Ant-Man - Small time crook

 

In a rare bid for the Honesty In Advertising Award, the most recent collected edition of Ant-Man comics is blurbed with, “Scott Lang has never exactly been the world’s best super hero. Shit, most people don’t even think he’s been the best Ant-Man!” In their ongoing attempt to populate a cinema-TV universe with iterations of the characters they wholly own, Marvel has understandably foregrounded heroes of stature and iconic crossover appeal: Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Captain America, Daredevil. But it’s always been a strength of the shared universe created (largely) by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (and, in this case, Larry Lieber) that it’s populated not only by titans who can be teamed up in something called the All-Winners Squad but by a range of lesser, flawed, not always admirable or important or even successful characters.

When — lo, these many moons ago — it was announced that Edgar Wright was developing an Ant-Man movie for Marvel, most fans assumed it wouldn’t be about Scott Lang – a divorced ex-con trying to maintain a relationship with his daughter, created by John Byrne and David Michelinie in 1979 — but Marvel’s original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, a Lee-Kirby founding Avenger whose big plotline (he created Ultron) got reassigned to the higher-profile Tony Stark in the movies. Actually, this is typical of the way Ant-Men can’t get a break. Maybe it’s that downtrodden, easy-to-underestimate mighty mite quality that has made various iterations of the character — no-one likes to talk about the Irredeemable Ant-Man — stick around for 50 years, despite almost never having a comic title to call their own. Having set out its big guns in its first phase, Marvel shook things up last year with Guardians Of The Galaxy, extending its cinema superhero universe into another genre (roguish space opera) and highlighting second-string characters. Coming off Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the dice get thrown again in Ant-Man, in which perennial also-ran Scott Lang gets a decent introduction and perennially overlooked Hank Pym finally gets some dignity.

After some years in pre-production, Wright departed the project — although he and Joe Cornish get story and script credits, with another script draft by star Paul Rudd and his writing partner Adam McKay. Into the director’s spot stepped Peyton Reed, best known for Bring It On but without a feature credit since Yes Man and another of the run of directors Marvel has been preferring over auteurs like Ang Lee or Sam Raimi in putting together their overarching film franchise. In the process, we may have been rooked out of a spikier, stranger Edgar Wright movie — which isn’t to say that Reed’s Ant-Man doesn’t have its moments of ambition and inspiration, especially when exploring the brand of transcendental mysticism pioneered by The Incredible Shrinking Man (which inspired Kirby and Lee’s Tales To Astonish story in the first place). The Marvel Movie Method is now proven, and seems to guarantee that individual films will deliver solid, top-of-mid-range thrills with a side-order of emotional content. Here, look for the moment when Scott tells Pym’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly, with a serious haircut) why her father didn’t put her in the shrinking suit. Also part of the package are self-deprecation (a good-humoured joke about the tendency of Marvel films to end with big objects falling from the sky), guest spots, bits of fill-in history (yes, a dangling plot-thread about Pym’s old partner, the Wasp) and a post-credits teaser for what’s coming next.

The set-up is that Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), another of Marvel’s one-use-only arch-nemeses, is close to replicating Pym’s shrinking technology for Evil Purposes, prompting the wry, regretful Pym (Michael Douglas, looking like he’s having the best fun in ages) to recruit Lang to steal back his tech. Superhero heist movies are thin on the ground so this has a relatively fresh — if basic — plot, with Scott learning how to use his size-changing powers (and how to get on with ants) then going into action (accompanied by Christophe Beck’s catchy theme) to infiltrate super-secure facilities. It’s odd that Scott is saddled with three ethnic stereotype crook buddies (“Not those wombats,” Pym complains) who tend to make an already light-hearted film a little too broad (Reed used to direct Disney TV stuff like remakes of The Love Bug and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, which have a similar tone). Rudd, like Chris Pratt in Guardians, is a fine straight leading man who can pull off sillier moments where he’s his own comic relief so he doesn’t need the likes of motormouth Michael Peña (a throwback Richard Pryor in Superman III) around to boost the laughs.

Besides being a breezy superhero heist movie, Ant-Man is the latest in a succession of shrinking-people movies which have shown off state-of-the-art effects at the time of production — worthy successor to the likes of The Devil-Doll, The Incredible Shrinking Man and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. In brilliantly realised moments, Ant-Man clings to the grooves of a vinyl record, feeds a drop of water to his favourite ant, explores the infinitely small (a genuinely cool 3D trip) and has a climactic confrontation with an equally miniaturised baddie in an out-of-control Thomas The Tank Engine tabletop layout which seems huge and dangerous to them, though a witty shot pulls back to show the frenetic action-movie fireworks just boil down to a toy train falling over.

Grade - A+

A science-fiction, action-heist, superhero comedy soap opera, this straddles as many genres as the Avengers films have characters but manages to do most of them pretty well. Extremely likable, with a few moments of proper wonder.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron - Bigger and Darker

Following the events of The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron finds the titular heroes on a campaign to apprehend Hydra loyalists and secure alien technologies (that have fallen into the wrong hands).

In spite of a solo-outing for Ant-Man, Joss Whedon’s Age of Ultron essentially closes the door on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two storyline, while opening a few windows to Phase Three. The latest Avengers team-up delivers everything that fans have come to expect from Marvel films: globe-trotting adventure, CGI battles, future shared universe setup, comic book easter eggs, concise character drama, and a Stan Lee cameo. As a result, the movie is a must-see for anyone, young and old, that has been following along with Marvel’s interconnected movie storyline. Though it is bigger, with refined special effects, a new central villain, and some enticing Phase Three “Civil War” groundwork, Age of Ultron will be less accessible for viewers who aren’t well-versed in the ongoing plot – and, much like its predecessor, gets bogged down in the balancing act of developing returning heroes, introducing new ones, and crafting a memorable central baddie.

Still, the core storyline successfully builds on the films, and the subsequent individual struggles, that have come before – supplying each avenging hero with their own obstacles (physical, intellectual, or emotional) to overcome. To that end, the addition of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and her power to manipulate minds, galvanizes The Avengers into deeper and darker self-evaluation – revealing conflicting ideologies within the team. It’s a slightly more subtle and earnest approach to inter-Avengers conflict, where fear and insecurity drive disagreement – instead of the misunderstandings (“This is beyond you, metal man. Loki will face Asgardian justice.“) and superhero machismo (“You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.“) depicted in the first team-up movie.

The majority of the cast, especially the actors who have been given solo films, are par-for-the-course in their roles (Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor) – offering a mix of amusing one-liners, sincere personal drama, and badass superhero moments. That said, the most affecting scenes come from characters and cast members that have not headlined a Marvel solo movie. Building-off the ongoing thread of Bruce Banner’s struggle to keep “the other guy” in check, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) provides a surprisingly effective mirror for Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to reflect on her own troubled past – as well as ponder who she wants to become.

Nevertheless, the biggest surprise of the film is previously sidelined Avenger, Clint Barton (Hawkeye) – who enjoys the most nuanced and relatable role in Age of Ultron. Whereas Barton was a mindless drone in The Avengers, he becomes a powerful cipher for the moviegoing audience this round: a normal guy standing shoulder-to-shoulder with gods and enhanced super soldiers, risking everything, to protect innocent lives. The effect is made even stronger by Jeremy Renner’s work in the role – breathing more life and humanity into Hawkeye (as well as the entire team) than ever before.

Newcomers Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are rewarding anti-hero choices – and both performers are solid in their roles. In spite of a well-received depiction of Quicksilver (Evan Peters) in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver is differentiated enough to ensure his storyline and super powers are fresh – even if certain aspects are still very familiar. Olsen is a promising addition to the MCU, injecting colorful flair to Age of Ultron‘s action scenes; yet, just as the larger film hints at more exciting events down the line, a lot of viewers may be more interested in what Scarlet Witch’s inclusion will mean going forward – rather than relishing in this (brief) debut appearance.

That said, while “The Twins” are intriguing to watch, their backstory, as well as the origin of their powers, are glossed over – and, worst of all, their connection to Ultron is paper thin. The lack of narrative cohesion and believable world-building is symptomatic of an ongoing problem in Marvel movies (read: the villains), and Age of Ultron fails to escape the same pitfalls.

 After all the buildup to Ultron, the James Spader-voiced murderous A.I. is only a slight improvement upon prior evildoers that Avenger team members have faced (while his smashable CGI Ultron army is, similarly, only a slight improvement over the punchable horde of CGI Chitauri invaders). To Whedon’s credit, Ultron receives more development than his predecessors, in addition to some genuinely witty banter, but the sentient robot still gets short-shrift when compared to screen time of the film’s six-plus heroes. Like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Ultron is more plot device than defined character, used to pull the Avengers is new directions and challenge them in unique ways, rather than present an enduring villain on his own.

It misses the bar of classic movie greatness but Avengers: Age of Ultron is one of the most exciting and entertaining Marvel entries so far – with some of the franchise’s best visuals. Like Iron Man 3, certain environments and effects appear green screened/CGI and Whedon is still fighting against TV-level techniques in the director’s chair, but the filmmaker successfully ups the ante in visual spectacle – producing bigger and more sophisticated action set-pieces, not to mention another impressive spinning team shot (this time in slow-motion)..

Despite a few narrative hiccups and clumsy sequences, The Avengers: Age of Ultron is solid popcorn entertainment and best experienced on the big screen. Long-running trappings of shared movie universe storytelling remain, and the novelty of seeing iconic comic book characters together onscreen isn’t as impressive as it was in The Avengers. Nonetheless, Age of Ultron offers an abundance of entertaining moments, clever banter, and eye-popping visuals to satisfy superhero lovers and causal filmgoers, alike. Again, it’s not as groundbreaking at The Avengers, or as impactful as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but Age of Ultron is a solid penultimate entry in Phase Two – one that also lays the groundwork for some intriguing changeups in Phase Three.

Grade - B

Bigger and, yes, darker than the first, this is less air-punchingly gleeful but probably more consistent. Thanks to Whedon and the most charismatic, compelling cast you’ll find anywhere, Age of Ultron redefines the scale we can expect from our superhero

Guardians Of The Galaxy - Banter Fodder

If your old enough to remember watching John-Boy from The Waltons fly a spaceship that looked like a massive pair of breasts on VHS, then there is plenty in Guardians Of The Galaxy for you. And if you’re young enough to accept without scoffing the sight of a talking raccoon wielding a heavy calibre weapon, then you’re in the right quadrant, too. No doubt keenly aware that this movie lacks even a smidgen of the brand awareness of its previous output, Marvel has savvily located its latest megabudget entertainment firmly in the Venn diagram overlap between Modern Innocence and ’80s Irony.

Battle Beyond The Stars, Flight Of The Navigator, Mike Hodges’ Flash Gordon, Back To The Future (2), Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Total Recall and a certain other space-based saga all donate their DNA, and Guardians isn’t about to apologise for replicating it. It’s proud of its heritage, dammit, right down its 1988-on-Earth prologue, “Awesome Mix” tape-cassette soundtrack, and scoundrel hero Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) describing the film’s spherical MacGuffin as having an “Ark Of The Covenant, Maltese Falcon vibe”.
Writer/director James Gunn (Slither, Super), true to his roots, even injects some fluoro-gungy Troma flavour making it all feel like Star Trek from a punked-up parallel reality where Gene Roddenberry was actually Lloyd Kaufman.
A good portion of the film is solid, set-based and (relatively speaking) grounded, avoiding the wispy daylight glow of pure-pixel backdrops. Gunn’s strengths are most evident during the central team-gathering sequence, where Quill, wiseacre raccoon-thing Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), sentient tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), green assassin Gamora (Saldana) and vengeful big baldie Drax (former pro-wrestler Dave Bautista) discover their synergistic power during a hugely enjoyable prison break, which somehow involves the removal of a prosthetic leg and its subsequent use as a weapon.
Gunn and co-writer Nicole Perlman keep things breezy and snappy (it’s the Marvel way now: snark over dark), importing the Avengers’ banter-bickering into the self-aware B-sci-fi setting; which, given the Joss Whedon connection, means this is also reminiscent of Firefly/Serenity. And Gunn’s cast appropriately, from reforming Parks And Recreation’s Andy as a buff galactic lothario to having the voice of Face come from the face of a raccoon — while the pair enjoyably vie for the position of this film’s Han Solo. You’ll hear much about how either Groot or Rocket steal it — the bark-and-bite pairing certainly have their moments — but the big surprise is Bautista’s Drax. Cursed with a genetic inability to understand metaphors, the movie’s apparent muscleman actually has many of the film’s wittiest lines. (“Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.”)
The antagonistic contingent, however, is less successful. Lee Pace’s Ronan, Djimon Hounsou’s Korath and Karen Gillan’s Nebula feel barely written, although the one-time Who companion looks fantastic with blue skin and shark eyes and exhibits a tight-focused anti-charisma in a thinly sketched part. And ‘phantom menace’ Thanos (Josh Brolin) is an embarrassment: a lantern-jawed CG ’toon blessedly only given a minute or so of screentime.
As much as Guardians largely thrives through its lovably scuzzy style, it cannot avoid the immense tractor-beam pull of The Big Marvel Studios Final Act. Only a few months ago, reviewing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Empire exhibited frustration at yet another climax which involved a frantic sky battle, culminating in a giant object crashing to the ground. Well here we have yet another. There is even a replay of Thor: The Dark World’s CG-drenched Infinity Stone struggle, although now it’s purple swirly stuff rather than red. For all the digital artistry on display, these Marvel final set-pieces are becoming suggestive of a climax-by-committee default mode.
Still, Gunn thankfully pulls the film back onto its own turf once the big fight’s over. And Guardians Of The Galaxy does expand the breadth and diversity of the Marvel Universe; we go beyond superheroes and threats to Earth. It also proves how even a kid raised by Troma in the filmmaking badlands can succeed in Blockbuster City.

Grade - A

Colourful, tongue-in-cheek fun, purpose-built for grown-up lovers of kitsch ’80s science-fiction. But the Marvel formula is starting to feel, well, a little too formulaic.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - On Your Left

 

The ninth installment in the Marvel cinematic universe, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is also its most intricately crafted. The set-up is straightforward enough:  Cap and Black Widow are working for/with Nick Fury when S.H.I.E.L.D. comes under attack. Unsure of whom, if anyone, to trust, they must uncover a hidden threat before it destroys them all. The film not only serves as a strong follow-up to Cap’s first outing, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Joss Whedon’s ensemble juggernaut The Avengers, it also has the strongest ties to and most profound impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large. The repercussions of the events of this film will reverberate throughout all of Marvel’s properties.

More to the point, the film is one of, if not the strongest individual installments to date. One part spy thriller, one part character journey, one part visceral action movie, and one part straight-up superhero adventure film, The Winter Solider hits all of the right notes and serves as an example of the very best of what comic book movies have to offer. The scale of the film alone is unprecedented for Marvel, it feels as if the studio has taken every lesson they’ve learned in terms of how to construct and effectively execute an action sequence and integrated it into one elaborate and gorgeous piece of spectacle.

Best known for their work on television comedies such as Community and Happy Endings, no one will ever question whether or not directors Anthony and Joe Russo are capable of delivering exhilarating and innovative spectacle again. The Winter Soldier moves at a pulse-pounding pace and one never gets the sense that even one of the 136-minutes of screen time was wasted. Car chases, hard-core hand-to-hand, aerial dogfights and pressure-cooker gun battles are interwoven with a multi-layered script that combines elements of at least three genres.

The film operates on multiple levels. This is a sharp script that hearkens back to the ‘70s-era political thrillers. The filmmakers understand the tropes enough to both revel in and toy with them, delivering moments that feel at once classic yet fresh. Things do get a bit plot-heavy in moments and the villains’ motivations read as somewhat amorphous. It’s not quite, “we like evil because it’s so EVIL,” but, it’s in that arena. Having said that, the film doesn’t shy away from some of those pulpy elements; in fact, it plays with and utilizes them to infuse the proceedings with a sense of play.

One of the most surprising aspects of The Winter Soldier is how bold Marvel is willing to be with it. Not only does the film potentially shake-up the structure of their entire cinematic universe, but the creators understand the political thriller enough to get that if they’re going to do one, and do it well, then they’re going to have to introduce a strong point-of-view about something that is relevant to our contemporary world – and that they do.

The Winter Soldier offers a strong perspective about a current geopolitical hot button issue - the cost and meaning of freedom. The execution is graceful, though, in the sense that it does so without ever veering into proselytization or becoming too convoluted. There are ideas to chew on if you’re so inclined, but at its core, The Winter Soldier remains a pulsing and fast paced piece of entertainment.

Character isn’t sacrificed for the sake of plot, though. The Winter Soldier is a well-balanced film that serves up comedy, drama, and action. The big and small moments are equally thick with tension and there is some powerful development in this film. In fact, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers / Captain America in some ways becomes the most relatable of the Marvel heroes in this film, which is, of course, a bit odd, given his origin.

There was a promise of an arc for him that began in The Avengers and really pays off here. The Winter Soldier explores the cost of being Cap: a man out of time, who in many ways belongs to no one and nothing, in a wrenching manner. There is a sequence early on in the film that is particularly shattering to watch as a fan of these characters. We’re truly exposed to his vulnerability in this film, but he's also ten times the a**-kicker and name taker. That shield has never been utilized so dynamically or been rendered as fiercely.

In general, the characters are given rich ground to play in, with the exception of a few who’ve been introduced in this film. Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter is only afforded cursory treatment, and while Anthony Mackie gives a strong showing as Falcon, and fans will likely enjoy his presence, his purpose is primarily to serve as Cap’s sidekick. Rogers’ true partner in the film is Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.

Building on what Whedon established for her in The Avengers, The Winter Soldier continues what is evolving into a fascinating character trajectory. She and Cap have a great repartee which feels akin to some of the truly witty early cinema rom-coms (though, theirs is not necessarily a romantic engagement). She is a powerhouse unto herself as well, though. Widow, who's already been endowed with fantastic comedic moments and a fascinating and full backstory as a character, is given a tremendous moral conflict here and left at a very interesting crossroads by the film's end.

Nick Fury is also granted scenes ripe with genuine emotion in the film. Humor, heart, and sincere fear are all in play and he too is brought to a surprising and exciting place by the story’s conclusion. In some ways, we see more from Fury here than in all of his previous appearances combined.

One very notable new addition is the legendary Robert Redford’s Alexander Pierce. This is more than just a cameo, and Redford, not surprisingly, turns in a gorgeous performance that illustrates that he is well aware of exactly what movie he’s in. The actor brings a gravitas that helps to sell the film as the ‘70s spy-thriller that it is. He brings the weight of his entire cinematic legacy with him, which also helps us to immediately buy into his character’s power and authority. We don't want to give too much away, but will say that seeing him in this capacity will likely be a thrill for cinephiles and comic book fans alike.

Finally, as to The Winter Soldier himself. It is no exaggeration to say that Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier is – other than Loki – Marvel’s most successful, and by far most terrifying, villain to date. However, we will say that Stan is both heartbreaking and legitimately chilling. He is relentless, feels unstoppable, is fundamentally the Terminator of the superhero world and is absolutely one of the most exciting new characters we’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Grade - A++ (Masterpiece) - 2nd Favourite- TOP 3

Thor: The Dark World - far from a franchise killer

Fans of post-credits stings rejoice. For Thor: The Dark World boasts not one, not three, but two of the suckers, with one coming right at the end, so you even have time to nip out for a loo break before rushing back to catch it.

However, we don’t recommend that you show up right at the end. Come for the stings, stick around for the previous 100 minutes of people talking and fighting and whatnot, and you’ll be rewarded with a thrilling, and often surprisingly funny, reminder that, following Avengers Assemble and Iron Man 3, nobody is better than Marvel at this blockbuster business right now. Acutely aware of the dangers of audience fatigue — case in point: The Dark World is Thor’s third big-screen appearance in as many years — Kevin Feige, who produces all the studio’s films, appears determined never to make the same film twice.

So, where Kenneth Branagh’s introduction to Thor was a charming, cheesy, even campy fish-out-of-water comedy, Alan Taylor’s The Dark World is — tonally, visually, thematically — a different kettle of bilgesnipe, on a much bigger scale than the relatively low-key first instalment. At times it even feels like a sci-fi war movie. The one thing it doesn’t feel like, even though its lead character can fly and is virtually indestructible, is a superhero movie.

It also feels very different from last year’s Avengers Assemble, even though there are occasional callbacks to that movie, including a lovely riff on the shawarma scene and a nice cameo from... well, we won’t say. First and foremost, though, this is laid out as a sequel to Thor. Structurally, it begins in the same way, with a slightly clunky prologue — complete with portentous voice-over from Anthony Hopkins as Odin exposition — that sets up both the film’s main villains, the Dark Elves, and the Aether, an all-powerful source of dark matter that might as well be called the MacGuffin.

From there, though, it hits the ground running, deftly reintroducing the key players, from Odin to Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, bound for the dungeons after that kerfuffle in New York, and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, now living in London and going on an extremely awkward blind date with a potential new boyfriend (a fun cameo from Chris O’Dowd), who doesn’t stand a chance of living up to her previous boyfriend, the God Of Thunder.

Which brings us neatly to the main man. For the most part, Marvel has an uncanny knack for casting just the right person to make their comic book characters flesh. In the wrong hands, Thor could have been an utterly ridiculous character — an abbed-up demigod who looks like he’s on a gap year just finding himself, man, and who speaks with a Ye Olde English twang. And yet Chris Hemsworth managed to make it work from the get-go, bringing charm and power to the role. Getting back on the Norse here, the Australian actor comports himself with admirable ease, handling the comedic and dramatic aspects equally adroitly, as a rapidly maturing Thor is forced to rebel against his stubborn father in order to save Asgard (and the rest of the Nine Realms). The day Hemsworth puts the hammer down will be a shame.

Likewise, Hiddleston and Loki. The English actor is simply indelible in the role now, as adept at a devilish one-liner (“It’s not that I don’t enjoy our little chats,” he tells Odin. “It’s just... that I don’t”) as he is at suggesting the layers of pain and regret that lurk beneath Loki’s preening, prideful surface.

Given his increased status, it must have been tempting for Feige, Alan Taylor and writers Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to simply bump up Hiddleston’s screen time and make this the Thor And Loki Show. Yet, for the first hour or so, Loki is kept largely in the background, locked away in his super-hi-tech jail cell, disconnected from the larger story. He doesn’t even share a scene with Thor until roughly an hour in. It’s only when events spiral out of control, and Thor, backed into a corner, turns to his brother for help, that we get that Thor And Loki Show. And their time together is worth the wait, whether they’re bickering over the controls of a spacecraft or, in one more serious showdown, unleashing thousands of years of pent-up hurt and rage. The treatment of Loki here is akin to that of Magneto in X-Men 2; he’s still a villain, constantly mocking and taunting his older brother, yet an ambiguous one, and there’s a fair bit of dramatic potential in his inner conflict.

Which leaves it to Christopher Eccleston as Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, to fill the Loki-shaped hole. The Dark Elves, and their groovy spacecraft, are visually striking, and they’re positioned almost as an Al-Qaeda-type force, a race of fundamentalist warriors whose commitment to their cause is so great that they’ll die for it (the prologue sees Malekith ordering, effectively, mass suicide bombings), but Malekith himself is ultimately a rather bland, generic villain, with Eccleston reduced to growling guttural threats in a made-up language for much of the movie.

That said, the final showdown between Thor and Malekith is gloriously entertaining. Yes, it’s set in a city (London, with the ever-telegenic Greenwich coming to the fore again), and yes, it features two powerful foes knocking seven shades out of each other, but this isn’t the city-smashing snoozefest that mired Man Of Steel’s climax; instead, it’s tricksy and inventive, constantly wrong-footing not just the audience but its combatants to great, and often genuinely hilarious, effect. For a movie that has dark in its title, and which is — yes! — darker (people die, Asgard is grimier, as befitting Alan Taylor’s Game Of Thrones heritage), Thor 2.0 is consistently amusing, and the three biggest laughs in the movie all come during this sequence — a bold gamble when, ostensibly, the fate of the universe itself is at stake.

There are flaws. There are always flaws. There are signs that the story may, at one point, have been in flux (a potential love triangle between Thor, Jane and Sif goes nowhere, for example) and it’s also packed with a Smegload of fridge moments, those pesky plot-holes that will keep you awake at 3am, while its grasp on science (or, as Thor would have it, magic) is fairly flimsy, with respected actors spouting nonsense about gravitons and wibblyflibs like they’re in a 1950s B-movie. We’re no Prof. Brian Cox, but it’s almost certain to take this year’s Bad Movie Science award.

But the whole thing clips along at such a brisk rate — at just over 100 minutes (not including credits, or post-credit stings, or post-post-credits stings) it wraps up when most blockbusters are grinding their gears — and is so entertaining that it doesn’t seem to matter. Now that’s magic-science.

Grade - B  (As confident and assured as its lead character, Marvel’s great run continues.)

Iron Man 3 - Shane Black's luxury superhero extravaganza

Three signs you’re watching a Shane Black movie: it’s Christmas, there’s a meta voiceover, and some of the best lines are dispensed by designer-suited henchmen. Pleasingly, Iron Man 3 ticks every box. Just as Joss Whedon pepped up Avengers Assemble with his unique brand of jocosity, here, despite the sci-fi trimmings and goliath budget, it feels like Black’s been given carte blanche by Marvel to do his thing. It’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with a lot of extra bang. And, by some distance, the Man In The Can’s best solo outing so far.

Together with co-writer Drew Pearce, Black sets out to dismantle Iron Man’s armour piece by piece. Like Bond in Skyfall, Tony Stark loses his flash car and big house. He is also, for a sizeable stretch of the movie, deprived of his super-suits. This is a new, vulnerable side to the playboy-philanthropist: he’s on the run, in the corner, pausing between quips to suffer breathless anxiety attacks.

Part of the problem is PTSD, brought on by his near-fatal tangle with that Chitauri wormhole in New York. But his more pressing concern is a very bad man who goes by the monicker The Mandarin. A shadowy, ethnically indeterminate figure with the didactic menace of Colonel Kurtz and the attack-chopper access of Colonel Kilgore, this terrorist overlord is regularly forcing his way onto US airwaves to threaten dire “lessons”. No-one knows his identity, his location or where he’s buying his extraordinarily nifty video-editing software.

This may all sound like the fixings for another brooding threequel: The Stark Knight Rises. Happily, that’s not how it pans out. Keeping the dial firmly on ‘fun?, the film hustles from one set-piece to the next, leavening the gloom with a lot of big laughs.

As well as the customary Downey Jr wisecracks, there are sight gags, bits of slapstick, Downton Abbey references and a genius beat involving a suit of armour turning its head. The ominous introduction of a boy sidekick in the second act turns out to yield some of the sparkiest repartee. And Don Cheadle’s Rhodes, a character who barely made an impression in the other films, is skilfully tweaked, becoming the amusingly square Murtaugh to Tony’s Riggs. Wait until you hear his password.

The series’ villains have always been an issue. Thor gets Loki. Captain America gets the Red Skull. So far, Iron Man has faced a bald Jeff Bridges, Mickey Rourke and a cockatoo. While this outing is an improvement — credit to Black and Pearce for creating antagonists who aren’t just more angry blokes in metal suits — it’s still the film’s weak point. Drawing on the comic-book’s Extremis storyline (a 2005-’06 run by Warren Ellis), Iron Man 3 pits Stark against a squad of T-1000-like super-soldiers who can regenerate body parts and survive astounding damage. They’re visually interesting — glowing like human lava lamps as they try to smelt Tony’s face off — but their motivation is murky and unconvincing.

Far more successful is the aforementioned Mandarin, who in the Iron Man comics is a super-powered martial artist with magic rings. While a close-up shot reveals that his fingers are adorned by rings, there are surprises beneath the character’s sinister hood which we won’t spoil. Suffice to say that people will be talking about Ben Kingsley’s performance for ages to come — it’s a tricky, delicate role, handled beautifully.

Not every performance hits the mark — scanty screentime for Rebecca Hall, as Tony’s botanist ex, and Miguel Ferrer, as the Vice-President, suggests the existence of a longer cut. These are minor niggles, though, in a satisfying blockbuster that mixes up political conspiracy, sleuth-work, MacGyver-ish DIY weaponisation and outstanding eye-candy. The Iron Man suits — and there are now 42 of them — are used ingeniously (watch out for Stark giving himself a literal hand in a tight spot), not least in the action highlight, the spectacular ‘barrel of monkeys’ sequence. This sees Air Force One under assault and its passengers forced to disembark thousands of feet above the Florida coast, not helping what is proving to be a heinous cinematic summer for POTUS.

As for why the other Avengers aren’t getting off their invincible butts to help, it’s explained away, a little unconvincingly, with the line: “This isn’t superhero business. It’s American business.” Iron Man 3’s greatest achievement is that they’re not missed.

Grade - B (If this does turn out to be Downey Jr.’s final solo outing, it’s a very strong exit.)

The Avengers - provides its fans with exactly what they desire

At my screening of Marvel’s The Avengers, the audience couldn’t wait until the end of the film before erupting in applause. In the midst of a massive action sequence in the third act of the story, the entire Avengers team, including Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, assembled on screen and seeing them together was too amazing to ignore. It was a tribute to how entertaining the film truly was; a reaction to a wonderful payoff moment built up by well-crafted characters, witty dialogue and a thoroughly thrilling script. And I won’t be surprised if happens again and again once the movie is released worldwide.

A direct sequel that follows the events of the previous Marvel Universe movies, the film begins when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) finds his way back to Earth and steals the Tesseract – an alien source of pure energy – and threatens to enslave the human race with the help of his extraterrestrial army (called the Chitauri). Seeing no other option, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the leader of the covert government outfit known as S.H.I.E.L.D., assembles the team of superheroes known as The Avengers (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner) to stop Loki’s plans.

Rather than creating an uneven mix or trying to focus more heavily on any one specific character, writer/director Joss Whedon has constructed The Avengers as a balanced ensemble. In addition to everyone getting at least one great action sequence, all of the characters are fully fleshed out and given an arc to work with, whether it’s Captain America’s struggle to adjust in the modern world, Thor’s guilt about his brother, Iron Man’s ego and single-mindedness, or Hulk’s fear of his own power. Even Black Widow and Hawkeye, who were largely minimized in their previous appearances, are fully fleshed out and provided with backstories that give us a better understanding of their characters.

As fun as the other Marvel movies have been to this point, the action sequences have operated on a small scale, and The Avengers does more than compensate. Seemingly taking on a philosophy of “go big or go home,” the action is not only pure spectacle, but perfectly paced and shot by Whedon, who makes frequent cuts so that we can see everything that’s going on with the different heroes. The final battle sequence between the superhero team and Loki’s army is better than all of the action in the other Marvel movies combined and multiplied by ten. It earns the buildup from all the preceding films by being the most epic title we’ve seen with these characters yet.

Over the course of his career, Whedon has become well known for his smart characters, quick wit, and emotional gut punches, and this film will only serve to bolster that reputation. Though never even coming close to spoof territory, the movie is actually very funny, both in dialogue (such as Captain America actually recognizing a pop culture reference from The Wizard of Oz) and physical humor (most notably a confrontation between Hulk and Loki). Though a tiny bit off towards the beginning, the pacing of the film quickly comes together as the writer/director is able to both tell the story he wants to tell and mix in multiple high-tension fight and action sequences.

As a lifelong comic book fan, I walked into The Avengers with the highest hopes and deepest fears. A little over two hours later, as the credits began to roll, I turned to the friend sitting next to me, smiled and exclaimed, “They actually did it!” What Whedon and Marvel have created here is not just extraordinary, but one of the most entertaining and satisfying comic book movies yet.

Grade - A (the few drawbacks and criticisms aren’t enough to stop the avengers from delivering a fun and satisfying time at the movies.)

Captain America: The First Avenger - light, clever and deftly balanced adventure

Captain America isn’t just the first Avenger, he’s the first Marvel character to get a complete, fully functional movie. The superhero studio’s had its successes, but none of those successes have ever had the stem to stern finished feeling of this one. The original Iron Man is a lot of fun, but the second half is a little less fun than the first. Thor has great characters, but sometimes seems a little light on story. All of the studio’s other films have worked in spite of some flaw, some glaring misstep which the better parts must overcome to varying results. Not Captain America. This is stem to stern, an honest to god film. Not a bunch of great characters in a weak script. Not a good idea with nowhere to go. Not an advertisement for some upcoming franchise connection. The First Avenger is a movie and a good one.

Maybe it works so well because it’s also the first Marvel movie that doesn’t feel as though it set out to be a superhero movie. Captain America is less interested in its character’s super powers than in what it took for him to get them and how he’ll use them. When it comes to Cap’s abilities, the movie barely discusses them. If Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) spends any time after his transformation from scrawny wannabe to mega-muscled hunk on testing the limits of his new abilities, we never see it. Instead the movie starts by showing us who Steve Rogers is, and then once it transforms him, focuses entirely on showing us the man he’s become.

When we meet him Steve isn’t a hero. He’s too little even to be a soldier, let alone a heroic one. The special effects used here to turn buff Chris Evans into a diminutive midget, are nothing short of stunning. Though America is in the midst of World War II and desperate for warm bodies to fill out uniforms, Steve is so small and weak that he’s repeatedly rejected by the draft board. They don’t want a 90-pound weakling with chronic asthma, but Dr. Abraham Erskine does. Played with gentle wisdom by Stanley Tucci, Erskine recruits Rogers for a super soldier experiment he’s conducting with the army. Erskine believes that only a weak man knows the true value of strength and gambles that giving it to Steve will only make him a better man. It does.

Chris Evans plays Rogers with a sort of earnestly serious, gee-whiz determination before his transformation, and the really interesting thing about his performance is how much Steve remains that same man even after he’s pumped up and put in his costume. First Avenger keeps Steve’s road rocky, no matter that he’s given power beyond that of normal men, life remains a struggle. Inside he’s still the little guy who keeps getting knocked down but refuses to stay down. Captain America’s real strength isn’t in his arms or in his ability to throw his shield, it’s in his ability to keep getting back up, to keep going, no matter the cost.

Eventually Captain America ends up in the thick of World War II, fighting a Nazi splinter-group headed by a nefarious super villain. These Nazis have mastered technology beyond the normal Hitler loyalist, and calling themselves Hydra, they run around blasting Allied troops with laser guns. Don’t let that throw you. Cap’s on a collision course with their leader Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) and along the way Johnston blasts fast-paced, but infinitely watchable action sequences across the screen. If there’s any complaint here, it’s that he doesn’t spend more time on them. Some of Cap’s earlier exploits end up being reduced to a highlight reel, in which we watch him blowing up Hydra installations. It’s a testament to just how good that reel is, I suppose, that you’ll want more of it. When the movie settles down to really let an action scene develop though, it truly soars, and does it in fairly simple fashion. After a summer watching superheroes with power rings and mutant mental abilities, there’s something refreshing about watching a guy defend truth and justice with only his fists and big chunk of American metal.

That First Avenger looks glorious is only a bonus. Johnston puts the period specific skills he learned making movies like The Rocketeer to good use here, mixing a dizzying array of World War II era iconic imagery with sci-fi strangeness. Maybe the movie could have used a little more 1942 and a little less magic cube from outer space, but the movie is in a sense beholden to its genre. Johnston’s film works with that and at times thrives in it. The movie’s filled with great little nods connecting to other Marvel movies, part of the studios effort to bring their characters together in one, big team-up movie called The Avengers next year, but none of that ever gets in the way of creating a self-contained film. Those knowing nods will go unnoticed to the uninitiated with no ill-effect while blowing the circuits of anyone who’s seen Thor. Captain America is a movie, not just a Marvel movie. Yet when the movie ends with an after-credits advertisement for The Avengers, it feels less like a trailer than it does the perfect capper on an epic movie watching experience.

In an era where we’re obsessed with dark and brooding superheroes, director Joe Johnston’s Captain America is a breath of fresh air. He reminds us that superheroes don’t have to be dark and disturbed to be interesting, they don’t need cracks and flaws to earn our affection, they don’t have to be alien gods or magic motorcycle riding demons. Captain America in his own simple way embodies much of what's noble and good about humanity. That’s not boring, it’s awesome.

Grade - A-  -  pretty good fun

Thor - Hammer Time

Thor is the next step in Marvel's massive multi-superhero world-building effort that will culminate with The Avengers, but unlike Iron Man 2 before it, it manages to stand as its own engaging, slightly cuckoo narrative as well. Despite the shiny pseudo-mythic land of Asgard where much of the film takes place and director Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean credentials, Thor utterly lacks pretension, sticking to a simple story and doling out jolts of spectacle at all the necessary moments. The workmanlike writing by committee fails badly on the character level, and there's little in Thor that approaches the giddy, look-ma bravado of comic book movies at their best. But by embracing the oddities of Thor's mythology and building a very specific and fully realized world around him, Branagh and the Marvel brain trust have kept the superhero genre on its feet for another round.

The long list of things in Thor that work better than you might expect has to start with Chris Hemsworth, the Australian hunk of beef who nails both Thor's princely self-regard and good heart even when the writing isn't there to back him up. We meet him briefly on Earth before flashing back to Asgard, where a surprise attack from the enemy Frost Giants prevents him from being officially named as the successor to his aged father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). The George W. Bush parallels are there if you choose to pursue them-- a hotheaded son seeks revenge when his father would rather try diplomacy, rounds up his friends and invades the planet of the people who may or may not be such a grave threat. Invading the Frost Giant planet is the dumb move that gets cocky Thor banished from Asgard, but it also makes for a thrilling early fight sequence, full of weird magical weapons and powers along with the first hint that Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) might not be what he seems.

Crash landing in the New Mexico desert, his trusty hammer Mjolnir magically embedded by Odin in the earth until he's humble enough to pull it out, Thor is left essentially powerless and bunking with an astronomy research team, led by the inevitable love interest Jane (Natalie Portman). It's risky to leave your lead character essentially twiddling his thumbs for the entire second act, and though there's plenty going on between Loki's hostile takeover of Asgard and the efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) to figure out who Thor really is, the plot in this middle section sags considerably. Branagh makes up for it, though, with an odd and appealing visual style of Dutch angles that emphasize the wide open spaces of the desert, plus a well-executed sense of humor that gives Hemsworth and especially Kat Dennings, as Jane's assistant, a long series of crack one-liners. Everything on Asgard has to be taken seriously in order for us to believe in it at all, but on Earth Branagh and his cast get to cut loose, remembering that beyond spectacular and cool, superhero movies are really just supposed to be fun.

Fans of the comics will probably have a slightly easier time understanding all the mythology and monsters that play into the finale, and could explain to me why Idris Elba's Heimdall, the most interesting character in Asgard by far, is stuck on the outskirts of town the whole time. And for all the talk about the humility Thor must learn or the budding romance between him and Jane, the character development in Thor seems to have been sketched out in the first draft and abandoned in favor of focusing on cool production design. But you can be aware of all these flaws and still get a lot out of Thor, a movie that sidesteps cynicism and its own sloppy script to become a perfectly good, perfectly scaled bit of entertainment.

Grade - B- (Thor delivers the goods so long as butt is being kicked and family conflict is playing out in celestial dimensions, but is less thrilling during the Norse warrior god's rather brief banishment on Earth)

Iron Man 2 - polished, high-octane sequel

In its best moments, and pretty much all of them were best moments, the original Iron Man felt like a direct extension of its main character, snazzy and charming and way smarter than it lets on. It's probably a bad sign, then, that Iron Man 2 opens not with the dashing and magnetic Tony Stark, but with blue-filtered cinematography and a crashing, Dark Knight-reminiscent score as we meet Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the Russian crazyperson who may as well have the word "VILLAIN" strewn in among his many tattoos.

Ivan's introduction only takes up the opening credits, and it's barely any time at all before we're tossed into the tawdry excess of the Stark Expo, but the precedent has been set-- Iron Man 2 is constantly, almost unintentionally, moving away from its central character, and it suffers for it throughout. Tony Stark spends most of the movie in a slump, poisoned from the inside by the core reactor that's keeping him alive and dealing, maybe a little belatedly, with some daddy issues. Everyone around him, from rival industrialist Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) to newly appointed Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), is keeping busy, but Tony, who seemed to develop a conscience at the end of the first film, is right back to the same old motivation of booze and women. Robert Downey Jr., marvel that he is, manages to make even Tony's stupidest, most selfish antics endearing, but it's almost as if he realized his character-- the title character!-- had been written as a passive bystander, and he had to work double time to make up for it.

That's all fine in the film's first 45 minutes, which introduce Vanko's evil revenge plan, show off Tony's boundless charm at a tense Senate committee hearing, and lead into the film's first, and probably best, action sequence, when Whiplash interrupts a Monte Carlo car race to attack Tony with beautifully realized electrical whips. Preceded by a long and elegant party scene that sets up the film's many rivalries and capped by a comic getaway for Pepper Potts and right-hand man Happy (Favreau himself), the Monte Carlo sequence is everything Iron Man does best: fluid storytelling, over-the-top enjoyable action, inventive gadgets, and humor thrown it at precisely the right moments.

Unfortunately it's another solid forty five minutes before we reach the next action scene, and it's a colossal misstep that throws the entire film off its game. Tony's military pal Rhodey (Don Cheadle now, Terrence Howard last time) is fed up with his friend's drunken antics and shows up at Tony's birthday party to reclaim the suit, but Tony is too busy DJ-ing in his suit and doing party trick. I won't spoil the details, but you probably already know that War Machine makes an appearance in this film, and well...you see where this is going.

From there Tony is occupied by a Da Vinci Code-esque hunt through his father's old documents, which leads pretty much nowhere, while Hammer and Vanko team up, Rhodey questions his allegiance to his friend, and Tony's comely new assistant Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) is revealed to have another employer-- let's just say, Marvel fans, that he wears an eyepatch. It's a lot to keep track of, but Iron Man 2, despite its failings, avoids the villain overload that has felled any number of superhero sequels, and all the pieces are set nicely into place for the final showdown. The problem with all of it, though, is that it just doesn't really matter. Ivan Vanko seems set on nothing but avenging the death of his father that he believes Howard Stark caused, and Hammer, annoying as he is, isn't a villain-- he's just Tony's business competition. The first film found Tony Stark getting over his petty business concerns and learning to fight for the greater good, but Iron Man 2 puts us exactly where we started, getting worked up about things like intellectual property theft and who slept with that cute Vanity Fair reporter first. It's fun and glamorous and all, but we've generally come to expect more from our superheroes.

Iron Man 2 was very publicly made in a rush, and it shows-- the script suffers from long stretches of nothing but dialogue scenes, and character arcs that should have connected the whole film show up crammed into scenes, just to make sure they fit into whatever happens in the sequel. That's never more apparent than all the scenes involving Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.; the entire agency was introduced only after the credits of the first film, but going into this one we're expected to understand the purpose of S.H.I.E.L.D., where Iron Man might fit into the Avengers, and even why a maverick like Tony Stark would want to be in that superhero club. Jackson's mighty over-acting and Clark Gregg's smarmy Agent Coulson give these S.H.I.E.L.D. scenes a little zip, but they're effectively just another distracting subplot in a film that could have stood to drop a few.

Tony Stark is practically alone among modern movie superheroes in that he suffers very little self doubt, charging ahead with his plans, damn the torpedoes and that sensible Pepper Potts. If only we could say the same of the sequel that surrounds him, a movie that is so good when it pulls itself together, but is frequently too disorganized or uncertain to soar to the same heights as the first film. There's plenty in to enjoy, and overall Iron Man 2 provides more entertainment, guilt-free, than anything you're likely to see this summer. But based on the first film and many sections of this one, we had reason to expect even more.

Grade - B- (isn't as much fun as its predecessor, but by the time the smoke clears, it'll do)

The Incredible Hulk - HULK SMASH!

"Hulk smash!" It's incredibly (pardon the pun) important to remember that when going in to see the Marvel Studios requel of The Incredible Hulk. Sure, there's angst the story's hero is cursed with a monstrous alter ego that only appears when he gets "excited" (in both good and bad ways). Sure, there's tension the story's hero is constantly on the run from "Big Brother-like" forces looking to capture and exploit his beast within. But ultimately the film, much like the comic book from which it's based, is about destruction.

Think a smaller scale Cloverfield and you're in the right ballpark. To further hammer the point home: An introspective tale focusing on father-son issues this is not (sorry, Ang Lee).

To that end, The Incredible Hulk delivers and it delivers well. The film starts off with Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately searching for a cure to the gamma radiation which has poisoned his cells and unleashed a primal force of rage within him known as The Hulk. Living in the shadows and cut off from a life with the woman he loves, Dr. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), Bruce knows that a military machine led by General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) is seeking to capture and brutally exploit his power. As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk's creation (indeed, they all played a role), they are confronted with a vicious new enemy known as The Abomination a monstrosity whose destructive strength exceeds even that of The Hulk's. To defeat this nemesis, the film's hero must make an agonizing choice: accept a peaceful life as Bruce Banner or find heroism in the creature he holds inside.

Much has been made about director Louis Leterrier's decision to focus his film back on themes established in the popular 1970s live-action TV series, and that is clearly the case. In fact, the film's opening credit sequence revisits The Hulk's origin story mirroring the starting point established in the show Bruce falls victim to a gamma experiment gone wrong, an attempt to tap into man's adrenaline induced super-strength. The director even goes so far as to include cameos from former Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, and former Bruce, Bill Bixby (in a clever and cute way). But how this new approach truly benefits the film is by upping the story's tension, not only putting its human hero constantly on the run from a determined General Ross but by also increasing the stakes surrounding each "Hulk out." Bruce quite literally has to restart his life each time he transforms, finding himself in a strange new location (the Hulk will often leap into neighboring states or countries), in need of new clothes, and in need of a new lab to once again begin his search for a cure.

Perhaps more impressive, however, is the film's adherence to comic book continuity. Letterier creates a hyper-realistic world one that feels like our world, but that incorporates the four color caricatures established in over 40 years worth of comics that utilizes to perfect degree (in much the same way Spider-Man did) imagery, characters, moments, etc. that comic book fans are sure to recognize. Aside from the obvious like a talking Hulk, the thunderclap, the introduction of Samuel Sterns (a.k.a. The Leader) elements like the way General Ross is played, the calm Betty bestows upon a rampaging Hulk, and the introduction of a world full of superheroes not only enhance the experience that is The Incredible Hulk, but also expertly set the stage for one unified Marvel movie universe. Most important, however, is the way in which the film successfully establishes the idea of "Hulk as hero." This is not an easy task considering the Green Goliath has a penchant for mass destruction. But by introducing an established comic book rogue (The Abomination) and giving Bruce the choice between accepting a cure or living with his curse to save innocent bystanders, the film's writers managed to accomplish what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby set out to do back in 1962.

The performances turned in by the film's cast are fairly one-dimensional, but effective. Tyler's Betty is your classic damsel in distress while it may not stretch the limits of her acting abilities, it does serve a very important purpose. Norton makes for a very Bixby-style Banner, one that's smart, driven, heroic and a little badass (at least until his heart rate jumps above 200 and he turns all green and sh*t). Tim Roth's Emily Blonsky (the human counterpart of The Abomination) is a bit of a mystery, but again this works. By not knowing too much about the character's back-story, audiences are naturally wary of him; this creates easy "buy in" to his eventual descent into madness. But it's Hurt's General Ross that truly impressed this reporter (a self-professed Hulk expert). If you haven't read it already, be sure to pick up the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale created Hulk: Gray. It's as if that version's "Thunderbolt" Ross (physical appearance and attitude) leapt from the pages of the comic book and into the live-action body of the prolific actor. 'Nuff said.

The discussion that is sure to plague blog posts and message boards for years to come, however, will have to do with the film's CG characters. Granted, from his first midday, on-screen appearance, The Hulk is clearly a digital creation (as is The Abomination) and that sense never really leaves the film. However, audiences are quickly distracted from this momentary lapse of belief as soon as fists start clashing, glass stars shattering, and monsters start smashing. Quite literally, the intensity of the action and the shaking of theater seats are sure to distract from uneven coloring and anti-aliased pixels. And this is where Leterrier's experience as a high-octane action director truly pays off. Doubts were cast as to whether the filmmaker could direct the more intimate moments as well as the big effects sequences; rest assured, he can.

In the end, The Incredible Hulk is exactly what it should be: An all-out action romp that resets the comic book icon's big screen continuity and paves the way for future installments (both in the Hulk franchise, as well as in that of the Avengers) in the newly unified Marvel movie universe.

Grade B - A refreshing hulk movie after 2003  (My apologies again, Mr. Ang Lee.)

Iron Man - Downey's rivaval

With Iron Man, the character, you get a different kind of intellectual, emotional and moral complexity than you get from the likes of Spider-Man or other spandex-clad supermen. Unlike ol' web-head, whose adventures not only provide the most consistent comic-themed film franchise to date but mirror the coming of age experience of the series' core audience, Iron Man is indeed a man, with man-sized experiences and man-sized problems.

Mind you, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins brilliantly initiated (and this summer will presumably continue) its own darker, more adult-oriented exploration of the hero myth essentially the "book" without the "comic." But directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man the film has retained both that maturity and adolescent mischievousness, in the process creating one of the more tonally successful if somewhat insubstantial adaptations in the history of superhero movies.

Robert Downey Jr. (Zodiac) is perfectly cast as Stark, a billionaire industrialist who awakens to find an electromagnet strapped to his chest after his convoy is attacked in Afghanistan. Escaping his kidnappers by building a crude armored suit, Tony returns home and announces that Stark Industries will cease production of all military technology. While this deeply worries Stark stockholders, particularly Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges), who founded the company with Tony's father, Tony becomes obsessed with building better and more sophisticated suits of armor. Before long, Tony and Obediah find themselves in a power struggle for the future of Stark Enterprises, with significantly more at stake than a couple of hundred billion dollars.

It was the casting of Downey that seemed to appease fan fears about adapting Iron Man, and truth be told he's the best thing about the film. As an actor who's been around the block and played plenty of characters beneath his talent (just two years ago he appeared in The Shaggy Dog), Downey lends the character experience and depth two things which are essential to the transformation that must occur for Stark to go from complicity to consciousness. That Downey himself has failed in Hollywood almost more times than he has succeeded only adds an extra degree of dimension to the role, since more than half of the time Stark seems to be flying by the seat of his pants. But as always there's clearly something going on inside his (and his character's) head, and he plays Stark as an aging movie star who discovers one day that he can make "serious" films, and does so in the only way he knows how namely as flashily as possible.

Meanwhile, the rest of the movie sort of functions on autopilot, providing requisite story developments and character details to fill in this default "origin story" while the actors successfully breathe life into their otherwise conventional roles. As Stark's assistant-cum-love interest Pepper Potts, Gwyneth Paltrow is given a few howlers of dialogue to deliver, but mostly generates real chemistry between herself and Downey; the same goes for Terrence Howard (The Brave One), who plays Jim Rhodes Tony's best friend and right-hand man.

And then, of course, there's Bridges, who sports a convincing bald pate and salt-and-pepper beard as Obediah Stane. Bridges, like Downey, is almost always interesting on screen, but here is given a pretty radical leap at the end of the film that some may have trouble buying. Otherwise, he's mostly consistent and believable as a corporate shark-turned-megalomaniac, but the fault in this climactic moment seems to lie more with the writing (or perhaps editing, given what might lay on the cutting room floor) than the acting.

Ultimately, while comparisons between this film and other comic book adaptations are inevitable, structurally speaking this seems like a closer compatriot to something like Hulk than any other adaptation, though it neither subscribes to Ang Lee's (literal) comic book visual style nor his action-deficient, Greek-tragedy narrative landscape. What that means is that Iron Man is more satisfying as a conventional drama and action film, albeit with little or none of the visual style that defined Lee's singular if somewhat inaccessible interpretation, much less the rest of comicdom's myriad auteur-driven film series. This, presumably, is exactly what Marvel wants from their forthcoming adaptations no-frills, action-packed, straightforward depictions of their heroes which means that the faithful will likely be satisfied, but outsiders might find it... well, a little "comic book-y.

That said, it's this balance between real world stakes and superhero surrealism that makes Favreau's film such a success and which will likely translate to monster box office receipts. Folks who enjoy the heightened melodrama of comic book dialogue will thrill at Stark's supercharged conversations with Stane, and moviegoers who want to believe in the people that say them will watch in rapt attention as Downey and Bridges offer master-class exchanges. At the same time, the story doesn't add up to a whole lot and thanks almost exclusively to the script it's tough to know sometimes where Stark's glibness ends and his substance begins. But again, the players involved elevate the game to heights far beyond the limits of the rule book.

Like Elf and Zathura, Favreau merges the heart of a kids movie with the brain of an adult one, creating something that will thrill teens and comic fans, but not bore their parents, older siblings, or those typically disinterested in the stuff from which superheroes (and their movie series) are made. All in all, Iron Man is a very good movie, which means that all the next one needs to do in order to be truly great is grow up a little bit. In other words (to borrow a page from Stark's blueprints, perhaps), Downey, Favreau and Co. seem to have crafted a working version of the superhero movie they wanted to see, as well as the audience.

Grade - B+