REVIEW: The Avengers

So I'm a bit behind, but I'm committed to catching up. It's been one week since I watched "The Avengers," which wrapped up Phase 1 of the MCU before Marvel really decided it was doing Phases.  At the time (2012), it was one of the most (if not the most) ambitious crossover films in years. After introducing us to the team in solo movies, Marvel put all its eggs in one basket, and bet big, hoping the superheroes and their super egos (and alter egos) could mesh in a 2-hour, action-packed, fun and entertaining flick. While some critics weren't impressed at the time, I found myself liking the movie even more upon re-watching it.

We start by setting up arguably one of the better villains of the MCU, Loki (Tom Hiddleson), who is given a scepter with mind-control powers and sent to Earth to get the film's MacGuffin, the Tessaract. The blue cube, last seen in "Captain America: The First Avenger" was recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. and is being experimented on by Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) from "Thor" for its unlimited energy potential. Soon, it bursts open, allowing Loki to arrive through a wormhole, and use his fancy schmancy scepter to take control of the minds of Selvig and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). It's a shame too, because Hawkeye barely gets any screen time before he's turned into one of Loki's lemmings.

The film jumps right into the action, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) chasing after Loki and his goons, who get away with the Tessaract. So it's time to call in the "A-Team" Avengers. We get nice little vignettes with Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson) interrogating/kicking some Russian baddies asses, then recruiting Bruce Banner (now Mark Ruffalo instead of Edward Norton - a smart upgrade in my opinion). He's been hiding out in Calcutta to avoid any more 'incidents' with the big green guy.

Fury recruits Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), who is spending his defrosted days destroying punching bags while trying to cope with the emotional and psychological toll dying/being frozen for 70 years takes on a person. The recap of his last conversation with Peggy is brutal. Meantime, Coulson is sent to the newly built Stark Tower, powered by an arc reactor, to recruit Iron Man. After Tony dismisses Pepper's contributions ("Give yourself 12% of the credit"), she leaves Tony to his 'homework' from Coulson, which includes studying up on his soon-to-be compatriots. There are probably lots of Easter Eggs here, but for the sake of time, I'll skip ahead.

Coulson gets a brief moment to (semi-creepily) fangirl over Captain America -- bragging that he collects Cap trading cards. It's endearing to see him ask for his hero's autograph. The heroes arrive on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier, where they are able to track Loki to Germany. He's there to steal some sort of mineral or whatever to help Selvig create a weapon/extended wormhole out of the Tessaract.
It's almost impossible to take Hiddleson seriously in that ridiculous reindeer-antler helmet of his, as he tells the crowd that they were meant to be ruled. Cap, Stark and Natasha swoop in to save the day and arrest Loki, which, as our heroes point out, seems to easy.

Enter Thor, who is also after his brother for being a bad, bad boy. It leads to another great mini-action set piece between Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. It leads to so many great one-liners ("Lemme guess, Shakespeare in the Park? ... Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" and "Stay out of this metal man!") They all return to the helicarrier together, sans Tessaract. Loki is imprisoned in a glass holding cell (initially meant to contain the Hulk in an emergency) that Fury threatens to throw from the aircraft if he tries to escape. I don't understand that logic of 'if you try to escape, we'll jettison you away from us,' but in superhero movies like these, it's best not to linger or you may discover a problematic plot point. Marvel largely does a good job of making sure the big components make sense at least on the surface, and when there's something absolutely absurd thrown in there, they call it out. It's that kind of humor that helped make these movies so successful.

With the Avengers (sans Hawkeye) assembled at least physically in the same space, Marvel shows us small cracks in the team -- pieces of their humanity that make them relatable. We also get some of the best one-liners here -- and this film is chock-full of them. This is the movie that truly marked Marvel's stamp on their signature quip. And it's not all coming from Stark. They play to each of the characters' personalities. Whether it's

Thor trying to reckon with his brother being the bad guy ("He's adopted") to Steve's lack of pop culture knowledge on account of being frozen for the last 70 years ("I understood that reference!") to Stark's sarcastic schmoozy nature ("That man is playing Galaga!"). The quips are all funny, but in their own ways -- like our soon-to-be rag-tag bunch of heroes.

Tony and Banner form a bit of a science-bro bond, but Ruffalo's Banner is more timid, mild mannered (at least when he's not green). He's just trying to keep his nose down and get his work done finding the Tessaract. Meantime, Tony is Tony, trying to figure out what Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D. are hiding. And also tries to provoke the Hulk out. Cap, being the good soldier that he is, has problems with Stark questioning orders. It's here that

you can begin to see the fracture and tension that would eventually lead to "Captain America: Civil War." Director Joss Whedon does a nice job of giving both Steve and Tony their own character moments to discover S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret: Tony hacks the computers, Steve uses his WWII spy/soldier skills to find that they are trying to use the Tessaract to create weapons.

Meantime, Loki is barking misogynistic insults at Black Widow as she explains how Clint was sent to kill her, but decided to get her to join S.H.I.E.L.D. instead. It's a good moment where Loki thinks he's played her, but really, the master spy and assassin has been playing him the whole time. Just as our heroes are having a falling out over Cap & Tony's discovery, a brain-washed Clint attacks in an effort to coax the Hulk out. It works, although for some still inexplicable reason, Banner's shirt rips as he changes, but his pants remain intact.

This gives us another nice action set piece - with each of our characters getting time in the spotlight. First Black Widow, then Thor try to contain the Hulk (spoiler, it doesn't work) before the Hulk attacks a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet that shot at him and plummets to the ground. Cap and Tony work together to repair a helicarrier engine in a nice pivot from their argument

moments earlier. And Nat gives Clint the cognitive re-calibration he needs to get Loki out of his head. Speaking of, that trickster somehow pulls a fast one on Thor (again -- he's really too trusting), then kills Agent Coulson so he can escape. And to add insult to injury, Loki flings Thor from the helicarrier in the Hulk's cage. Whoever did the sound effects of the God of Thunder bouncing around in that thing should get an award.

Turns out Coulson's death is the rallying point our scattered heroes need to take on Loki, who is now headed to New York City (where else) to try and take over the world with his creepy Chitauri army. Thanks to the help of a brain-washed Selvig and the Tessaract, he's able to let them and their creepy metal slug things fly

through a giant worm hole in the sky. Tony really needs to up his security at Stark Towers if Loki and Selvig were able to get in without any trouble. Stark sarcastically, but forcefully tells Loki that he's pissed the wrong people off -- and "if we can't save the Earth, we'll be damn sure to avenge it." Loki's awfully confident ("I have an army") but so is Stark ("We have a Hulk.")

This sets up what I'll call a 'relay' fight scene -- with the action jumping from character to character as if they're passing off a baton. It's really done quite well, although upon re-watching this, I did notice how long the final battle scene is (30+ minutes). But we get some great quips from everyone and really get to see our heroes pull together as a team. Cap and Tony team up, so do Nat and Clint ("Just like

Budapest all over again!" "You and I have very different memories of Budapest.") Thor swoops in to confront is brother, saying that this is madness. Banner too shows up late to the party, but he makes the most of his screen time -- telling Cap his secret is he's always angry, before transforming into Hulk. Later, he gets to beat the literal shit out of Loki when the God of Mischief tries to tell him off ("Puny God!")

Meantime, a shadowy board of shadowy figures decides it would be better to nuke New York City than to risk letting the aliens invade the rest of Earth (sure...). Stark grabs it and puts it up in the wormhole, Natasha closes it and Iron Man falls helplessly back to Earth until the Hulk swoops in to save him, before going together to capture Loki. The newsreel footage and reactions to the whole "Battle of

New York" not only give us our Stan Lee cameo, but also help set the table for several Marvel films down the road. The two scenes embedded in the credits (mid- and post-) fit Marvel's template for the time -- one that teases/sets up something for a future movie, and another that's just for grins. It's here where we get our first glimpse of Thanos, though he doesn't say anything, just smirks menacingly, and of course the classic shot of our heroes in a restaurant eating shwarma (a scene that was actually added because of an RDJ ad-lib after the battle scene).

It's hard to recapture the feeling you got when you first saw this movie, because at the time it was so different, so risky, so revolutionary. And yet, it still holds up several years later. It's also the first time Marvel really found their voice -- striking a solid balance between action and comedy while weaving together different personalities, egos and alter egos. This was also a rare Marvel film where the villain worked. Sure, Loki's motives were predictable (world domination), but he is an intricate and fascinating character and you got a good sense of his motivation.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5  / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

REVIEW: Captian America: The First Avenger

In terms of rewatchability, the Captain America films are easily top of my list. As far as I'm concerned, the trilogy is the strongest in the MCU, giving audiences the most satisfying character arc and development, as well as some of the most interesting plot lines, plot twists and supporting characters. And after re-watching it this week, it only reaffirmed that belief: "Captain America" has has aged like a fine wine.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" was the 5th movie to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011, and by that point, the MCU was really starting to be established. Some critics whined that this was largely a precursor to "The Avengers" movie of 2012 (and it is), but I think if you're going to build a shared universe, you have to set the board. And this movie does it splendidly. Like "Iron Man" and "Thor" before it, it starts with a scene that is actually further along in the timeline than the rest of the story. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) discovers a large plane and subsequently Captain America's shield frozen in the ice in the Arctic, before we flash back to the beginning.

This is where the movie starts to get threaded into the origin stories that proceeded it, with a loose explanation that 'Norse Gods' (AKA Thor's father, Odin) entrusted a mysterious and magical artifact, a glowing blue cube called the Tessaract (this and future MCU films' MacGuffin) to a man in German-occupied Norway. That proves to be a bad idea, as it is scooped up by Nazi commander Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), who wants to harness is untold powers to produce weaponry and take over the world.

Over in America, a scrawny kid from Brooklyn named Steve Rogers is desperately trying to enlist in the army to help in the war effort, despite being a 98-pound weakling with multiple health issues. Chris Evans is spot-on emotionally as Steve Rogers (and emotionally and physically spot-on as Captain America), but filmmakers had to digitally alter Evans' physique to match Rogers' pre-Super Soldier Serum body. Some of the initial shots are kinda-sorta believable, but there are times when the proportions of his head to his body and his whole body to other people are just laughable. I think this was Marvel's first foray into that kind of tech, and it has improved since this film (Nick Fury's de-aging in "Captain Marvel" was hardly noticeable), so I'm willing to give them a bit of a pass on this one.

Unlike Thor and Iron Man, Steve Rogers is a character to root for from the get-go. There's something infectious and refreshing about his earnest good nature and his willingness to stick up for the little guy, no matter the cost. He could have easily come off as an annoying Boy Scout, but Evans imbues the scrawny wimp-turned-super-soldier with an irresistible, optimistic charm. His chemistry with best friend James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is believable and rooted in reality. The two trade barbs laced with brutal honesty that could only come

from years of friendship, but it's all in good spirit. The two are like brothers, with Bucky, who is bigger, stronger and actually got into the army, looking out for Steve. We get some nice call backs to lines from early in the film later on, when their roles are suddenly reversed. While the two are at the Stark Expo, featuring a younger Howard Stark (a charming Dominic Cooper), scientist Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) overhears Steve's patriotic spiel of wanting to do everything he can to stop bullies (AKA Nazis in this context), and Steve finally gets the chance to be a part of a top-secret military program.

The supporting cast in this film is truly outstanding. Tommy Lee Jones was born to play the role of barking military commander Chester Phillips. Tucci is a sweet and wise mentor to Steve, who can see Steve's sense of duty and self-sacrifice immediately. He also perfectly summarizes why Steve Rogers/Captain America is the kind of character we can fall in love with and root for: "The strong man, who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."

Haley Atwell is perfect as Agent Peggy Carter, Steve's eventual love interest. Unlike many of the female characters before her, Peggy feels more well-rounded as a character, immediately showing she can throw a punch at anyone who questions her place because of her gender, and taking no shit from the 'boys club' boys. She's not just there to be 'the Girl,' although she fits that bill too. It feels like she and Steve have a genuine connection too -- both have spent their lives being pushed down by others, only to get back up to prove them wrong. Their

relationship, however short-lived, is based on mutual respect that is so characteristic of the time period. Agent Carter is still a woman, and can't resist noticing Steve's souped-up body after he gets injected with Erskine's serum. Her little pec pat was supposedly improvised -- and let's be honest -- I would do the same thing if I were her.

The newly buff Steve quickly chases down a Hydra (Nazi science division overseen by Schmidt) spy, who had killed Erskine, and becomes an overnight
media sensation. The sub that the Hydra spy tried to escape in (as well as some of the other Hydra tech) seems too high-tech for the 1940s, but Marvel leans into the use of the Tessract as an other-worldly force that can fix any kind of plot holes. Aside from that though, the muted color palette for this movie really fits, hearkening back to old photos and bad newspaper ink.

Rather than send a strong, pretty much invincible guy into battle, the military decides to put the newly named Captain America on a song-and-dance tour to drum up support for the troops and sell war bonds. The song is schmaltzy, catchy and oh-so-amusing to watch. It also fits stylistically into this period piece. For some reason, they also send Steve overseas for a tour stop in front of ... troops (who is booking this tour?!) There, he learns Bucky's unit has been captured and presumed dead -- and goes charging in to save the day, with the help of Peggy and Stark.

In Schmidt's lair, it seems he admits defeat too easily, and rather than surrender, chooses to blow up all his work, much to the dismay of his assistant researcher Arnim Zola (Toby Jones). It gives us a great extended action sequence, as well as the reveal of Hugo Weaving's hideous, noseless Red Skull alter ego (a side-effect of the unperfected super soldier serum). The absurdity of the villain might not have worked, had "Thor" not proceeded this movie, and gotten audiences used to the idea of superhero myth and magic. Rather than giving us more extended battles, the movie gives us a montage, similar to the 1940s WWII newsreels, of Captain America and his rag-tag team of rescued soldiers, the Howling Commandos, toppling Hydra base after Hydra base.

Cap and the team suffer an emotional setback when (spoiler alert) Bucky (presumably) falls to his death as they storm a train and capture Zola. It's the motivation they need to avenge him (see what I did there?) and confront Red Skull directly. There are moments that are cringe-worthy in this battle sequence, including some parts that were clearly filmed in front of a green screen, but on the whole, it works. The sexual tension finally gets cut when Peggy takes charge, and grabs Steve for a kiss. It also gives us a classic moment as Steve then looks at Tommy Lee Jones, who quickly quips, "I'm not kissin' ya!"

Cap quickly dispatches the Hydra forces aboard a plane filled with bombs they plan to unleash on cities around the world, before becoming entangled in a zero-gravity fight with Red Skull as the plane takes a nose-dive. The Tessaract gets smashed out of its protective casing, and it appears to blast Red Skull into a wormhole of some kind when he tries to grab it. The cube falls out of the plane, and Steve is forced to sacrifice himself to spare innocent lives. The final radio conversation between him and Peggy is tender and heart-wrenching at the same time. Howard Stark goes looking for the Tessaract and Steve, but only finds the former (for now).

Flash forward to Steve waking up in what appears to be a 1940s-style hospital room. Somehow, he quickly deduces it's not right, based on the baseball game on the radio and the date given to him by the 'nurse.' Unless that serum also enhanced his memory, I don't believe any normal person could recall exact dates and baseball scores that well, but sports ain't exactly my thing, so we move on. Cap bursts out and, once again, goes running through the streets of New York. When Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up and explains that he was a frozen Cap-sicle for 70 years, his first thought immediately goes to Peggy and the date they arranged as he was crashing into the arctic, which hits you right in the feels.

Overall, the movie does lean into some superhero tropes, but unlike some of the other origin stories, it also develops its characters, notably exploring the protagonist's motives and war-torn psyche, and delving into exactly what it means to be a hero. It also gives audiences one of its strongest supporting casts, introduces us to one of the most bad-ass women in the MCU, sticks to a consistent tone, and sets the stage for "The Avengers."

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5  / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

REVIEW: Thor

In 2011, "Thor" became the fourth film in the collective Marvel Cinematic Universe. But unlike Iron Man and Iron Man 2 before it, the Asgardian drama was panned by top critics (Roger Epert called it "a failure of a movie," and A.O. Scott of the NY Times called it "[a] programmed triumph of commercial calculation over imagination." Still, I think while there are flaws in this film, there are many redeeming qualities, including excellent casting choices, a sweeping sense of grandeur, and small, amusing moments sprinkled throughout.

Like "Iron Man," "Thor" starts with a scene that's actually a little later chronologically in the movie, with astrophysicist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her mentor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and intern Darcy Lewis (a scene-stealing Kat Dennings) tracking unusual astrological readings that end with a wormhole opening up and dumping a confused Thor (a perfectly cast Chris Hemsworth) in Nevada. I think it was wise to open the film on Earth, allowing audiences to connect to the actual human characters before going into the sweeping Shakespearean drama and mystical magic Norse mythology of Asgard.

There, we get some plot exposition from Odin (Anthony Hopkins), about how Asgard won a war against the Frost Giants of Jotenheim, stole their source of power (the Casket of Ancient Winter), and established a truce between the two realms. Hopkins, as well as director Kenneth Branagh, add some gravitas to the epic nature of the "Thor" origin story. Hemsworth is spot-on as the cocky, jocky older son, set to assume the throne, when the Frost Giants attack, abruptly halting Thor's coronation. The scene is visually stunning, but Thor's costume is a bit ridiculous. Proportionally, it looks like he is wearing a curtain rod and drapes on his shoulders.

In a huff, he runs off with younger brother Loki (Tom Hiddleson) and his friends Lady Sif and the Warriors Three to prove himself. I did like that Sif told off Thor that she was a bad-ass warrior who didn't need any help from him, but I still feel like her character (although minor) wasn't particularly well-rounded. Hiddleson, however, is perfect as Thor's younger, jilted trickster of a brother. His deadpan expressions actually made me LOL.

The film doesn't shy away from the ridiculousness of Thor's hammer Mjölnir, as he swings it, flies with it and throws it around like a clunky boomerang, smashing Frost Giants with little regard for the safety and well being of his friends. I'm still not sure why they hang around him at this point. Odin saves Thor's ass, and for his recklessness, banishes him to Earth as a mortal, where he can only retrieve his hammer if he proves himself worthy.

This is where the movie really sings -- as a classic fish-out-of-water tale. It's also where we get some of our comedic moments and best lines. Thor slamming his coffee mug down in the diner and demanding "another!" was supposedly improvised, showing off Hemsworth's comedic abilities early on. And the reaction he gets from the pet shop owner when he demands a horse, but says he'll settle for a dog 'large enough to ride' is priceless.

We also get some of the best moments from Darcy, who is definitely one of the more underrated characters in the MCU. She uses a taser on Thor as he stumbles around screaming angrily at the sky, posts pics of him on Facebook ("for a homeless guy, he's pretty cut) and struggles to pronounce 'Mjölnir.' She's the embodiment of anyone in the audience who was dragged to the movie and knows nothing about the comic book hero. It's also a way for Marvel to poke fun at the absurdity of elements of the movie without undermining it completely. It's that kind of humor -- one that suggests Marvel is "in" on the joke, that I think is part of what makes the MCU so successful.

Branagh's talents as a Shakespearean director are on full display when Loki learns he is actually the son of Frost Giants, and was adopted kidnapped by Odin after the war. This could have easily been overacted, but Hiddleson and Hopkins approach it with tenderness, so that both father and son's motives and frustrations are clear. It's worth pointing out that we're only four movies into the MCU and already we have two characters who are never going to be father-of-the-year: Howard Stark and Odin. Both have their hearts in the right place, but their parenting skills (or lack thereof) certainly push each of their sons to become flawed adults (at least at first). With Odin conveniently falling into a deep sleep, Loki takes over, offers up his father to the Frost Giants, and Thor's friends go looking for him.

Thor, meantime, has figured out that his hammer is in the middle of the desert, and goes storming through the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility built around it to try and recover it. Only then, does the full weight of his earlier transgressions hit him. This is easily one of my favorite scenes in the movie: the hand-to-hand action sequences with Hemsworth, the side commentary from Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner makes the most of his brief cameo: "Better call

it, Coulson, I'm starting to root for this guy!"), the heart-pumping score and of course, Chris Hemsworth's muddied muscles on full display through a wet t-shirt. And yes, I know I'm objectifying him, but it's kinda nice that Marvel through the female viewers some eye candy moments after years of female superheros getting constantly ogled in their barely-there costumes.

Gregg's character, Agent Phil Coulson, finally gets fleshed out a bit more after a few cameos in Iron Man and Iron Man 2, before Thor is scooped up by Selvig, who is a protective father-figure to Jane. He's right to be in the end, as Thor ends up abandoning her after their brief romance. It's nice to see a smart female character portrayed in the MCU, but Jane doesn't get much character development. She largely exists to be a love interest for our hero, and the chemistry between her and Hemsworth isn't exactly a slam dunk.

And while Thor has resigned himself to Earth, believing on Loki's say-so that Odin is dead and Thor can never return, his friends show up to drag his butt back to Asgard to put an end to Loki's charade on the throne. Loki, meantime, has sent a fire-breathing robot (of course) to Earth to destroy Thor and everything he loves. Thor's sacrifice to save his friends (both Asgardian and Earthling) proves him worthy, he gets his hammer back and returns to his home planet to beat up his little brother. This leads to a couple of misogynistic lines from Loki about his brother's love for Jane that rubbed me the wrong way, but overall, it's not enough to ruin the character.

In the end, Thor is forced to destroy his only path to Earth (or so we're led to believe for now), which wakes his father, who saves him from falling off the now-broken bridge. But for some reason, Odin can't muster even the faintest bit of approval for his adoptive son, and Loki lets go, presumably to his death. That was until the post-credits scene, when he's seen manipulating (?) Selvig as he meets with Nick Fury about a mysterious blue cube called Tessaract, which would become a central MacGuffin in "Captain America," "The Avengers" and "Captain Marvel." This is where Marvel really started to hit its stride in terms of producing post-credit scenes that gave audiences just enough to want more in the next film.

While tonally speaking, Thor has a different feel to it than Iron Man, it still fits within the overall universe tone. Thor is quite a different character than Tony Stark, and the splashy, sweeping feel is appropriate. Leaning into the 'fish-out-of-water' sequence that's the movie's second act is the strongest part. Sadly, Marvel went too far toward the grandeur and away from the silly moments in the second Thor film (I'll get to that one on Friday), and then swung wildly in the other direction with Taika Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok." Thor has had an interesting, if not inconsistent story arc and character development. And while the third of the trio is the most fun, I think the first one probably strikes the best balance between serious and silly.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

REVIEW: Iron Man 2

Iron Man is the only Avenger to get two movies in Phase One of the MCU, and the sequel largely builds upon what made the first movie so successful: Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, quick, quirky dialogue and some pretty cool action sequences. And while there are many highlights, the movie on the whole, feels overstuffed.

Iron Man 2 (2010) picks up largely where we left off with our physically and intellectually gifted, yet emotionally tormented protagonist after he proclaimed "I am Iron Man" at the end of  the first film as he prepares to host the Stark Expo, a tech summit that his dear ol' dad held in the glory days of the company.

Stark's showboating sets off our first villain (one of at least three in this film), Ivan Vanko, played by wrestler Mickey Rourke, a brutish, bitter man who thinks Stark has stolen his arc reactor technology from his father. While Rourke is amusing as a Russian tatted-up bully, hell-bent on revenge, he's far less believable as an engineering genius able of recreating Stark's Iron Man suit, complete with his own electric whips. Still, it's hard not to laugh at Rourke's emotional attachment to his bird ("I want my bord!") or his staccato responses ("drone better") to Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer (more on him in a minute). As far as a villain though, his motive is little more than stereotypical revenge and his persona (supposedly 'Whiplash,' though I don't think the name is ever uttered in the film) is largely forgettable.

The second, although minor, villain we meet is the bloated Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), who wants Stark to turn over his Iron Man technology so the military can use it as a nuclear deterrent. Stark resists, arrogantly proclaiming no one else is as smart as he as and therefore, no one else -- not even his rival weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer -- can possible possess this kind of technology. Shandling feels forced into this movie a bit, but I'll give credit to Marvel for introducing us to him and setting him up to be a bigger villain in later movies in the franchise.

Shandling tries to use testimony from James Rhodey (Don Cheadle replaces Terrance Howard from here on out as Stark's military buddy and really feels right in the role) against Tony, but it blows up in his face. That is until Vanko starts thrashing his arc reactor-powered whips around the race track at the Monaco Grand Prix, slicing cars in half and nearly killing Tony in the process. He's arrested and whisked off to jail.

Enter our third villain, Justin Hammer, who is arguably the most entertaining of the three (although Rourke has his moments). Honestly, I could watch Sam Rockwell chew scenery in just about anything and he's in his prime here -- effortlessly switching between wry humor and a querulous whiner who seems in over his head. I'm fairly certain he improvised a good portion of his stuff, and the scene where he's showing off his weapons might be the best it gets. But aside from being a business rival, and the fact that Tony can be is an asshole, his backstory about why he has it out for Iron Man is never really fleshed out.

The last villain is more metaphorical -- Tony is fighting with his own mortality, as we learn the arc reactor in his chest is powered by a super rare element that's also slowly killing him. That does give us the opportunity to see Tony try to do the right thing by handing over his company to Pepper Potts. But as is the case with his character, he's a bad boy trying to do the right thing and often mucking it up. Still, that gives us something - or rather someone - to root for.

The transfer of the company and Stark's erratic behavior also give S.H.I.E.L.D. a reason to bring in Natalie Rushman AKA Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Unfortunately in this film, she's mostly used as a sexy prop, flipping her god-awful wig of red hair as she kicks bad guy ass in a skin-tight suit. Romanoff initially is an enabler, but toward the end of the movie isn't afraid to put Stark in his place. As a character, it feels a little inconsistent, but then again, she's also a master spy, so perhaps she's being intentionally manipulative. My bet though (since it took us a full 9 years after this film to get our first female-led Marvel movie in Captain Marvel), is Marvel didn't think viewers could/would/should take a female superhero seriously.

If that weren't enough plot already, throw in some old Kodak films of Howard Stark that eventually lead Tony to create a new element to fix the death box in his chest, swoop in and save the day. Rhodey, now suited up in a Hammer weapons-enhanced version of Tony's earlier Iron Man suit, eventually helps Stark defeat Vanko in a final battle scene seems a little far-fetched. The pair have enough time for playful banter while dodging supposedly some of the most sophisticated weapons out there. But that fits with Marvel's tone: finding the fun in between the serious superhero moments.

Overall, I think there are a lot of good elements here, but Marvel was a little overambitious in its sequel, not allowing what was good here to breathe and become great. Still, it's a fun follow-up to the OG that started it all.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.5 / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐