Why Avengers: Infinity War is a Different Kind of Marvel Movie
The divisive reaction to Avengers: Infinity War is explained by how it differs from its MCU forebears. Beware: spoilers!
Thor Ragnarok Finds the Balance Between Waititi Silliness and MCU Formula
Thor Ragnarok is half Taika Waititi film – funny, digressive, unpredictable – and half Thor film – mired in tiresome Norse mythology and following the MCU formula note-for-note.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron is, for better or worse, the culmination of Marvel Studios’ approach to commercial cinema. By this stage, their much-discussed directorial departures – Patty Jenkins from Thor: The Dark World, Edgar Wright from Ant-Man – and the homogeneity of their output make it clear that this is about as far from auteurist…
Screw It, It’s Christmas: Dreaming of a Shane Black Christmas
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) stands amidst the twisted wreckage of girders and the licks of flame wrought by the preceding spectacular action sequence. “Screw it, it’s Christmas,” he shrugs, and his legion of Iron Man suits explode overhead, striking fireworks illuminating the yuletide sky. Those wandering into Iron Man 3 last year – and…
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)
Anyone expecting an action extravaganza on par with The Avengers from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be quickly re-educated mere minutes into the show’s pilot. The opening scene is a traditional “superhero saves damsel from burning building” bit with special effects that, on the continuum from ‘60s Doctor Who to Iron Man 3 fall, appropriately enough,…
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark is a tricky character to write for. He’s entertaining, charming and quick-witted but he’s also – it must be said – a total jerk. To stay on his side for the length of a feature film, he needs to have real challenges to face – with the proviso that, ultimately,…
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