The Art of Iron Man 2by John Barber and book design by Maz takes the reader behind the scenes of the 2010's Iron Man 2. The book is fairly straight forward with chapters on the Iron Man armor, villains, settings, backgrounds and more. The book is image rich with every page featuring images, concept designs and even story boards. The text focuses on what was behind the choices that designers and film makers made in building Iron Man's world.
Really the star of the text is the photos. The captions and text are likely not going to dig deep enough for fans who really want to tear apart of the movie. For example, I would of really loved more analysis of how Walt Disney had helped inspire the Stark Expo, Disney receives one mention. But the pictures are really fun and really help you see the evolution of Iron Man on the big screen. For me one of the most enjoyable features was the close ups of the feebles, the armors made around the globe to attempt to keep up with Tony Stark's technology.
The Art of Iron Man 2is great for fans who want to look at awesome armor designs and to understand what the filmmakers were wanting. However, it may not be deep enough for those who want to drink deeply from the Iron Man mythos.
As many of you know, I am now podcasting about one specific Disney property, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I have not posted about all of our episodes, but episode 5, "I Am Iron Man, Too" is packed with Disney goodness! I at one point joke that we recorded 4 hours on Walt Disney!
Okay, it was not quite that much. And we did not about things other than Walt Disney, like the actual action in Iron Man 2. But in this episode I make it clear....Howard Stark is Walt Disney.
I am a Disney fan, Marvel fan, superhero fan and a heretic.
Contrary to other reviews you may have read already, let me say Iron Man 3 is a good movie but not the greatest superhero comic movie ever. It is not as good as The Avengers, Iron Man 2,or Iron Man (my personal ranking, yes I did put 2 before 1). It is fun and enjoyable though at times (the front) it kind of drags and I have plenty of concerns that brought me out of the movie the first time I watched it. Maybe my expectations were too high!
In the third installment of the Iron Man series, an emotionally maturing Tony Stark, played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr., is dealing, and not well, with the emotional ramifications of the battle for New York in The Avengers. While emotionally at his wit’s end he enters into a confrontation with the terrorist The Mandarin who is attempting to reeducate the American President. Tony becomes embroiled into this confrontation after one of The Mandarin’s Extermis soldiers hurts someone close to Tony. After a strike on his home, Stark must determine how to defeat the demons of his past, find The Mandarin’s lair, protect those he loves and defend the United States’ government in this Mousey Movie:
Team Work: Where is Captain America? I assume that Thor is not in the neighborhood but where is Captain America? Shouldn’t Captain America face a challenge against the United States and its leader? Is he not the most natural of Tony’s friends, he has a flag on his chest, to at least fight for the American way of life? Where is S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury? Tony Stark is at least loosely affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D., so should we not expect Nick Fury (who never shows up) to at least send someone like Coulson’s replacement over to the Stark Ranch after an air strike against it. But nope, no S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony Stark is part of a wider world, so where is everybody?
The Real World: To me a hallmark of the Iron Man films has been cementing Tony Stark to the real world. So I wondered how The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley would be handled. The Mandarin is a traditional Asian Iron Man villain powered by ten rings that are either magical or alien depending on the story arc you are reading. He is very non-real world. But I do applaud the fresh and realistic take they give to the Mandarin. He is portrayed in a way that should not be offensive to any culture. And he easily could exist in our world. Since Thor brought us Gods and The Avengers brought us aliens I thought maybe they would take an imaginary leap with The Mandarin. Instead, they followed their past and stayed in our world and I really liked it. And Kingsley was brilliant in his portrayal of this classic villain.
Kids and Animals: Kingsley was good, but Ty Simpkins stole the show for me. Who? Exactly! This fresh faced youngster plays a boy named Harley. Harley like Stark is mechanical and an emotional hot mess. If anyone can put the cocky superhero into his place it is Harley. Disney, sign this kid onto a long-term contract. We need to see him in future films as a sidekick to the millionaire, a protégé one might say. With Coulson out of the picture, until the T.V. show premiers at least, I officially identify Harley as my new favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe original character.
Tear Jerker: Everyone who has seen the trailers knows that Tony’s home is attacked and his hall of armor is devastated. I used to be sad about this when I saw the first trailers. But I must have come to terms with it, because I was sad but the armor loss did not upset me. But I had forgot there were other items in the garage that I've become emotionally attached to. So despite seeing this scene over and over again I was still left with a sense of loss.
Other People’s Property: Punisher, Ghost Rider, Daredevil and Blade are all officially back in the Disney/Marvel family. And it is clear that Disney is concerned with staking claims to their property, intellectual property that is. Along with the return of the Marvel lost children, Kevin Feige has announced that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are planned to be featured in The Avengers 2. This is interesting since Disney does not have movie rights to their daddy Magneto, who is in the X-Men films. And you have to wonder if they can even stay they are mutants? But the move does block these mutant siblings from being used in the non-Disney Marvel movies. Another addition in the second Avengers film is AIM as Aldrich Killian’s think tank. And Roxxon is mentioned as a company within the Disney Cinematic Universe before it could show up in a Spider-Man film. The most interesting marking of the Disney territory is War Machine being re-branded as Iron Patriot. I prefer the War Machine name, especially since Rhodey has never been Iron Patriot. Oh, and Iron Patriot is a villain, a re-purposed Iron Man suit worn by Spider-Man villain Norman Osborn. Is it possible that Marvel and Disney made this name change now to keep an Iron Man-like armor from showing up in the Spider-Man films? Honestly, I have a hard time believing that Sony could include Iron Patriot in their plans without Marvel approval. When all the intellectual dust settles, I wish War Machine was still War Machine!
Business Casual: This is a small thing, but it took me out of the movie. Don Cheadle’s Colonel James Rhodes the pilot of Iron Patriot is an Air Force officer. So his uniform when on patrol in the Iron Patriot armor is a polo and jeans that one can buy in any men’s section. Should he not have some sort of Battle Dress Uniform or other sanctioned and logoed military outfit when on official patrol, and not an outfit I could buy in every department store’s men’s section? I guess it does make CosPlay easier! I just keep thinking that Walt Disney demanded that Imagineers be true to details because even if we did not know why something was off we would still feel it. I felt it!
Action Jackson: The action sequences are really good, especially the attack on the Stark mansion and the battle finale. The Between Kid saw it with me the second time and I am pretty sure there was no blinking during both of these sequences. And despite having seen the movie once before, I still felt pulled into Tony’s struggles as his house was destroyed around him. The second time I paid to see the film in IMAX 3D, which usually I dislike. But for Iron Man 3 I really enjoyed the feeling of broken glass flying at me or ashes floating throughout the room.
Grow Up: I do believe the storyline shows growth for three of our main characters. Tony Stark clearly now cares for someone beyond himself, Pepper Potts. Potts, portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow, is definitely in charge of Stark Industries and comfortable with that role. She says no and yes on her authority and not Tony’s. In fact, Pepper comes off as a very strong figure in the board room, her romantic relationship, and even on the battlefield filled with villains and heroes. And Happy Hogan , played by Jon Favreau, no longer drives Tony or Pepper around but heads all of Stark security. It is nice to see these original three have not been stuck in place.
False Ending: I really feel like they are trying to give Iron Man 3 a Dark Knight Rises ending where the trilogy of Iron Man films are all wrapped up in a neat little package. But everyone, and I mean everyone to the youngest child knows, knows that regardless of the ending tying up of plot points that Tony Stark and Iron Man will return in The Avengers 2. In fact, the ending could literally end the Iron Man saga, and the Between Tween asked if there would ever be another Iron Man movie. After the post-credit scene we are told Tony Stark will be back and all the emotional work that the ending built up is out the window with a title card. I really felt like they fully do not understand the bigger picture. If this was the true end of a trilogy I would be satisfied. But that is not the situation. In the end, this ending is just misdirection to me. I should not I have debated heavily with a friend about this point, but I still have not been convinced it was the ending we needed.
Again, good not great. Iron Man 3 does have things we expect and need including the Stan Lee cameo and the post credit scene. Actually the post credit scene was not what I expected, or still believe needed, but was probably one of the best to date. If you are reading this blog, you will probably see Iron Man 3, if you have not already. I recommend sitting back, relaxing and do not look critically. Because when I took that strategy it was a much better movie.
It was an easy sale to get me to pick up Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Prelude #1. I got it for free for The Marvel Comics App. I like free, free is good. I like Iron Man,Iron Man 2, and The Avengers, they are good. So clearly, I was destined to enjoy this as I prepared to see Iron Man 3, which I will have seen by the time of posting and assume I will have thought was good. Sadly, despite my excitement, I was found wanting in this issue.
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Prelude #1 is written by Christos Gage and Will Corona Pilgrim with pencils by Steve Kurth. The tale intertwines itself amongst the events of Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. The real main character is Rhodey (James Rhodes) as he follows the leads to track down a terrorist named The Ten Rings, which has supplied terrorists with weapons globally. You will also remember them as Tony Stark’s kidnappers in Iron Man. The issue ends with a cliffhanger as Rhodey in his War Machine armor may have gotten too close to The Ten Rings!
Okay, so I do really enjoy the tie-ins to several Avenger Initiative movies. This issue, for example, does an excellent job at explaining why War Machine did not join the Avengers in New York. And it addresses that Rhodey stole his first armor and shows Stark handing over an updated armor to Rhodes. We also see a glimpse of my beloved Agent Coulson in the background. Additionally, The Ten Rings is a clear foreshadowing of Iron Man 3 and the Mandarin. So I do feel like those who are only fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could pick up this issue and instantly understand all of the background without comics. Co-writer Pilgrim served as a researcher for Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, so he knows this version of the Marvel universe.
But, I do have two criticisms. First, they did not go all in. Rhodey looks like a buff handsome super hero, which is noticeably different than Don Cheadle's more unstated body type. Instead, he does look like the Rhodey from the comics. And even though Iron Man is in the title, this is really a War Machine issue and I wish that either this was highlighted in the title or that Stark had less of a supporting role. Second, I wish they would have given me the full story in a single comic. The purpose of this comic is to make me more excited about a movie that I am already planning to see (or will have actually seen when you read this!). This title did not change my impression either way, so charging me $2.99 for the second half or $7.99 for a print version with the whole 40-some pages seems like overkill. Especially since the story did not have enough action for me to choose to purchase the next half. I already know that Rhodey makes it to the movie!
Sadly, I did feel a lack of excitement for Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Prelude #1. I felt very vanilla about it. It is the type of story I would expect kids who devour movie tie-ins to enjoy. But adults will probably not find the strands of a story that will get them excited
Honestly, we had a fantastic superhero summer.And I really applaud Marvel and Disney for providing us The Avengers, which was action packed and super super fun.But with The Dark Knight Rises, behind usand not finding time to watch Looperyet, the latest James Bond offering of Skyfall was all that I had to look forward to in future live action offerings.
And then Marvel released the first trailer for Iron Man 3!Building on The Avengersand its recent home video release, well I got excited again.
What did you think?Things explode a lot, including things I do not really want to see destroyed.Tony mentions New York, a clear reference to The Avengers and how it changed him.He clearly is not mentally doing well when Iron Man 3 opens.I do question how his friend Captain America or at least a few random S.H.I.E.L.D. agents do not show up when someone blows up Tony Stark’s mansion!But maybe that will be explained in the movie, or maybe they will be there.I am not sure about Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin yet.He does look super creepy, give that guy a nice refreshing shower.
Thank you Marvel and Disney for getting me excited for May 3, 2013, and giving me a reason to get excited for live action again!I just hope this installment is as Mousey as Iron Man and Iron Man 2.
Before Disney owned Marvel the cinematic saga that will bring us May’s The Avengersbegan. After the credits of 2008’s Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson took the screen for the first time as Nick Fury Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and let us know that there were other heroes. And not only were there heroes, but he was working on something called the Avengers Initiative. Needless to say as a superhero fan I kind of stopped breathing for a few moments in 2008!
Iron Manintroduces Marvel superhero Iron Man to the big screen. It provides the story of how industrialist Tony Stark, played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr., saved himself from terrorists by creating the Iron Man armor. A changed man after surviving this attempt on his life, Stark turns away from his trade, weapons, and strikes out to improve the world. He is challenged professionally and personally by his mentor (or nemesis) Obadiah Stane who wishes to control Stark’s technology for his own benefit.
Now to be honest, before Iron Man I was not a big fan of Tony Stark. He always lived in the shadows to me of another millionaire superhero, DC’s Bruce Wayne/Batman. And Stark has a ton of personality flaws that just did not resonate to me. So as a kid if an X-Men book was laying next to an Iron Man book, X-men always won. And that is true today with the print version of Iron Man. But Downey Jr. is brilliant in this film and has crafted my favorite version of Tony Stark. I have also been one of the rare fans to like Iron Man 2more than the original. This has been based on two facts; the sequel is a very Mousey Movie that every Disney fan can enjoy. And honestly it doesn’t make me have to think as much! But with The Avengerson its way I am rewatching every movie in the Avengers Initiative, and this pre-Disney influenced flick turns out to have obvious and hidden Mousey Moments:
·Digital Heroes: Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, the film’s villain. Bridges was already the star of a cult Disney live action flick as Kevin Flynn in 1982’s Tron, and Clu. He reprised those roles in 2010’s Tron: Legacyplaying both hero (Flynn) and villain (Clu 2). Part of my criticism of the sequel has been Bridges’ portray of Flynn as he seems to be a tech savvy version of The Dude from The Big Lebowski. So as Stane I feel he is bringing something new to his career resume, a money and power loving evil industrialist, a character I imagine is very different than Bridges’ real personality. But that is only because I am convinced that Bridges really is The Dude.
·Hobby Time: Walt Disney enjoyed hands on hobbies. Disney’s love of hobby trains and miniatures helped inspire him to create Disneyland. He built the Carolwood Pacific Railroad in his background as a 1/8th scale train on a half mile track. Much of the Carolwood line was built by Walt Disney himself with the help of Legend Roger E. Broggie. This love of trains led to Walt’s park being encircled by one. Additionally, Disney collected miniatures and hand built a number of detailed miniatures himself. At one point he toyed with the idea of putting his miniatures on the road as a traveling exhibit, a predecessor to his interest in theme park attractions. Tony Stark likes working with his hands too. Walt Disney may have had his barn, but Tony Stark has a garage full of tools where he can get his hands dirty being creative working on cars and building super powered suits of armor.
·House of the Future: For a decade starting in 1957, visitors to Disneyland could get a glimpse of future living at the Monsanto House of the Future. Now, I never visited this attraction but in my mind Tony Stark lives in the House of the Future. He is super rich and has pretty much any effort saving device you can think of in his mansion. The dude has robots in his garage for heaven’s sake. The most impressive living innovation is JARVIS (voiced by Paul Bettany), the computer that manages the Stark household. JARVIS is so invaluable to Stark that he is connected to the Iron Man armor as an onboard artificial intelligence and advisor.
·Double Duty: Jon Favreau directs both Iron Manand Iron Man 2. And he also appears as Stark’s chauffer/body guard Happy Hogan. Favreau passed on directing the future Iron Man 3 selecting instead to helm Magic Kingdom a future release that provides Disney fans a Kingdom Keepers or Night at the Museum style after dark in the park adventure. Favreau has shown himself to be a big Disney fan boy, making me excited that this film will be led by one of us.
·Night on the Town: After returning from his kidnapping, Stark makes his first major public appearance at the Disney Concert Hall! Okay, I about feel over when I heard it. Stark is hosting his third annual benefit for firefighters at this Los Angeles’ venue. And honestly its one of my favorite sites in the film for two reason. First, look for the Stan Lee cameo at the Disney Concert Hall. Second, Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D meets Stark for the first time at the fundraiser.
For me Iron Manwas an unexpected Mousey Movie. I thought I would actually have to force the connections to declare it Mousey. Instead I found more Disney references and connections that I have even shared here. And it really makes me happy that the first movie in the Avengers Initiative can stand proudly next to its Mousey sequel.
Throughout the Avengers Initiative there has been several connective themes that tie the movies together. First, Samuel L. Jackson has consistently appeared as Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. And Clark Gregg has consistently portrayed Agent Coulson. But another actor has appeared throughout, just not as the same character. That master thespian has been Stan Lee, who has played a cameo role in almost every movie containing a Marvel character.
Who is Stan Lee? In many ways Stan Lee is the Walt Disney of the Marvel universe. In 1941 a nineteen year old Stan Lee was made Interim Editor of Timely Comics, which would later become Marvel Comics. His job before this was an assistant who was in charge of making sure the inkwells were filled! For the next 6 decades Lee served as editor, publisher, writer, and creative force within Marvel Comics. He co-created characters such as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Men, Thor, Iron Man and many more. During these years he helped transform Marvel from a small publishing firm to a major corporation spread across several media platforms.
Lee has never been afraid to perform to support Marvel properties. For me I was first introduced to Stan Lee as the narrator of the cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. He brought the tales of the web slinger into my home and the homes of other true believers every weekend, and it was wonderful. If you want to get my attention, add Stan Lee to the mix!
As Marvel expanded into movies he began to make cameo roles. Some were somewhat anonymous, such as his first cameo as a juror in the TV-movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. Other cameos were established Marvel characters such as postman Willie Lumpkin in Fantastic Four. Others have honestly been odd, playing celebrities. One thing is common with every one of these cameos, they make you smile and you fill with pride as you spot Lee’s appearance.
Now Lee is not Marvel’s John Ratzenberger. Unlike the Pixar lucky charm, Lee has not appeared in every Marvel film. For example, Lee is not present in X-Men: First Class due to scheduling issues. But if Marvel can work it in, Lee will be added to the cast.
The following are the Stan Lee cameos in the Avengers Initiative to date:
·Iron Man: Stan Lee appears as Hugh Hefner? Actually Tony Stark confuses Lee for Hefner, but Lee is playing himself. Lee as Lee really does make more sense than Lee as Hefner, but this is not the last time he will appear as an elderly celebrity.
·The Incredible Hulk: Mr. Lee drinks a bad soft drink, one infused with Bruce Banner’s blood. As expected, Gamma radiated blood will make one ill!
·Iron Man 2: Lee appears at the Stark Expo as Larry King! Yet again Lee shows his versatility playing another celebrity.
·Thor: I have to admit this is my favorite cameo. Lee plays a good old boy trying to use his pickup truck to pull Thor’s hammer Mjolnir out of the ground. Does truck or hammer win?
·Captain America: The First Avenger: Lee plays a World War II general. Finally Lee receives a role that is suitable for a man of his stature.
For your viewing pleasure, this montage contains all of Lee’s cameos in major Marvel films including the Avenger movies.
Who do you hope Stan Lee plays in The Avengers? I am pulling for President of the United States. After being a general he can only go up! Whatever role he plays, you can pretty much guarantee that Lee will make his presence known when The Avengers premiers!
With John Carter behind us we move onto Disney’s guaranteed blockbuster, The Avengers. Disney you say, why yes, yes it is. Though we find Marvel characters and rides in Universal Studios Orlando, Disney owns the Marvel universe. If you question whether or not the Avengers or Marvel is part of the Disney family, prepare yourself for an Avengers monorail wrap much like we saw with Tron Legacy. Disney may not be able to host Iron Man or Captain America meet and greets in the parks due to the Universal contract, but the Marvel presence is soon to be evident in our favorite vacation spots. Bob Iger at the 2012 Annual Meeting stated that there are plans to introduce Marvel characters into the theme parks.
Captain America is Ready to Meet You, But Not at Walt Disney World!
As a kid who grew up reading The X-Men, The Amazing Spiderman, and the occasional Avengers I have been excited about what I have informally referred to as the “Avengers Project” for over five years. And after Disney bought Marvel after the project kicked off, my interest went straight through the roof.
Development of The Avengers actually started in 2005, years before Disney purchased Marvel Comics. So in many ways, Disney inherited a string of blockbusters. The concept was to release several Marvel hero movies and then have then all wrap together into one movie that included the stars of the previous films. The connective tissue was a initially minor character, Nick Fury. Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson in the Avenger movies, is the longtime director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) a government agency working to ensure the overall security of the United States. S.H.I.E.L.D. would appear first in 2008’s Iron Man in Agent Coulson, brilliantly played by Clark Gregg, but Fury would not appear until a short interaction with Tony Stark after the credits! Though the role of Nick Fury was expanded in some future offerings, especially Iron Man 2, Fury has largely been a secondary plot point which guided viewers forward to this year’s The Avengers. The following are quick summaries of the movies to date leading to The Avengers including which major characters key to the plot of The Avengers are introduced, as we know it to date:
·The audience is introduced to billionaire playboy and arms manufacturer Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. Kidnapped in a foreign land the genius Stark develops the Iron Man suit of armor. Stark struggles with balancing his own personal failings with becoming a public superhero and fights to save his technology and company from falling into the hands of his business partner and mentor turned bad.
·S.H.I.E.L.D. comes out of the shadows to discuss with Tony the implications of his technically advanced suit of armor. Agent Phil Coulson is charged with investigating the Iron Man technology. The unintimating Coulson proves to be more than a man in a suit but an ally in Stark’s struggle to control his invention.
·Nick Fury after the credits visits Stark on a recruiting visit to work with S.H.I.E.L.D.
·In this semi-sequel to the 2003 Hulk, Doctor Bruce Banner, played by Edward Norton, struggles with overcoming the Gamma radiation poisoning that turns the bookish scientist into the mindless and destructive Hulk. Norton taking over the role from Eric Bana, plays a more cerebral Banner and is a character more familiar to fans of the 1970’s Bill Bixby The Incredible Hulk, than a smash everything brute.
·A cameo from Tony Stark after the credits notes that a team is being put together.
·Honestly this is the one Avengers movie that I have never watched more than once. So I think many forgot its role in moving forward the Avengers story.
·Norton is replaced as Bruce Banner/Hulk by Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers. In my opinion, Ruffalo’s appearance appears to be in the brainy Banner mold, not the hunkish and rock hard action hero.
·Iron Man 2was released after the Disney acquisition of Marvel and was promoted heavily by the Walt Disney Company as seen by the merchandise found in places like the Disney Store.
·Tony Stark returns and seriously loses his mojo as he faces death due to a heart defect. He is also confronted by business rivals and a new villain that insists that Stark’s business and personal life should be his own.
·Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, with the aid of Agent Coulson put Stark on a path to hopefully restore Tony’s groove. Fury does question if Stark is able to cooperate with others and be material for the team he is assembling.
·Another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent The Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson is introduced. The Black Widow is a martial arts and espionage expert assigned by Fury to keep a watchful eye on Stark and will return as a member of the Avengers.
·Coulson is called away to a situation in New Mexico. After the credits, Coulson calls back to report he has found something. This scene leads us into the next Avengers themed movie.
·Many prefer the first Iron Man movie to the sequel but as a Disney fan this is my favorite due to its Mouseyness. The parallels between Howard Stark, Tony’s father, and Walt Disney are impossible to miss.
·This film introduces another member of the Avengers team in the Norse god Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth. Thor due to a poor decision making is thrown out of his home of Asgard by his father Odin. Thor must find himself and his power again during a busy weekend in New Mexico. As he finds himself, he struggles for control of Asgard and with his brother Loki, brilliantly portrayed by Tom Hiddleston.
·A post credits scene with Nick Fury hints that Loki will return. The trailers for The Avengers confirm that Loki returns as a major villain.
·It is revealed that the item Agent Coulson has found in New Mexico is Thor’s mystical hammer Mjolnir. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a major presence in the story, guarding and investigating Mjolnir.
·Another Avenger is briefly introduced. As Thor attempts to steal back Mjolnir from S.H.I.E.L.D. he is under the watchful eye of Clint Barton or Hawkeye played by Oscar nominated actor Jeremy Renner. Hawkeye is a sharp shooter whose weapon of choice is a bow and arrow.
·Captain America: The First Avenger is the last piece of The Avengers puzzle at it introduces World War II era hero Captain America played by Chris Evans. Lightweight Steve Rogers fails in his attempts to be inducted into the Army to fight the Axis powers. Noticed by a government scientist he is selected for a program that gives him superhuman strength. Under the name Captain America he fights a faction of Nazi scientific elite called HYDRA under the command of the Red Skull.
·The ending of the movie, sorry for any possible spoilers, transitions to the modern day as Nick Fury introduces an unaged Steve Rogers to the modern world. After the credits, Fury returns to ask Rogers about joining a team he is putting together.
Setup your Netflix queue or visit your local Redbox because you have your homework to finish before May 4th. The Avengers, unlike one of my favorites of this year John Carter is sure to be a hit for Disney. And as a Disney fan we are sure to be seeing much more from the Avengers team and these individual superheroes to come. Follow-up movies from Marvel Studios have already been announced including an Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Nick Fury. Superheroes are going to be supported by the House of Mouse for years to come!
My friends like superhero movies. I like superhero movies. My friends seem to like Iron Man more. I like Iron Man 2 more. In fact my friends seem to strongly dislike Iron Man 2. To be honest, despite their attacks on the story, I just do not see how one cannot but love this Mousey Movie!
In this sequel to 2008’s Iron Man, the world knows that Tony Stark is the superhero Iron Man. Of course this leads to problems. The U.S. government wants Stark’s weapon, the Iron Man suit. And a Russian bad guy named Anton Vanko believes Tony and his father Howard stole his own father’s technology for the development of the arc reactor which powers the Iron Man suit. Howard Stark had Vanko’s father deported leading to a life of poverty while Tony had a life of affluence. And the Iron Man suit and the pacemaker that keep Tony alive want something from him too, his life. Tony is slowly being killed by the arc reactor powering his heart. This leads to fights with friends, girlfriends, industrial competitors, Vanko and self through bad life choices. This all leads us to ask, how will Tony Stark survive?
A Mousey Movie you say? Well of course! Yes, Disney does own Marvel and Iron Man is a Disney character. But the movie was developed pre-Disney acquisition, so it’s not fair to say that it was developed as a Disney project. Though by the time of release in May 2010, Marvel was fully a member of the Disney family and any visit to the Disney Store made it clear that Iron Man was part of the House of Mouse. No, it’s not the ownership by Disney that makes this a Mousey Movie, it’s the fact that I see Iron Man 2 as a tribute to the life and legacy of Walt Disney and his theme parks. When viewed it that light it is impossible to not appreciate the final product released to theaters.
Stark Expo: The Stark Expo screams World’s Fair, even for those not aware of Disney history. And for those that do know Disney history you cannot escape the parallels to Walt Disney and the World’s Fair. Both the Stark Expo and the 1964 New York World’s Fair are held in Flushing Meadows. At the 1964 World’s Fair, The Walt Disney Company designed four shows. These were it’s a small world, Progessland with the song “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln with a Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronic, and The Ford Magic Skyway. All four of these shows were precursors to attractions in both the Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort. And the 1964 incarnation of the World’s Fair showed Walt Disney that there was an audience for a Disney park on the East Coast because the Disney attractions were crowd favorites.
Howard Stark: During the movie we are shown “recorded” clips and outtakes used by Tony’s father Howard Stark to promote Stark Expo 1974. And one can only come to one conclusion, Howard Stark is Walt Disney. For those who have seen Walt Disney promotional films where he introduced projects ranging from Disneyland to Walt Disney World and Epcot with the use of maps and models, one cannot but feel that the character of Howard Stark is based on Walt Disney.
“Make Way for Tomorrow Today”: The theme song for Stark Expo 1974 seems like it could be dropped right into a Disney park. There is a reason for that. It was written for the movie by Richard Sherman. As part of the team that brought us “it’s a small world” and “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”, Mr. Sherman knows a thing or two about written a song for a theme park. I have added “Make Way for Tomorrow Today” onto my MP3 player, and it fits in perfectly with the Disney attraction themes living on my Zune, the iPod killer!
So if you are in a Disney mood, but are not in the mood for cartoon animals or want to have some excessive explosions, throw in Iron Man 2. It will bring you a little bit closer to home living Between Disney.
