stark meets with Thurderbolt to discuss the Hulk problem (it is one of the best scenes of the movie). 

My Assessment:

It was a pretty good movie. For sure not in the top 10 Marvel movies, but it was enjoyable. This can largely be attributed to Edward Norton and Liv Tyler. The problem with the Hulk is that he has no real equal in the Marvel-verse. So, any bad guy is just a reason to watch him smash stuff. The reason the Hulk is an interesting character, is that Bruce and the Hulk are always at war for who has control. Edward Norton does a pretty good job of portraying this internal angst. 

That is the good news.... The bad news? Bruce wears a Polar Heart monitor (Polar makes a good product) to let him know when his heart-rate is getting too high. If his heart rate reaches a certain level he will Hulk-out. This was corny and really made no sense at all. The Abomination is another in a long line of villains that are just opposite world versions of the hero. The only compelling part of the plot that involves the Hulk vs the Abomination, is the internal struggle Bruce has in deciding if he should Hulk-out and save the city. 

I have read a lot of reviews that suggest the Hulk movies can only be done when he is teamed with another super hero (the first Avengers or Thor III). I think the Hulk could have a great stand alone movie, but there would have to be more attention paid to a villain and supporting cast that can carry the movie when the Hulk is on screen. Finally, the question,"who plays a better Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo or Edward Norton?" I think both played a great Bruce. I don't think Edward Norton's version could have pulled off the development that Ruffalo's has in the current Avengers & Thor arc. Ruffalo's version has adeptly touched on Bruce's nerdyness, worry about the damage Hulk does, and the his internal conflict weighing the benefits of Hulk's strength vs his rage. 

Should you watch it again?
If you are bored, go for it. The CGI is a bit dated, the story is only OK and it adds little to the Marvel-verse arc. If you want a lot of Hulk, go see Thor: Ragnarok as it is the apex of the Hulk character, to this point. 

Favorite lines:
Bruce Banner: Don't make me hungery, you wouldn't like me when I am hungry. 

Abomination: [Preparing to crush the Hulk] Any last words?

The Incredible Hulk: Hulk - SMASH!

Favorite Scene:

The scene where Emil Blonsky and company try to take the Hulk down at the university. Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky) was given a really bland character and did a heck of a job making him somewhat interesting and this scene is really the height of his work. Plus, everyone wants to see the Hulk smash stuff and this scene is the most satisfying in the movie. 

Iron man

Iron man

Iron man (IM-I) was the jumpstart to the Marvel-verse. The action in the movie takes place after Steve Rogers is unfrozen, before the first Avengers and around the same time as "The Incredible Hulk (IH)." In the list I am going off the happenings in IM-I come second in the list. Both IM-I and IH debuted in 2008. Interestingly, in comic book circles Ironman has always been a B-level hero. So, his quick rise to stardom was really unexpected. 

Plot:

Tony Stark is a rich playboy that deals in arms. During a demonstration of his newest sweet-ass missile, he is captured by a middle-eastern war faction. During his capture he acquires shrapnel that is moving towards his heart. While he is imprisoned, another captee places a magnet in his chest that keeps the shrapnel from moving towards his heart (not sure this is medically accurate). Tony's captures insist he make them a sweet-ass missile. However, Tony decides to escape by creating a giant metal (probably iron) suit that is powered by the magnet in his chest. Tony escapes, the fellow captee (who originally saves him dies), and Tony feels bad about his role in selling weapons. 

Upon arriving back in the US, Tony decides to stop making weapons. This doesn't go over well with the board of his company that has made him a billionaire. During the crisis with his board, Tony creates a new super powerful magnet for his chest, that also can power his iron man suit. Eventually, he finds out that his supposed friend and head of his company's board (Obadiah Stane) was behind his capture in the middle east. In the end, Tony and Obadiah battle it out wearing Iron man suites. The movie ends with Tony Stark being questioned about the "Iron Man" sightings around the city. He eventually tells the world he Iron Man. 

My Assessment:

The first time I saw this movie I loved it! The second time was just as good. The pacing moves along at a great clip. Robert Downey Jr. plays an amazing Tony Stark. The supporting cast does a great job as well. The only major gripe about the movie is that the villain is pretty generic. Actually, a lot of Marvel's villains are either opposite world versions of the hero, or just a big mean robot. In this case, it is both...I guess. Honestly, the best villain in the movie is Tony Starks hubris. He is a man that has enough money to create a world where he never has to face the wrongs he has done, but his conscience doesn't let him create that world. In a way, Iron man is the super ego to Tony Starks id, while Pepper Potts plays the ego role. 

The movie does not have a lot of impact on the overall Marvel-verse. There is no talk of the tesseract, the Hulk, Thor, or Captain America. It does introduce us to a current iteration of SHIELD. With that being said, it really setups Tony Stark's character development from his first run in the Iron man suit, to his conflict with Cap' in CA-Civil War. Downey JR's depiction of Tony Stark is crazy consistent from one movie to the other. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth play their roles a little differently in successive movie, but RDJr has consistently played Tony Stark throughout. 

Should you watch it again?

IM-I is a really fun movie. DC could take a note, movies based on comic books should have a message, but people want to have fun while receiving the message. A movie can be both serious and fun at the same time. I don't think the events in IM-I have a big effect on the Marvel-verse, aside from Iron Man's origin story. I would say watch IM-I again if you have time, but skip ahead to IM-II or Thor if you are strapped for time.

Favorite Quote or Quotes:

Tony Stark: The truth is, I am Iron Man.

Tony Stark: You got a family?

Yinsen: Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?

Tony Stark: [quietly] No.

Yinsen: So you're a man who has everything... and nothing.

Favorite Scene:

Tony Stark freeing the village under control form the Middle-Easter war faction is pretty satisfying. Fast paced, cathartic and full of witty banter. 

I Need a Hero...but why?

Why the blog?

For the past several months there has been a suggested post popping up on my Facebook feed titled, "How to watch all the movies in the Marvel-verse." I am a sucker for click-bait, so I clicked on it. Here is a link to the Marvel-verse chronological order of the movies (also, TV shows). Essentially, it lists the Marvel movies in the order that they theoretically happened in the Marvel-verse. That seems like a confusing sentence but really it is just saying "Captain America: The First Avenger" should be watched first and Avengers: Infinity War should be watched last. Make sense? 

I have no idea why I am motivated to complete this list, but I have decided to do it. However, watching them allover again seems indulgent. But, for some reason I have convinced myself that blogging about each one makes it a super worthwhile task....

I have loved comics books since I was a little kid and these movies have been a great chance for me to escape reality for 2 hours. Also, the small child in me is just Marveled (pun-intended) by the live action depiction of the stories I loved as a kid. So, if you are interested in reading my take on the movies (why wouldn't you be? I am awesome). Sit back, relax, and read along. Also, feel free to add your reviews in comments for each movie I review, I am always interested in other fans' opinions. 

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger

The first Captain America was actually the 5th movie released in the Marvel-verse. However, the majority of the action takes place long before any other action in the universe. As I am watching the movies again in the order that they would have happened in the Universe, it is the first one I will review.

Plot:

Captain starts out as Steve Rogers, a skinny guy from Brooklyn who wants to join the army but has a bunch of medical conditions that limit him from joining. His buddy, Bucky Barnes is able to join the Army, which chaps Cap's ass. Cap gets selected to get injected with a super soldier serum and turns into (not surprisingly) a super soldier. He is relegated to media obligations aimed at recruiting troops until he saves his friend Bucky (and the Howling Commandos) from a prison camp. They start taking Nazi basis down one by one (with Cap leading the way) and eventual run into Red Skull, who has the tesseract and is creating a weapon out it. Captain stops Red Skull by crashing his plane (which seems like a rip off of the Spruce Moose) into the ocean. Eventually the plane is found and Cap is resurrected/thawed. Tony Stark's father finds the tesseract in the plane, which sets the whole Marvel universe in motion. Here is the link to the Wiki plot if you want to know more.

My assessment?

The first time I watched CA-I, I was not really impressed. I thought the story was laden and Cap was one dimensional as a character.  Actually, that is one of my biggest issues with DC comics. Their characters have no qualms about being heroes. They always do the right thing with no angsts. DC's best stories are told when their protagonists have internal struggles. Marvel's characters are rife with conflicts about their role as heroes. Captain (in this original iteration) has no qualms. Also, the first time I watched CA-I, I had no clue how it would fit into the overall story of the Avengers. 

Upon watching CA-I the second time, it was a lot more enjoyable for 2 reasons. First, it really sets-up Cap's development in the 2nd and 3rd installments of his franchise (and in the other Marvel movies). Second, there are a ton of little things that follow the continuity of the Marvel-verse that I didn't see on first watching it (hindsight really helps out that way). You can also tell how much Chris Evans has improved as an actor from his first foray as Cap to most recent performance in CA-III (Civil War). 

Should you watch it again?

I would really suggest a second watch. I am amazed at how well it sets-up all of the events in the Marvel-verse. I don't think it was well received by critics, but in the grand scheme of the Marvel-verse, it is pretty important. Plus, Tommy Lee Jones plays a great Chester Phillips and Hugo Weaving is always an excellent Red Skull. 

Favorite Quote or Quotes from the movie?

"I can do this all day!"

Favorite Scene?

Releasing the Howling Commandos from the prison camp has all the elements you want from that type of scene -fast paced, humor, tension.