I know it's been forever since I wrote a review on here. I apologize. I have only seen one movie since my last review on March 19th. For those who know me, this is nearly unbelievable. But I am a grad student. And busy. I saw Warm Bodies (2013) and I liked it but never got around to reviewing it. See above about busyness. But here I return for the first of Marvel's Phase Two films. As a big fan of Marvel Comics and the Marvel Studios adaptations, I was surprised to find I did not have any ratings for any of the phase one films on my list, so I get to start from scratch here.
For those of you in America, this film comes out tomorrow, on my birthday and I hope you get to read this before you go see it. To begin with, after Iron Man 2 (2010), I was skeptical as to what good could come next. I have been a fan of Jon Favreau since Made (2001) and that movie alone proved to me that he could direct. I loved Iron Man (2008), but something was lost in the sequel. I don't blame Favreau, though I guess someone did. Not knowing the new director from Adam, I came in with a healthy skepticism. But it was confounded. Overall, if you're still on the fence, go. I'll try to elucidate the why if my solid word doesn't convince you.
For wit, I gave the film a 9. This is a standard. Maybe if it hadn't been so close to In the Name of the Father (1993), which I also gave a 9, I could have let it go higher, but comparing any actor to Daniel Day-Lewis is a losing game. A shining leading pair in Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow is certainly a plus. I don't mean to downgrade them. They are genuinely better than the core cast of The Dark Knight (2008). I don't say that lightly, but Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal genuinely don't make that movie and in this one, the leading pair are very strong, with hints of greatness. But like the aforementioned superhero powerhouse, it's the supporting cast that seals the deal. In this analogy, Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau are Gary Oldman, solid but not scene-stealers. The big three for me are Guy Pearce, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Ty Simpkins. That's going up. Who's Ty Simpkins? I'll get to him.
First, Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian. This is him at his Memento best. He really works his charm and his ability to be disgusting here. Appreciate it. Ben is the Mandarin and if you've seen the trailer, you ought to already be excited. But if your worried, as I was, that he seems very similar to Heath Ledger's Joker, you'll be pleasantly surprised, as I was. I won't ruin the twist, but it gives Sir Ben the chance to show his full range. Lastly, Ty. This little guy is probably my favorite part. A pretty minor character, but he has that essential point in Tony Stark's rebirth, a bit too much like The Dark Knight Rises (2012), but they do it their own way. Plus I've been reading some of the comic source material and who knows whether Matt Fraction or the Nolans wrote this first?
The writing is good, solid, but not nearly as fantastic and flawless as it could have been, but fun all the way through.
For wisdom, I opted for the 9. I don't think that Tony is the wisest character or even that his platitudes are ingenious, but I do think they are more or less correct. The message is simple and clear, exactly like most of these Marvel Studios films have been and there's nothing wrong with that. They lack the complexity and depth of the Dark Knight Trilogy, but I forgive them for failing to meet that awesome standard. The simple version of this films idea is reaping and sowing, karma. It is a truth of life that most of our problems end up being our fault, in one way or another. And this is played out like a morality play. Sweet and to the point with explosions. Just like a morality play.
Lastly, the explosions and the music and the special effects. It's all great and I hope you enjoy the sheer scale of it. Wonder is a 9.5 for all the enjoyable things that I can't be more specific about because I saw it a week ago. Enjoy! Why are you still reading this? It hasn't come out yet in your country? Sorry. Take your time.
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