I really like the Iron Man movies in general and think the writing is generally sharper than pretty much all the other action hero movies I've seen. Part of it is that RDJ is just perfectly cast for this role. I can't imagine ANYONE playing it so well and I'm not even a particularly big fan of his or whatever. (I also generally kind of dislike Gwyneth Paltrow for shallow "she's too perfect" reasons and she's palatable as Pepper but I think the movies have kind of also cashed in on the Paltrow perfection and even made it LITERALLY CANON here with "she's already perfect").
And I liked this one too, especially the bits with the kid and Guy Pearce's ridiculously over-the-top Hollywood-movie ploy with Ben Kingsley. But.... I had some conflicting issues about the overall arc for Tony....
I didn't really like that they blew up all the suits or that he lost his reason for becoming Iron Man. I got what they were saying about it being a crutch/armor/distraction, but...Pepper being so glad he got rid of them all felt a bit like her not accepting him for who he was. I guess I thought the "I can't sleep"/PTSD/Panic attacks was actually not very well fleshed out. The suits and being Iron Man was what he was before all the Avengers shit happened so if he was just taking it to an extreme...why couldn't he just realize he could calm the fuck down now? Blowing up the suits and suddenly having convenient surgery that he couldn't figure out how to do before...meh. I didn't like that bit. I'm not sure why they un-super-ized him honestly unless they were done. But they're not.
Also I was v. disappointed about making Rebecca Hall a quasi-villain. Not only was the scene with Pepper probably the first Bechdel Test passing scene in any of these damn movies that was longer than 30 seconds, but..THERE WAS EVEN SLASHY VIBES. Instead of a standing-in-for-slash Bromance, we got a standing-in-for-slash WOmance!! (And I don't even care personally because I never really slash anything but then....I felt they kind of ruined it all by making it a facade and Hall being actually evil/in on the plan. Especially since they didn't really even commit all the way to it and then they turned her back quasi-good for a bit. I'm sure it was supposed to come off as complex/layered characterization for her but...it just ended up annoying me.
Other than those bits though I did really enjoy it. I probably should make a post now that I've vomited my opinions all over your LJ. ;)
Oh wait.... AND... I was hoping the supernova Pepper would turn her into some kind of superhero for good, but they reversed it. :( I remembered your post saying she becomes a superhero of her own in the comics but I guess in the movies she'll always be essentially Tony's nanny/secretary. :/
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timeasmymeasure
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And I liked this one too, especially the bits with the kid and Guy Pearce's ridiculously over-the-top Hollywood-movie ploy with Ben Kingsley. But.... I had some conflicting issues about the overall arc for Tony....
I didn't really like that they blew up all the suits or that he lost his reason for becoming Iron Man. I got what they were saying about it being a crutch/armor/distraction, but...Pepper being so glad he got rid of them all felt a bit like her not accepting him for who he was. I guess I thought the "I can't sleep"/PTSD/Panic attacks was actually not very well fleshed out. The suits and being Iron Man was what he was before all the Avengers shit happened so if he was just taking it to an extreme...why couldn't he just realize he could calm the fuck down now? Blowing up the suits and suddenly having convenient surgery that he couldn't figure out how to do before...meh. I didn't like that bit. I'm not sure why they un-super-ized him honestly unless they were done. But they're not.
Also I was v. disappointed about making Rebecca Hall a quasi-villain. Not only was the scene with Pepper probably the first Bechdel Test passing scene in any of these damn movies that was longer than 30 seconds, but..THERE WAS EVEN SLASHY VIBES. Instead of a standing-in-for-slash Bromance, we got a standing-in-for-slash WOmance!! (And I don't even care personally because I never really slash anything but then....I felt they kind of ruined it all by making it a facade and Hall being actually evil/in on the plan. Especially since they didn't really even commit all the way to it and then they turned her back quasi-good for a bit. I'm sure it was supposed to come off as complex/layered characterization for her but...it just ended up annoying me.
Other than those bits though I did really enjoy it. I probably should make a post now that I've vomited my opinions all over your LJ. ;)
Oh wait.... AND... I was hoping the supernova Pepper would turn her into some kind of superhero for good, but they reversed it. :( I remembered your post saying she becomes a superhero of her own in the comics but I guess in the movies she'll always be essentially Tony's nanny/secretary. :/