Movie Trilogy Review: Iron Man

Hello, readers!

It is time for my first review of 2021, and you will be getting three of them. Weʼre starting off with a bang! That is almost literal, too, because all of these movies have explosions.

In 2020 my goal on this blog was to review more Foreign films, and while it didnʼt happen as much as I wanted, I did talk about 6! They were: January: La Belle et la Bête [Beauty and the Beast] (1946) [French film]. March: Waking Ned Devine (1998), The Secret of Kells (2009), and Shergar (1999) [all Irish films]. May: Okkoʼs Inn (2018) [Japanese film]. October: Spirited Away (2001) [Japanese film].

I had a request for more silent films, and while I only got one reviewed, 7th Heaven (1927), I hope to do more of that.

My 2021 goal for this blog is to review as many Marvel movies as I can! In the last few years I've been trying to watch all of them and a few days ago I finally completed that task! I reviewed one in 2020, Black Panther (2018), but youʼll see more this year.

Iʼm not done talking yet because when it comes to Marvel movies, you have to watch them in a certain way. This is one of those “do what I say, donʼt do what I do” because I watched them in the most random order, but I want you to get a good experience out of it.

There are two recommended ways for watching Marvel movies. They are:

In the order which they were made:

Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2014), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Dr. Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

Or chronological order:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain Marvel (2019), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2014), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Dr. Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnorok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

 If you have never seen a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, but want to, then this trilogy is the perfect place to start! You can watch the first and second movies with no prior experience of the films. You could watch the third one as well, but you might be confused because it talks about The Avengers (2012) a lot.

I think that Iʼve explained as much as any of you wanted. Before we get further in, Iʼm going to mention one last thing:

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free! On all of these reviews there are no spoilers for that particular film, or for any other films in the MCU.

I, myself, am wary for reading reviews for movies in a series, because they usually give things away! This review is going to be different. When talking about the second and third movies Iʼm going to be vague to not spoil anything in them or the first movie, but I will be listing any content concerns you may have.

Iron Man (2008):

Based on: The comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, & Jack Kirby.

Tony Stark is a billionaire whose family made its fortune by selling weapons. He doesnʼt care about people and wants to have a good time, though he is a technological genius himself. After a demonstration for Stark technology he is kidnapped and ordered to make that same weapon that he had been showing off. Tony was injured and saved by a doctor who is a prisoner, too. Together they plan to make a suit of armor instead to bust them out of there. If they get out of there, will Tony be able to stop the terrorist attacks? How soon will the shrapnel in his chest reach his heart? How will he make the most of his life?

ʻ“I shouldn't do anything. They could kill you, they're gonna kill me, either way, and even if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week.”

“Then this is a very important week for you, isn't it?”ʼ

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction.

Length: approx. 126 minutes.

Script: 7, there are some swear words, name calling, and names taken in vain, but not the worst that Iʼve ever heard.

Crew: Directed by: Jon Favreau. Written by: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, & Matt Holloway.

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. “So you're a man who has everything... and nothing.” 

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Terrence Howard as Rhodey.

Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Shaun Toub as Ho Yinsen.

Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.

Faran Tahir as Raza.

Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS.

Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart.

Gerard Sanders as Howard Stark.

Peter Billingsley as William Ginter Riva.

Cameos: There are cameos from several famous people, but the most notable is Stan Lee because it is the start of a Marvel tradition. We also see Samuel L. Jackson.

Costumes: 8, the Iron Man suit is an iconic look, so points there. There are a few times when people are not wearing a lot of clothing.

“Iron Man. That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. I mean it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold titanium alloy, but it's kind of provocative, the imagery anyway.”

Cinematography: 9, I like the way that we start with a scene then flashback to see what lead up to that point.

Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique.

Music: 8, itʼs a little intense for my personal taste, but it fits Tonyʼs vibe to a T.

Music by: Ramin Djawadi.

Quotability: 7, I donʼt quote it on a regular basis, but if I watched it more frequently Iʼm sure that I would.

“I'm sorry. This is the fun-vee. The hum-drum-vee is back there.”

Content: 7, there is some suggestive content here including a “bed room” scene, but is only there for a few seconds. I think this is the first movie that I watched that I didnʼt mind it and thought that it was necessary to the story because it highlights Tonyʼs character (You are never going to see me say these words again). It shows him as a “playboy” and shows you a starting point to be able to measure his journey in the end. There is fighting involving violence, and death by killing.

Notes: There is a post-credits scene, so be sure to watch that!

Originality: 9, as the beginning of an era of superhero movies, this one surely stands out! While the plot can be predictable in places, it matters so much to Tony and affects him that you are invested the whole time.

Good For: fans of superheroes, fans of the actors.

Age Range: This is rated PG-13 and I fully agree with that.

Overall Score: 8.5!

Worth watching?: Oh, yeah! It is one of the first Marvel movies that I saw and it explains so much about Tonyʼs backstory and life in general. It has good messages and a solid story.

Will I watch again?: Of all of the Marvel movies, this is one of the ones that I can see myself coming back the most frequently. It doesnʼt get old seeing Tony grow, evolve, and create. This is totally in my top ten Marvel movies! It is pretty awesome, and I recommend it.

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Iron Man 2 (2010):

Based on: The comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, & Jack Kirby.

Tony Stark is having to make a lot of decisions. The army and other companies want to buy his technology, but he knows that they will use it as a weapon instead of a peacekeeper. Nick Fury is examining Tony to see if he is fit for a plan that Nick has for a team of superheroes. Tonyʼs troubles arenʼt over, as a man starts designing similar tech in order to get revenge on Tonyʼs father. Tony feels himself growing weaker each day as his suit poisons him and he is scared. What will happen next?

“Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what Iʼm doing.”

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction.

Length: approx. 125 minutes.

Script: 7, one word is beeped out, but beside that there is a handful of other swearing.

ʻ“Did you just make that?”

 “Yeah, where do you think Iʼve been for three hours?”ʼ

Crew: Directed by: Jon Favreau. Written by: Justin Theroux.

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. “Not everyone runs on batteries, Tony.”

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Don Cheadle as Rhodey.

Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko.

Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman.

Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

John Slattery as Howard Stark.

Garry Shandling as Senator Stern.

Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS.

Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart.

Eugene Lazarev as Anton Vanko.

Cameos: Once again, there are more cameos than you can count, but my favorite is Stan Lee!

Costumes: 7, there is some clothing that is short or low. But the armor is still cool! 

Cinematography: 7, I donʼt remember anything special about it that stuck out to me. 

Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique.

Music: 6, it has managed to be both more and less intense at the same time, but without the uniqueness that the first one has. Pretty forgettable.

Music by: John Debney.

Notes: There is an post-credits scene, so stay tuned for that!

Quotability: 8, my line that I quote to describe my life is when Tony says, “I think I did okay!” then there is an explosion.

Content: 7, there is violence, blood, and explosions caused by fighting. There is death, including suicide and killing. In addition to that there are a few suggestive comments and people getting intoxicated.

Originality: 8, it didnʼt make me think while watching it, “Iʼve never seen this before!”, but thinking about it afterwards it was pretty original.

Good For: fans of superheroes, fans of the actors, anyone who likes seeing good sequels.

Age Range: Itʼs rated PG-13, but I think that depending on the person it could be watched by a 10 year old and be fine.

Overall Score: 7.

Worth watching?: Yes. I liked seeing the characters, especially some that are introduced to the MCU for the first time in this movie. I know that a lot of people donʼt like this one, but I thought it was good! I would say that it isnʼt as resounding as the first movie, but I enjoyed how it took some “causes” from the first film and looked at the “effect”. To tell the truth, I kind of forgot what it was about, but the whole time watching it I enjoyed it.

Will I watch again?: I should because my memory is rusty! Maybe I wonʼt watch it as many times as the first one, but I will definitely see it again.

“No, itʼs your fault, I just wanted to say sorry.”

&

Iron Man 3 (2013):

Based on: The comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, & Jack Kirby, and Extremis - by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov.

A new threat looms on the horizon with the Mandarin, a terrorist who releases violent videos of him killing people and making threats. When Tony Stark gets annoyed with it, he challenges the Mandarin to “come get him”, which leads to the belief that Tony is dead. Stuck in Tennessee, he works with a kid, Harley, to try to stop The Mandarin before any more harm is done. However, Tony is suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks. Will he be able to overcome, or will they get the best of him? What will happen when he meets The Mandarin face-to-face?

“A famous man once said that we create our own demons...” 

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction.

Length: approx. 130 minutes.

Script: 7. Same as the other two in the series.

Crew: Directed by: Shane Black. Written by: Drew Pearce & Shane Black. 

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Don Cheadle as Rhodey.

Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian.

Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener.

Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen.

Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS.

William Sadler as President Ellis.

Miguel Ferrer as Vice President Rodriguez.

Rockey Dickey Jr. as Rose Hill Deputy.

James Badge Dale as Savin.

Stephanie Szostak as Brandt.

Adam Pally as Gary the Cameraman.

Dale Dickey as Mrs. Davis.

Cameos: There are a multitude of them, but especially be on the look out for Stan Lee. 

Costumes: 6, in a couple scenes people arenʼt wearing a lot.

Cinematography: 7, nothing groundbreaking, but I liked elements that they worked in. Sure, some where kind of terrifying, but still.

Cinematography by: John Toll.

Music: 7, same as the others, yet verging on unremarkable.

Music by: Brian Tyler.

Notes: Donʼt skip the credits as there is a post-credits scene! Also, there is a reference to Downton Abbey which I thought was great.

Quotability: 6, I watched this for the first time fairly recently, so I could say N/A,

Content: 6, there is are some suggestive comments and actions (but only briefly), and violence involving lots of fighting and explosions. It includes some science fiction technology that is creepy because of what it does to humans.

Originality: 9, I was so invested the whole time! It kind of reminded me of something that you would see on Star Trek (who am I kidding, I never watch Star Trek), but I enjoyed it.

Good For: fans of superheroes, fans of the actors, anyone who likes seeing good sequels.

Age Range: This one is also rated PG-13, and I agree with that because there are some really scary parts. I know that it is CGI, but it still was startling, so you might not want to show this to someone younger than that.

Overall Score: 7.5!

Worth watching?: Yes! Tony and Harley working together was so cute! Tony is pretty rough, and him having a hard time is not a good excuse, but it is understandable.

Will I watch again?: You bet!

Overall Trilogy Review:

Isn't this post awesome?? (Source)

Script: 7. Costumes: 7. Cinematography: 8. Music: 7. Quotability: 7. Content: 7. Originality: 9.

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Certainly. I have so many reasons why listed above.

Will I watch again?: I will! It took me ages to be able to watch them all, so I don't know when my next opportunity will be, but one day.

Bonus thoughts:

This is a good example of a trilogy! It has the main character going through different situations and conflict each time while having a good beginning and ending. One of my favorite MCU trilogies!

For the blogathon:

There almost always is a method behind my madness! I'm reviewing this for ThunderbirdQueen and Miss Woodhouse's 23: An MCU Blogathon!

They are hosting it all month long, so go check out the other entries! This is the perfect opportunity for me to start reviewing all of the Marvel movies!

What do you guys think? Do you like the Iron Man trilogy? Is reviewing three movies all at once too much? Or do you like it? Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic