Iron Man 3: Review

Synopsis: Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Review: "Iron Man 3" does what most third entries in movie franchise don't do, turns in a great movie. This holds up very nicely next to the previous 2 installments, and I'd say it's probably better than "Iron Man 2" and about the same as the first movie. Here, Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr.) is haunted by the events of the Avengers and finds himself obsessing over creating and perfecting new suits. He is constantly trying to figure out new way to protect Pepper(Gwyneth Paltrow), and make the suits better and better. Then he placed in the cross hairs of a terrorist called the Mandarin(Ben Kingsley). Going any further than that would be a disservice to anyone who hasn't seen the movie, because there are quite a few surprises and twists, that I didn't see coming at all. Very unconventional super hero movie, which is great because it's a true breathe of fresh air. It's not your typical good guy vs. bad guy movie in a lot of ways. All the performances are great, and it really leaves you with a sense of "how are they gonna do another one?!" Marvel is battling a thousand when it comes to their movies and they continue that streak here. This is the first must see movie of the Summer and a great way to kick off the summer movie season. Also, stay after the credits, it's pretty awesome. 

Avengers Review

Synopsis: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow answer the call to action when Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., initiates a daring, globe-spanning recruitment effort to assemble The Avengers team to defeat an unexpected enemy threatening global safety and security. Despite pulling together the ultimate dream team, Nick Fury and longtime confidant Agent Coulson must find a way to convince the Super Heroes to work with, not against each other, when the powerful and dangerous Loki gains access to the Tesseract and its unlimited power.

 

 

Review: It was the perfect blend of action, adventure, and humor! They had the perfect actor for each character! It will be a while before anyone tops this movie!
It makes more sense (and is funnier) if you know the background story for each character, but even if you don't, you will still enjoy this movie. You won't even mind the new actor for the hulk.
It's fast paced and gets right to the point. You laugh and clap throughout the movie.

This is definitely worth every penny!

 

Managing this many famous characters without taking anything away from the other is THE HARDEST THING in the world and somehow Joss Whedon has done it perfectly. The humor through out the movie had Joss's signature humor but taken to a higher level which suits each character which was another thing that was done effortlessly. :) another thing was that Mark Ruffalo had to sell that he's The Hulk and he was flawless. Funny when needed to be, tortured, angry...just perfect. Do I even need to talk about the awesome special effects, fights, action, acting?? Oh and on top of that there are few surprises for Whedon fans that might be noticed after 2nd and 3rd time viewings. :)
I would DEFINITELY recommend this movie and give it an A plus for its awesomeness. :)

Marvel unleashes 'The Avengers' secret weapons

At this point Marvel really doesn't have to do anything to promote The Avengers ahead of its release next month. They have had us from day one, but why look a gift horse in the mouth?

Today's gift comes in the very shapely form of Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow character. You know, I was always curious what Black Widow brought to the table other than to round out the group and not make it such the proverbial boys' club.

Well, now I know.

For those of you, like me, who are able to look past certain bouncing assets you will see that Black Widow is a fiercely determined fighting machine that is capable of taking out three people while tied up in a chair. Or so they tell me.

For the rest of us, it's a nice 40 second clip of ScarJo tied up wearing an unnecessarily skimpy outfit that resembles lingerie more than an actual uniform. Yep, my job is tough.

The Avengers assemble in theaters on May 4.

6 New Avengers Posters Debut Online!!

These six new Avengers posters are a bit cut and paste, using some of the same elements in multiple designs – and elements that were used in a previous poster at that. Let’s call it cost effectiveness, shall we?

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Iron Man No More

As the “Demon” storyline continues this week in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #513, Tony Stark finds himself assaulted on multiple fronts. The Mandarin and Ezekiel Stane have upgraded his old foes, he faces betrayals from friends and colleagues, a negative publicity campaign has been launched against him, and the ramifications of decisions made during his lowest moments in Fear Itself linger.

By the time all’s said and done, how will even Iron Man cope with the mounting pressure?

“As we’ll see at the end of ‘Demon,’ General Babbage, [Tony’s] primary antagonist at the Pentagon, and Justine Hammer of HAMMER Industries, present Tony with an ultimatum,” preview INVINCIBLE IRON MAN writer Matt Fraction. “Accepting it is the only way he can remain in control of the Iron Man without losing everything. And Tony very quickly finds that arrangement to be unacceptable. The ramifications of that are what ‘Long Way Down’ is all about.

“So basically…Tony quits.”

And so begins “Long Way Down,” kicking off in May’s INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #516, the story Fraction refers to in regards to his and artist Salvador Larroca’s run on the character as “The third act. The grand finale. The beginning of the end.

“The finale pages of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #513 [are] a double page spread that harkens back to our very first issue—a showcase of the full scope and scale of the rogues we’ll see Iron Man going up against in the next year. Mandarin’s five-year plan is finally bearing fruit.”

However, all might not be so well within the Mandarin’s camp, as one of Iron Man’s newest and most implacable foes looks to rock the boat with likely volatile consequences.

 

“[Ezekiel Stane], as Mandarin’s number one, starts to discover maybe Mandarin isn’t the greatest boss in the world,” Fraction notes. “Yet Mandarin has absolute control over him. So while their alliance makes perfect sense on paper, the reality of it sees the only thing they hate more than Tony Stark is each other. Zeke will have Tony’s head one way or the other, even if that means going through Mandarin to get it somehow.”

While turmoil hits the villainous side of the equation, the mole within Stark Resilient will at last be revealed, with Fraction forecasting dire repercussions:

“People start dying. Bethany Cabe starts earning her paycheck.”

This shows just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to “Long Way Down,” which will also see, among other things, a new Iron Man. Fraction vows that every domino he has set up since he and Larroca launched INVINCIBLE IRON MAN nearly four years ago will be knocked down by the end of this pivotal story.

“All the pots from the very beginning of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN are coming to a boil,” he vows. “Mandarin and Stane’s alliance, the revamped and upgraded rogues gallery, the Hammer girls, Spymaster’s infiltration—‘Long Way Down’ deals with all of it.”

The Avengers Assemble In 2 New Character Banners

You ready for some more Avengers? Check out two awesome new character banners featuring the cast of "Marvel's The Avengers" assembled together! These banners will appear in theaters nationwide in the coming weeks, with Captain America, the Hulk, Iron Man and Thor gracing one and Nick Fury, Loki, Hawkeye and Black Widow assembling on the other.You can check out both banners right here on Marvel.com, and keep your eyes peeled for them in your local theater soon. And as always, keep it tuned to Marvel.com for all things Avengers!

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SDCC 2011: Unveiling 7 'Avengers' Movie Posters Full Spread

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SDCC 2011: Unveiling 7 'Avengers' Movie Posters

The first poster shows us a very photorealistic Chris Evans in the new uniform conveniently juxtaposed against his costume that most of us have yet to even see on the big screen (as the movie releases today). So, spoiler warning: he survives the first movie obviously .

Next up is Tony Stark doing his Tony Stark thing. No stark differences noticed in the Armor design this time other than the fact that in this rendering he seems to have returned to his circular arc reactor as opposed to the pentagon shape from Iron Man 2.

Next up: Hawkeye and Black Widow

Next: Thor and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nicky Fury, Coulson and Maria Hill

Last but not least, the Hulk!

MAPPING the MARVEL MOVIE UNIVERSE Connections

With the newest trailer recently released, fans are eagerly awaiting Captain America: The First Avenger. Along with Spring 2011's Thor, this latest film from Marvel Studios will be the final step towards the movie The Avengers, where Earth's mightiest heroes will join forces to take on a threat no single woman or man can face alone. Many are excited to see if this film will be able to pull of an exciting story while also uniting several different superhero franchises. But the groundwork of this shared universe has been laid out for quite a while now and has continued to grow.

For your enjoyment (and for those of you who may have missed a movie or two), here is a basic map to the many connections of the Marvel Studios movie universe.

#9

 S.H.I.E.L.D. AGENTS ARE EVERYWHERE

In the Marvel Comics universe, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention/Espionage Logistics Directorate) was an international intelligence and counter-terrorist organization. It existed in a few incarnations before, beginning with the Brotherhood of the Shield, a group of special individuals who formed in Ancient Egypt to protect the Earth from alien forces.

In the Marvel Studios movie universe, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) is a creation of the U.S. government. In Iron Man, Agent Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) implies that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a brand-new organization, so new that they haven't even figured out a fun acronym yet. But Nick Fury says in Iron Man 2 that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been around for decades and that Howard Stark was a founder of it.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, such as Agent Coulson appear in Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Coulson is later a major player in the movieThor. Other agents of note are the Black Widow, who shows up in Iron Man 2, and Agent Barton, who appears in Thor. The S.H.I.E.L.D. database is seen and used in The Incredible Hulkand that same film involves the U.S. Army borrowing a sonic cannon from S.H.I.E.L.D. A promotional web-site for Iron Man 2later revealed that this sonic cannon was created by Stark Industries

#8

THE MAN CALLED NICK FURY

In Marvel Comics, Nick Fury was a World War II soldier who led a Rangers team known as the Howlers (nicknamed the "Howling Commandos"). During the war, he fought alongside Captain America and other superheroes of the day. After being treated with the vitality-increasing "Infinity Formula", his aging rate was greatly decreased. After working with the CIA for several years, he was asked to become the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In the Marvel Studios movie universe, Nick Fury first shows up in the after-credits scene of Iron Man, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Fury showed up again in Iron Man 2 to further discuss the Avengers Initiative. In the same film, Fury implied that he was older than he looked. But that's not all. Nick Fury's name is seen on documents that appear in the movie The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton. The document concerned Bruce Banner, the Hulk's alter ego, and said: "Details: Classified. Subject is THREAT LEVEL RED, surveillance only. The Bruce Banner manhunt is still not over."

#7

TONY STARK / IRON MAN

Tony Stark and Stark Industries are the focus of the films Iron Man and Iron Man 2. In The Incredible Hulk, weapons made by Stark Industries are used to combat the green monster. The Iron Man 2 DVD also reveals that Stark Industries constructed the gamma device that was involved in Bruce Banner's mutation into the Hulk. In the film Thor, the Destroyer armor is mistaken for a Stark techno-suit. In the epilogue scene of The Incredible Hulk (which takes place after the events of Iron Man 2), Tony Stark shows up to discuss a team that is still organizing members and allies.

Tony's deceased father Howard Stark also has a big role in the Marvel Universe, beyond his being mentioned quite a bit in both Iron Man films. In Iron Man 2, we learn that he was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. Special features on the DVD of that film also indicated that Howard Stark was involved with the Cosmic Cube (which will be discussed later) and Captain America. A young Howard Stark will also appear in Captain America: The First Avenger. The most recent trailer for that film has revealed that Howard actually constructs the Captain's specialized, light-weight body armor, based on some of Steve's own designs (which is not too far off from a scene we saw in one of Captain America's origin issues).

#6

BRUCE BANNER / THE HULK

Dr. Bruce Banner and his green-skinned alter ago the Hulk are the focus of the film The Incredible Hulk. During that film, a news broadcast describes one of the Hulk's battles. In Iron Man 2, Nick Fury is watching this very same broadcast during a meeting with Tony Stark, indicating that The Incredible Hulktakes place simultaneously to that film. As mentioned above, the DVD for Iron Man 2 also shows that the gamma device Banner used on the day he was mutated was constructed by Stark Industries.

In Thor, Dr. Selvig mentions a scientist he knew who had been a leading expert in gamma radiation and then vanished one day. He also mentions that he believes S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved. The scientist he's talking about is Bruce Banner, who had to go underground as a fugitive after his mutation, as he was now hunted by the military and sought after by S.H.I.E.L.D.

#5

THOR

Thor's presence is first felt in Iron Man 2. Agent Caulson tells Tony Stark he has to head to New Mexico because of a strange occurrence there. Tony remarks that Utah is the "land of enchantment", which is the state motto but also foreshadows the presence of Asgard, Thor's home. When Stark meets with Nick Fury later, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director confirms that he's dealing with a situation in the American Southwest. On a monitor nearby, you can see photograph of a crater in New Mexico. In the after-credits scene of Iron Man 2, Agent Caulson arrives at this crater and sees that Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, is lying in the center. This leads directly into the movie Thor.

#4

STEVE ROGERS / CAPTAIN AMERICA

Steve Rogers became Captain America due to Operation: Rebirth, a World War II government project that involved him being injected with a "super-soldier serum" and having his body bombarded with "vita-rays." Steve's presence can be felt throughout various films. In Iron Man, a half-completed replica of Cap's famous, indestructible shield can be seen on Tony Stark's work bench. This replica is seen again in Iron Man 2. In that same film, a foot locker belonging to Howard Stark contains a copy of the comic book Captain America #1. This isn't breaking the fourth wall, since in the Marvel Comics universe it has been shown time and time again that the government wished Captain America to be a public rallying symbol and so many comic books and licensed products were sold based on his likeness and on fictionalized accounts of his adventures.

The biggest nods to Marvel's famous super-soldier were in The Incredible Hulk. In that film, General Ross refers to "bio-tech force enhancement" project that operated during the 1940s to create a "super-soldier", a project that was later "put on ice" (which is both a slang phrase that is accurate and also a funny nod to Steve's fate towards the end of the war). Ross reveals that attempts were made to replicate the success of that initial experiment. Later, he goes to a storage room and removes a chemical that had been used during that project. The chemical's cold storage unit has a label on it that says: PROGRAM: Weapon Plus DEVELOPER: Dr. Reintstein The label also indicates the chemical has received VITA-RAY treatment and that the Cryosync container was made by Stark Industries.

In the comics, "Dr. Reinstein" was the codename of Dr. Abraham Erskine, the scientist who created the vita-rays and the super-soldier serum that were used in Operation: Rebirth. The Weapon Plus Program began later when the U.S. government decided it might be a good idea to biologically engineer a soldier to be able to fight, contain or kill the rising number of superhumans in the world. Operation: Rebirth was retroactively designated WEAPON I. Decades later, the WEAPON X project split off as an independent organization and experimented on the mutant Logan AKA Wolverine.

Director Louis Letterrier revealed that the chemical Ross removes from the Weapon Plus storage unit was colored bright blue as a deliberate reference to Captain America. In the latest trailer forCaptain America: The First Avenger, we can see that a similarly colored chemical is injected into Steve Rogers.

#3

THE MAPS

At the end of Iron Man 2, Nick Fury meets with Tony Stark and has multiple monitors functioning around him. One (as stated earlier) displays footage seen in The Incredible Hulk. Another monitor has a map of the world, with highlighted areas of concern in: California (where Iron Man lives), New York (where Bruce Banner went to find a cure for the Hulk), New Mexico (where Thor's hammer was just found), the Arctic Circle (where Captain America was discovered and reawakened in the comics), the middle of the Atlantic (Namor and Atlantis?), and a location in Africa, said to be the country Wakanda (the home of the Black Panther).

But there's another map of interest in Iron Man 2. In Howard Stark's footlocker, there is a map of Antarctica. Why? There are a couple of possibilities. In the Marvel Comics universe, Antarctica is the hidden location of the Savage Land, a tropical, savage paradise inhabited by many prehistoric beasts, preserved and maintained by great alien technology. Certain leaders of ancient Atlantis (home to the aquatic hero Namor, the Sub-Mariner) also made Antarctica a base of operations. In recent comics, it's been revealed that Olympia, home of the near-immortal sub-race of humans known as the Eternals, is now located in Antarctica. And this continent is also the only place on Earth, besides the African nation of Wakanda, where vibranium can be found. Typical Wakandan vibranium is an incredible ore that actually absorbs sound and kinetic force and was used to help construct Captain America's indestructible shield. Antarctic vibranium, discovered in 1915, creates vibrations that break apart all other metals, earning it the nickname "anti-metal."

#2

AVENGERS INITIATIVE

In the Marvel Comics universe, the Avengers team formed when Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and the Wasp were tricked by the evil god Loki into fighting the Hulk. Realizing who the true threat was, the five strange adventurers defeated Loki and decided to become a team, taking the name Avengers. Soon afterward, the group reawakened and recruited Captain America (who had been in suspended animation since 1945), considering him equal to a founder and later regarding him as the leader. Over time, the organization grew and often split off into other groups. Today, the "Avengers Initiative" is a program that allows Steve Rogers to form multiple teams of Avengers with official (but limited) federal authority, as well as to sanction the training of younger and/or inexperienced superhumans at the Avengers Academy. Recently, it has also been revealed that a similar program existed during the 1950s, involving a covert ops team led by Nick Fury.

In the after-credits scene of Iron Man, Nick Fury approaches Tony Stark to discuss "the Avengers Initiative." In Iron Man 2, Fury and Stark discuss it again, with Tony referring to the program as a "super-secret boy band" and implying that it's a special ops team. In the epilogue scene of The Incredible Hulk, Stark approaches General Ross and has now evidently joined the Avengers Initiative. Concerning the problem of fighting and containing the Hulk, Stark asks "What if I told you we're putting together a team?"

#1

THE COSMIC CUBE

In Marvel Comics, the Cosmic Cube is a fantastic product of advanced science that only a few civilizations have been able to create. Whoever holds it can translate thought into tangible reality. Several times over the years, the Red Skull has attempted to use this to warp the world to his liking. The Cosmic Cube was recently featured in the cartoon series Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

In the Marvel Studios universe, the first hint of the Cosmic Cube appeared in Iron Man 2. Howard Stark's notes refer to a hyper-cube, also known as a tesseract. Later on, a glowing cube appears in the after-credits scene of Thor. And it is known that, in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, the Red Skull seeks out a cube that he refers to as the "tesseract."

And that wraps it up. Ready for the Captain America movie now? I know I am!

Marvel's The Avengers Begins Production

Production has commenced today in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated movie “Marvel’s The Avengers,” directed by Joss Whedon (“Serenity”) from a screenplay by Whedon.  The film will continue principal photography in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City. Robert Downey, Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) returns as the iconic Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) as Thor, Chris Evans (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) as Captain America, Jeremy Renner (“Thor,” “The Hurt Locker”) as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo (“The Kids Are Alright”) as Hulk, Scarlett Johansson (“Iron Man 2”) as Black Widow, Clark Gregg (“Iron Man,” “Thor”) as Agent Phil Coulson, and Samuel L. Jackson (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) as Nick Fury.  Set for release in the US on May 4, 2012, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the first feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.  

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Marvel’s The Avengers” brings together the mightiest super hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time. The star studded cast of super heroes will be joined by Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother) as Agent Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Tom Hiddleston (“Wallander”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Angels & Demons,” “Mamma Mia!”) who will both reprise their respective roles as Loki and Professor Erik Selvig from the upcoming Marvel Studios’ feature “Thor.”

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is being produced by Marvel Studios' President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patty Whitcher, and Jon Favreau. Marvel Studios’ Jeremy Latcham and Victoria Alonso will co-produce.

The creative production team also includes Oscar nominated director of photography Seamus McGarvey (“Atonement”), production designer James Chinlund (“25th Hour”), Oscar winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Oscar winning visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs (“Iron Man 2,” “The Matrix”), visual effects producer Susan Pickett (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”), stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell (“Superman Returns”), and four-time Oscar nominated special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Iron Man,” “War of the Worlds”). The editors include Oscar nominated Paul Rubell (“Collateral”) and Jeffrey Ford (“Crazy Heart”).

Marvel Studios most recently produced “Iron Man 2” which was released in theatres on May 7, 2010. The sequel to “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow as well as Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, took the number one spot its first weekend with a domestic box office gross of $128.1 million. To date the film has earned over $620 million in worldwide box office receipts.

In the summer of 2008, Marvel produced the summer blockbuster movies, “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.”  “Iron Man,” in which Robert Downey, Jr. originally dons the super hero’s powerful armor alongside co-stars Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, was released May 2, 2008 and was an immediate box office success. Garnering the number one position for two weeks in a row, the film brought in over $100 million its opening weekend and grossed over $571 million worldwide. On June 13, 2008, Marvel released “The Incredible Hulk” marking its second number one opener of that summer. The spectacular revival of the iconic green goliath grossed over $250 million in worldwide box office receipts.

In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," "Thor," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Thor" on May 6, 2011; "Captain America: The First Avenger" on July 22, 2011; and "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013.

Iron Man and Wolverine Anime Casting New

Marvel's Head of Television Jeph Loeb announced casting for two of the company's much anticipated anime series, "Iron Man" and "Wolverine," at its WonderCon panel today in San Francisco to the delight of fans in attendance. Both series will premiere on G4 in July 2011.

Adrian Pasdar ("Heroes") will lend his voice to the character of Tony Stark in "Iron Man," an all-new series which sees Stark travel to Japan and battle the evil Zodiac Organization.

Milo Ventimiglia ("Hereos"), takes on the title role in "Wolverine," as Logan claws his way through Japan's criminal underworld.