Comic Movie Wrap-Up, Part One

I know this is much delayed, and fairly useless. After all, either you've already seen them, or you never will. But I still thought I'd do a short wrap-up of the big comic book movies of the summer, if only to get back on the blogging horse. And also because I saw most of them BY MYSELF, and thus haven't had much of a chance to talk to anyone about them.


Iron Man was the first to come out, and really kick-started the summer season for me. It was actually my favorite comic movie in years. First off, the casting was ridiculously good. Robert Downey Jr. was a great choice as Tony Stark, as was Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane. Even Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and director Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan were okay. Terence Howard didn't have much to do, but he was really just in place for the sequel. Speaking of which, I hope we do see more of James Rhodes, as I worry Robert Downey Jr. is a little old to do another six or seven years as Iron Man without starting to look a little silly. Transitioning the armor to another actor should help the staying power of the series.

Beyond the good casting, solid acting and obviously top-notch special effects, my favorite thing about Iron Man was that it was the first comic book movie I've ever seen where I said, "You know, all of this could actually happen." I mean, every other movie seems to either have heroes with superpowers or normal humans doing superhuman things (such as when Batman falls eight stories and walks away, or leaps thirty feet in a single bound). But Iron Man had normal humans living under normal human limitations. Sure, the armor did some crazy things, but it's not all that far-fetched. The Army has been working on body armor and jetpacks for years, but can never get past the problems of weight, cost and fuel consumption. Well, Tony Stark figured out all three in the movie. If someone could do that in real life, we could actually see something like the Iron Man armor. More realistically, we could see something like the Iron Monger.

Hey, it's all still just superhero science and suspension of disbelief. But compared to the other movies on this list, and cast with Oscar-winners, it came off as very believable. It was easy to get totally engrossed in the world of the film.


The Incredible Hulk was next on my summer watch list. I enjoyed this one a lot, too, though not as much as Iron Man. It had equal acting strength with Edward Norton (one of my all-time faves), Tim Roth and William Hurt, while Liv Tyler was adequate as Betty Ross. I was amazed at how stocky she looked, but she sort of looked like a woman who would actually pine for a middle-aged scientist. I also liked how they threw some solid actors into sequel-capable roles, like Tim Blake Nelson as the future Leader and Ty Burrell as the eventual Doc Samson. I'd love to see a sequel just to see if they'll bring those two forward a bit more.

The plot of the movie was very simple, but none of these films tried to be much more than what they were, which was one of the good things about all of them. This one was simply meant to establish the dual identities of this legendary character, and it did an admirable job at that. Like you'll hear me say for at least one of the other movies on this list, I thought the best parts of The Incredible Hulk were the parts that had no superheroics or CGI--Edward Norton on his own is more fun to watch than any green giant. But they did tone back some of the cartoony aspects of the Hulk and made his actions have a bit more weight, which was an improvement on the previous film. Overall, it was a fun ride, and left me wanting more. Which is exactly what Marvel intended when they rebooted the franchise. It didn't make any more money than the last Hulk movie, but it's definitely in better position for big-money sequels.


I should have less to say about The Dark Knight than the other movies I saw this summer, if just because everyone else has already said it all. I definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn't perfect. The writing was all over the place--some of the scenes were brilliant, while others were filled with Bat vs. dog combat or long-winded speeches about justice. The film was intense enough to keep my eyes glued to the screen for the entire three hours, but should have been shorter by almost half. And I really wish we'd seen less of the hero in costume and a little more of everything and everyone else. I love Christian Bale, but the worst parts of the movie were when he was the bat--his movements looked too choreographed, his costume was too elaborate and bulky, and his voice...well, I think everyone's already weighed in on that.

Anyway, the only thing I should be talking about in regards to The Dark Knight is Heath Ledger's performance. I was sympathetic towards his family and friends when he died, but I won't confess to feeling any great sadness for myself. As shallow as it sounds, however, watching his performance in this movie did make me a bit sad that he won't be around for a sequel. He was so good that I wanted to see much more of that character. I don't think there was enough meat in the role to make it Oscar-worthy, but there was definitely enough to get him some minor awards and even more recognition as a versatile actor. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart were also good in this film, and when you combine them with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, you have as solid a cast as any other summer blockbuster. But the movie was definitely Heath Ledger's showcase, and all future Bat-villains will pale in comparison.

Finally, though I wasn't a fan of the way The Dark Knight ended, I had no problem with the fate of Maggie Gyllenhaal's character. I've never really been bothered by writers killing off the wife/girlfriend to incite heroic action. Not because I'm a misogynist, but because it's motivation I can immediately understand. There's nothing that would incite me to violence like losing my wife. It's one of my biggest fears in life. As overused as it is, it almost always works to get me to feel for the hero and root for him.

I just wish it'd been done in the previous movie, when Rachel Dawes was played by Tom Cruise's baby maker.


Next Time: Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Wanted, and a bonus film for which I forgot to make an image!