Happy Memorial Day Everyone!
As I am sure you all know, Memorial day is the unofficial start to summer; the day to kick off the rounds of BBQ's, frisbee on the lawn, and interminable re-runs on all those TV shows we watch the rest of the year. For many of us, however, summer has begun coming earlier with the Mid-May releases of the first few "Blockbuster movies" of the summer. Like the good nerd that I am, I have been to see the two most important of these early summer movies, Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness. As usual, I will write a quick, one paragraph review of both movies before jumping into a longer analysis that will probably contain spoilers. If you have not yet seen the movies, feel free to just read the short review, and come back later for the longer analysis that way you don't find out about any plot critical secrets (unless you like having movies spoiled before you see them). Also, I will include a quick review of the local production of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so read on!
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 follows Tony Stark in his post Avengers life. Suffering from some form of post traumatic stress disorder, unable to sleep, and compulsively working on his Iron Man suits, Tony Stark is a wreck. He is falling apart and it is only the combination of work and Pepper Potts that keeps Tony Stark going. Enter the Mandarin, a terrorist obsessed with teaching the United States a lesson about its role in the world, who uses human beings as explosive weapons. When Tony makes the fight against the Mandarin personal, the terrorist destroys Tony's home, workshop, and leaves Stark for dead. Stark is forced to confront his enemy without his suit; forcing the humbled hero to confront himself as he truly is, little more than a mechanic.
Most of the people I speak with have had mixed views on this third instillation in the Iron Man/ Avengers/ Marvel franchise. This movie gives the viewer the opportunity to see a new side of Tony Stark, a man stripped of his bravado by circumstances beyond his control. For those viewers who have previously enjoyed the flippant way in which Tony Stark interacts with his heroic exploits, the change may not be altogether welcome, however, those who have always found Stark to be annoyingly egotistical will find the change a breath of fresh air as the hero is forced to confront his apparent lack of heroic quality. Outside of the character development arena, the film falls a little flat. The villains of the show, two highly intelligent scientists who were burned in the past by the brilliant and arrogant Stark, lack both proper motive for their actions and individual development. The revenge motive combined with a desire for power is incredibly cliche, and the film does nothing to try to make the stale combination vibrant or new again. The second problem with the film is seen in the strange holiday element. The entire film takes place during the Christmas season, with Christmas music playing in the background and holiday references popping in and out of the dialog. The May release of the film made these references seem awkward and out of place, hinting to the audience that perhaps the film was either released later than intended, or seven months too early. Overall, I found the movie thoroughly enjoyable, but not necessarily as good as it could have been with a little more time and effort in the development of the story.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the movie for analysis is the growth and change within the character of Tony Stark. The development the character in a post Avengers world means that the billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist is not quite the confidently narcissistic hero viewers know and love from the first two films. One of the most interesting visual dynamics of the film is seen in the fact that Stark spends the majority of the story bereft of the iron suit that normally provides his heroic security. The "nakedness" of Tony Stark without his suit emphasizes the emotional nakedness that Stark is forced to confront through his post Avengers panic attacks and fear of death and loss. Is Iron Man the empty suit of armor, merely a tool that is subject to whomever is wearing the suit at the moment, or is Iron Man Tony Stark, the genius who builds and controls the suit as an extension of his personality? Stripped of his metal shell, Stark must learn who he is as a man, devoid of money, power, and influence, with nothing more than his inherent abilities. This stripping of the character allows for a vulnerability heretofore unseen in Tony Stark, and allows for development into a true hero, a man who is willing to do the right thing for others, regardless of the cost to himself. Unfortunately, the development in Tony Stark is undercut by the villains and by the poor timing sense of the events in the film.
The villains themselves do not seem to fit into the Iron Man world. Previously, Iron Man has been forced to confront villains that are in some way as extension of himself; villains that take advantage of Stark's genius and attempt in some way to turn his own creation against him. Thus, Stark is forced to confront villains of his own making, using tools that are very similar to those he has built and uses. The character of the Mandarin, however, is an entirely different school of villain. While Stark is again forced to confront a villain from his past, a man he humiliated and ignored, the face-off of hero against villain does not take place on equal/opposite grounds. The Mandarin does not fight with some form of advanced technology that is similar to Stark's Iron Man suit, instead, he is a genetically manipulated superhuman with the ability to create and channel immense amounts of heat and power. In fact, the Mandarin seems like a villain out of an X-Men film or out of Fantastic Four rather than as an antagonist for Iron Man. While the move to remove the gadgetry from as Iron Man villain might be viewed as an attempt to echo the removal of the Iron Man suit from Tony Stark's character for most of the movie, the attempt fails because of the immense differences between Stark and the Mandarin, and the lack of vulnerability that the Mandarin's superpowers imbibe in his relative "nakedness". In short, the powers ascribed to the villains in Iron Man 3 seemed out of place in the context of the conflict, and would have been more appropriate in opposition to a different kind of superhero, not Iron Man.
The Christmas element of the movie also undercut the film. The happy, seasonal references, the mentions of the season, and the awkward May release of what appears to be a winter film, undercut the development of Tony's character. The development of Stark into a "decent human being" (to quote my younger sister who severely dislikes all the other Iron Man movies), is incredible enough, while the added Christmas element give the viewer a sense that the movie is designed to be a feel good Christmas movie that did not necessarily take itself or its link to the previous movies seriously. While I thought Tony Stark's development entirely credible in the context of the previous two movies and Stark's interaction with Captain America and near death experience in Avengers, the Christmas element introduced a "holiday feel good" sense to the story that made any potential character development an emotional transition that could easily be written off in a future film, denying any development that happened in Iron Man 3.
Star Trek: Into Darkness
If there is one aspect of life that screams nerd to the world, it would be Star Trek. "Phasers on stun," "beam us up, Scotty," "she's not going to hold together Captain!" have become cultural icons. Whether you are relatively new to the Star Trek universe, or whether you have seen all the series, films, and go to the conventions, there is something for everyone in the latest Star Trek film. Following from the 2009 restart to the series, Star Trek: Into Darkness follows the continuing adventures of the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise. It is hard to say more without giving away some spoilers, so I will simply say that the movie was thoroughly enjoyable; I was engaged the entire time. If you are looking for a good action movie to spice up the beginning of the summer, this movie is an excellent option.
Alright, on to the analysis. As I have been and always shall be... a nerd, I enjoyed the little extra references that appear throughout the movie. Among these was a tribble, references to "red shirts," and an entirely useless Vulcan mind meld. The film constructs a new story from the basic outline of Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, although the parallel universe aspect lends itself to new and exciting developments within the story. Please be aware, the next sentence is a huge spoiler. Into Darkness inverts the classic positions of Kirk and Spock, with Kirk having to climb through the warp drive and being exposed to incredible amounts of radiation, and Spock in the captain's chair, tricking Khan and arriving to late to watch helplessly as his friend dies, hands pressed against the glass of the radiation chamber in the Vulcan hand gesture "live long and prosper." Combined with the "Dammit Jim, I am a doctor not a..." and the final "Space, the final frontier," Into Darkness pays homage to the original story in ways that will have a Trekkies everywhere grinning.
For those who are less familiar with the original series, the film offers something just as enjoyable... lots of action and an interesting villain. The film starts off at a run (somewhat literally due to a useless yet mildly entertaining scene on a primitive planet involving an exploding volcano), and keeps up the pace. Even the mildly slow parts of the story such as the meetings to discus the bomb explosion in London disperse quickly into action packed fight sequences. While there is some character development going on, particularly in the relationship between Kirk and Spock, the real focus of the story is upon envisioning the vast dimensions of the space adventure.
Both Kirk and Spock are allowed to develop somewhat over the course of the film, Spock having to learn to embrace the passionate, emotional side of his nature, and Kirk having to learn the sacrifices of a leader and responsibility for his actions. The reversal of the positions of Kirk and Spock from their original positions in Wrath of Khan allows for this development as Spock is forced to think outside of his logic box in order to defeat Khan, and to embrace the depth of his emotions. Kirk, on the other hand, must submit himself to cool logic and recognize that sometimes the good of the many outweighs the good of the one.
While the action and character development where good, the real star of the show was the villain. Khan, played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, was at once relatable and terrifying. In a brilliant performance, Cumberbatch gives the classic villain a twist, sometimes playing Khan as a sympathetic leader who is merely a victim of circumstances, then the next minute causing the character to go cold and dead inside, a change that was superbly denoted by changes in his facial expressions and eyes. Those who have seen Cumberbatch's work in Sherlock will recognize the switch, however, the change is even more heightened as Khan swings abruptly from saving the lives of the crew of the Enterprise to coldly menacing as he attempts to kill everyone on board. Cumberbatch's performance was really the standout aspect of the film for me, and I would recommend the movie on the basis of that one performance alone.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Over the last month or so, I have had the opportunity to help work on and act in a local drama club's production of C.S. Lewis' classic story. Over the weekend, the show had its first two performances and there is one more performance later this week. While I may be a biased commentator, I will try to be as honest as I can about the overall performance.
The entire cast (with, perhaps, the exception of yours truly) has done a fantastic job bringing the fantastic story to life of stage. Stand out performances are the characters of Edmund and the White Witch. It is very rare to find a young actor who can perform with as much talent and interest as the young man portraying Edmund in the show. Every word and action seem to come straight from the character himself, as if the young actor were not performing, but simply living the situations. Another great performance is that of the truly terrifying White Witch. While I must admit a certain bias here (She is my younger sister), I must also say that her performance is uncanny. The simmering rage of her fear in meeting with Edmund, the sense of exultation that comes from the witch when she kills Aslan, the imperiousness of her command, all come together in a truly startling performance, again surprising in the level of maturity being displayed in a relatively young actor. The entire cast does an excellent job in their performances, and the show is definitely worth checking out if you have the time. There is one more show left, Thursday, May 30, at 7:30 PM at the First Lutheran Church in Placerville, CA. Please come and support this great group of young people as they perform a delightful and enjoyable play.
Well, that is all I have for today folks. It does not quite seem like the unofficial start to summer here, as it is drab and rainy outside, but in the cinema, the summer "blockbuster" season has certainly begun. While both Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness both had their issues, they were both enjoyable and good entertainment, which, during the hot summer months, is really what one is looking for in a good movie, right? Stay tuned for more summer movie reviews, and if all goes well, I may be writing some more book and music reviews as well.
Back to reality.
