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  • Canister X Movie Review #88: Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

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    Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)
    Written by Greg Johnson
    Directed by Curt Geda and Steven E. Gordon
    Runtime 71 min.
    4 out of 5

    In World War II, the Nazis tried to launch an intercontinental missile and was thwarted by Captain America, but at great cost: Captain America fell into icy waters and was presumed dead. Some sixty years later, he was found and revived by S.H.I.E.L.D., who ends up convincing him to join their fight against the alien Chitauri. When the Chitauri attack, S.H.I.E.L.D. implements Project Avenger and begins assembling together Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to take on the Chitauri and put a stop to them once and for all.

     

    This ensemble flick is one of the greats and is a solid introduction for the uninitiated to the Avengers—Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Giant Man, Wasp and Hulk—all led by Nick Fury.

    It’s evenly paced, exciting, and gives each member of the team enough screen time to give them a chance to lock in with the viewer and make that viewer-character connection before moving on to the next guy.

    Marvel’s direct-to-video efforts have been lacking and haven’t been that great because they’ve been very busy—albeit very successfully—focusing their efforts on bringing their heroes to the big screen. Ultimate Avengers and its sequel are the major exceptions to their animated shortcomings and this movie is every bit as good as their live action counterparts. I also think that’s the secret to making a good animated movie: treat it with the same care and seriousness as a live action film and you’ll hit it out of the ballpark every time. It works in Japanese animation. No reason why it wouldn’t work here in the West.

    This movie was good start to finish. Had a story that spanned decades, and made you care about what was going on from first frame to last.

    You have multiple plotlines going on, ranging from the Avengers dealing with the Chitauri to Bruce Banner trying to find a cure for the Hulk, to Captain America trying to find his place in the world. The amazing thing is they fit all these plotlines into a very short runtime (just over an hour).

    The art direction was superb and I enjoyed how everyone looked in this, especially Hulk. (For me, he’s one of those guys that don’t always come out well.)

    While there’s a pretty good dose of violence in this movie, it’s much more kid-friendly than the majority of DC’s animated features and is safe for kids (depending on your household rules for this sort of thing). Personally, I let my kids watch it but don’t let them watch the DC movies.

    Whether a Marvel fan, an Avengers fan, or a superhero fan in general, Ultimate Avengers is a fantastic flick worth watching many times over. What’s cool is it’s basically part one of two and goes right into its sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, without missing a beat, so if you have both, you’re in for a doubly-good time.

    Recommended.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #47: Iron Man 3 (2013)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Iron Man 3 (2013)

    Iron Man 3
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    Iron Man 3 (2013)
    Written by Drew Pearce and Shane Black
    Directed by Shane Black
    Runtime 130 min.
    3.5 out of 5

    An evil mastermind terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is wreaking havoc via a rash of bombings, holding the world in his grip. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) gets on the case and discovers the bombings are initiated by people exposed to the Extremis program, something Stark Industries could’ve had ties to a long time ago, but chose not to. Turns out those Tony Stark knew back then are neck-deep involved with what’s going on now, have re-entered his life, and are making things complicated.

    While trying to pinpoint the location of the Mandarin, Iron Man aka Tony is also dealing with the aftermath of the Chitauri invasion of New York in The Avengers. Having trouble sleeping, he’s been spending all his time constructing various Iron Man armors to help himself cope. This brings tension to his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who he’s now living with and is dedicated to.

    Upon discovering the location of the Mandarin and his true identity, Iron Man and his almost-sidekick the Iron Patriot aka War Machine aka Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) head up against a battalion of Extremis-infected warriors and must pull out all the stops to put an end to their reign of terror. The problem is these Extremis soldiers are so powerful that victory doesn’t seem likely.

    Can Iron Man prevail against an army as strong as he is?

    I’m not sure what to make of this movie. Sure, it was entertaining and the storyline was fine. I like the idea of making it a direct follow up to The Avengers, and showing how Tony Stark’s world—never mind the rest of the world—had been affected by the Chitauri invasion and the presence of the other Avengers.

    This flick was loaded with solid action, tough bad guys, cool tech, guns and everything else that makes an Iron Man movie a lot of fun. I just wasn’t sold on the presentation. This might be harsh, but this flick came off as the Batman Forever of the Iron Man movies. I’m all for humor in even the most serious of movies, but it seemed the jokes were either too forced or too slapstick to make me take this flick seriously. And that’s the secret with superhero movies: they need to take themselves seriously—even if they’re meant to be a comedy—otherwise they’ll never work. There was an awful lot of getting in and out of the Iron Man suits in this film, both by Tony and Rhodey, never mind Pepper getting a shot at wearing it, the President, the Extremis guy—there were so many suit changes that the novelty of watching someone don the Iron Man armor was quickly spent after the first three times.

    This film was not directed by Jon Favreau, which might have had something to do with it. Just seems this movie was weighed down with not enough Iron Man and a storyline—which was solid in and of itself—that moved slowly. I realize Tony’s aftermath and post-traumatic stress from The Avengers was the focus, but the same goal could’ve been accomplished had there been more Iron Man. I don’t necessarily mean more action—as action-filled movies that are nothing but explosions start to finish get boring after a while—but perhaps him having a love/hate relationship with the suit because being in it nearly killed him at the end of The Avengers, or maybe take the robo-injections to summon the suit to a new level because he’s trying to make himself super to be on par with guys like Captain America or Thor and have him deal with that?

    The extra scene at the end of the credits with Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) picked up on the bromance from The Avengers. A nice touch. Didn’t move the Marvel Cinematic Universe forward in any way, but was nice nevertheless.

    If you’re a Marvel movie completist, then by all means, check it out. Likewise, pick up the Blu-ray when it comes out to complete your set. For me, I think I’m going to have watch it again and perhaps I’ll warm up to it a bit more. I felt let down when I watched the first Spider-Man in 2002, but got more into it with subsequent viewings. Iron Man 3 might be one of those movies.

    Just think they could’ve done a lot more with it.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #42: The Incredible Hulk (2008)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The Incredible Hulk (2008)

    Incredible Hulk
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    The Incredible Hulk (2008)
    Written by Zak Penn
    Directed by Louis Leterrier
    Runtime 112 min.
    4.5 out of 5

    Dr. Bruce Banner. Scientist. Researcher. Genius.

    Victim of a Gamma Ray experiment gone horribly wrong.

    Dr. Bruce Banner. Hulk.

    And the military knows it. They were there. They saw what he became—a hulking, big green behemoth made of pure muscle, rage and power—and the damage he caused.

    Bruce (Edward Norton) has been on the run from them ever since, keeping a low profile and doing everything within his power to find a cure for the gamma poisoning that created the beast caged inside him. And now he thinks he has one, so he ventures back to the States to meet a scientist codenamed “Mr. Blue” whom he’s been chatting with over a secure Internet line to work up a cure. He also accidentally runs into the love of his life, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler), and the two are now on the run from Betty’s hotheaded military father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), who wants to turn the Hulk into a weapon.

    They evade him for the most part until General Ross decides to supe-up his special soldier, Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), and, once that super soldier proves not enough of a threat to the Hulk, Emil takes it on himself to make himself a greater match and forces Dr. Blue, aka Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), to turn him into something else—an Abomination.

    Now only the Hulk can stop this new mammoth creature and the two wage a crazy, awe-inspiring war through the streets of New York.

    It’s time for Hulk to smash.

    I admit when I first heard about this movie I was leery. It was only five years before that Ang Lee’s Hulk came out and I knew that The Incredible Hulk was meant to be a reboot, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and, really, a reboot after only five years was just plain silly.

    As it turns out, this movie wasn’t a reboot per se, but more of a do-over, in that during the credits it quickly gave the Hulk’s origin story and then got into a story of its own without referring to the Hulk movie of 2003. And to make things even more “separate,” there was that oh-so-cool cameo at the end by you-know-who that cemented this new Hulk movie into the current timeline that Marvel’s got going on in the movies, one that will take us up to The Avengers in 2012.

    What can I say? This movie was way better than Hulk. More action. Cooler story. More realistic. This really was a solid Hulk-smash type of movie that didn’t get bogged down in so much drama like the one in 2003. I loved Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. Not only did he look the part of a scrawny scientist, he also acted like one plus also did a good job conveying the burden he carries and the suffering he has to go through because of what he is (i.e. sometimes living on the street).

    There was a chemistry between him and Liv Tyler, too. The two of them could easily pass as real-life lovers. This kind of realism was crucial in showing the sacrifices Bruce had made in order to protect those he cared about from the Hulk.

    The sheer power shown by the Hulk throughout this movie was just plain awesome. The strength displayed was astounding. The coolest display, in my opinion, was when the helicopter Betty was in caught fire and Hulk clapped his hands together so hard it sent a shockwave/gust of wind through the air to put out the flame.

    I enjoyed Tim Roth as the good-guy-turned-bad. He’s always convincing. And when he became Abomination, the big fight between Abomination and Hulk was terrific: two giant titans going head-to-head, muscle against muscle, power against power. Fantastic.

    The Incredible Hulk was such a great movie and made you look forward to any sequels or cameos the Hulk will have in the future.

    Recommended.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #41: Hulk vs (2009)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Hulk vs (2009)

    Hulk vs Thor Hulk vs Wolverine
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    Hulk vs (2009)
    Written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
    Directed by Frank Paur and Sam Liu
    Runtime 78 min.
    4.5 out of 5

    Two short films, one explosive movie!

    Hulk vs Wolverine: Logan (Wolverine) is called in to a small town that the Hulk just ravaged in an effort to track down the beast and stop him for good. However, once the two meet, they go head-to-head and battle to the finish. Different phases of the fight trigger certain flashbacks for Wolverine and he remembers bits and pieces of how he came to be and his history with Weapon X (who also shows up).

    This part of the movie is all-out-hey-bub-come-get-some craziness. Wolverine lets it rip and him and Hulk go at it like no one’s business, definitely making this segment the more exciting of the two in terms of action. I mean, Hulk really smashes and showcases his raw power and strength and, I’m telling you, there’s no holding back.

    Putting Wolverine up against Hulk was a smart move because here you got this guy who’s tough as nails, has a healing factor, and has an adamantium skeleton—and claws!—that make him near invincible. On the I-can-take-some-serious-damage level, Wolverine is right up there.

    I also appreciated how they had him slice into Hulk versus just having the two slug it out. Frankly, Wolverine’s punches against the Hulk wouldn’t him take him far, if anywhere at all. Have him start cutting the Hulk with his claws—and with them being adamantium, they can do that—now Hulk finds himself in some serious jeopardy if he’s not careful.

    Storywise, this one was the weaker of the two, but getting a brief overview of the Weapon X program and Wolverine’s creation is a plus for fans. Besides, Deadpool is in this and who doesn’t love that?

    Onto . . .

    Hulk vs Thor: Loki transports Hulk to Asgard while the city is no longer under Odin’s protection thanks to his annual Odinsleep. By separating Bruce Banner from the Hulk, Loki removes the restraint on the Hulk and unleashes the green beast against the unsuspecting Asgardians. Thor steps in to stop the Hulk from breaking in and destroying the city. The two battle it out in the realm eternal and only one can be the victor.

    Straight off, the storytelling of this one was much more complex than the Hulk vs Wolverine segment. I appreciated that and liked how Thor was dragged into this battle as opposed to him just trying to get back at Hulk for something or simply seeing who is the strongest.

    Sticking Hulk in the realm of Asgard as opposed to having the story take place on Earth changes things up for those of us not used to Hulk fighting in that kind of arena. Throw some complex emotions and Hulk’s inner turmoil into the mix by way of honing in on Bruce Banner, and you got a good Hulk story.

    This one focused more on Hulk in that regard whereas the other one seemed to focus more on Wolverine despite this movie titled as being Hulk-centric.

    The battles on Asgard were almost as good as the Hulk vs Wolverine ones, but not as awe-inspiring. I did like, however, Hulk going up against multiple opponents in this as he took on the Asgardians.

    The movie as a whole—I wish they’d do a live action version or something similar if they ever do a follow up to The Incredible Hulk. To have Hulk not just have the army on his tail but also other powerful superheroes would make for an exciting flick.

    You never know.

    Hulk smash!


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  • Canister X Movie Review #40: Hulk (2003)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    Hulk (2003)

    Hulk
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    Hulk (2003)
    Written by James Schamus, Michael France and John Turman
    Directed by Ang Lee
    Runtime 138 min.
    3.5 out of 5

    You’re making me angry.

    You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

    In a lab accident, Bruce Banner (played by Eric Bana) is hit with a healthy dose of gamma radiation, the effects from the blast triggering the dormant bizarre alterations to his body done to him by his father (played by Nick Nolte) when he was just a toddler. Now, every time Bruce gets angry, the gamma rays still in his body course through his veins and transform him into the Hulk, a booming mass of pure green muscle driven by rage and fueled by anger and frustration at all those trying to hurt him.

    Bulldozing everything in his path, Hulk tries to outrun those who want a sample of his tissue and those who want him dead.

    Bruce Banner must face what he’s become and come to terms with its effects on his life, especially those on his ex-girlfriend, Betty Ross (played by Jennifer Connelly), and the relationship with her he’s trying to salvage.

    This Ang Lee-directed flick was well done, all in all. It took a while to get going (the opening credit sequence was especially long), but once it did, things got intense, heavy and also fun.

    This is a very emotional story. It’s a story of domestic abuse, suppressed memories, obsession, confusion, loss and everything in between.

    If anything, though, it was too emotional.

    Hulk is a hard character to bring to the screen but given the time allotment he had to convey as much story as possible, Ang Lee did a good job.

    This is not a good-guy-versus-bad-guy superhero movie. To watch it as one would be doing it a disservice.

    The comic book-framed shots added to the experience for this reviewer. Likewise, the all-CGI Hulk, once you got used to seeing him (he looks pretty cartoony at first sight), was believable and incredibly, no pun, well done. The way his muscles rippled when he tore stuff apart or flexed, the sweat on his skin, his hair blowing in the breeze—Ah, all good.

    This film is for true Hulk fans and for the viewer who likes the occasional monster flick or man-on-the-run movie.

    Hulk smash!


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  • Canister X Movie Review #3: The Avengers (2012)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    The Avengers

    Avengers
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    The Avengers (2012)
    Written by Joss Whedon
    Directed by Joss Whedon
    Runtime 143 min.
    4 out of 5

    When Thor’s mischievous brother, Loki, makes a deal with the alien race the Chitauri to help them secure the Tesseract Cube so they can conquer the galaxy, the Earth suddenly falls into great peril. With even the powerful top secret agency S.H.I.E.L.D. having difficulty containing Loki, there is only one call S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury can make: Avengers Assemble!

    The team is gathered—Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye—and they set out to do battle with Loki and his alien cohorts. If they don’t overcome their differences and learn to work together as a team, the Earth will fall and Loki will rule the planet.

    The Avengers brings together Earth’s mightiest heroes to combat a force of evil so great they either stand together or fall together, with the fate of the planet—even the galaxy—hanging in the balance.

    The Avengers is a difficult movie to review, more so, give a proper rating to because this movie is very much black and white between its story and its presentation, so that said, I’m going to quickly go over both and you’ll see where I’m coming from at the end.

    The story: This is a single-plot movie, very much an A-to-B narrative and incredibly simple—too simple. Aliens are coming, we need to stop them so we’ll get the Avengers to do it. That’s it. From a storytelling perspective, it’s too simple and too predictable. Big bad guy, big good guy(s), let’s fight, good guys win. The end.

    However, if you view The Avengers as an end cap/final act to all the movies leading up to it: Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America—then you have something that definitely serves its purpose and more or less lets each character shine for the same amount of time. In this case, a simple story works despite, um, the many continuity flaws from the previous movies (i.e. Thor is somehow now able to come to Earth, which renders the ending of Thor’s movie moot; Tony Stark called upon to be Iron Man in The Avengers despite being banned from doing so in Iron Man 2; the characters communicating to each other without earpieces or any communication devices. Maybe they’re telepathic?).

    The presentation: this movie is a nerd’s dream come true from start to finish. Assemble your favorite superheroes—of which each were spotlighted in their own movies, almost—put them together and have them go toe-to-toe with a larger-than-life threat that will squash the planet if they don’t come through.

    From an eye candy perspective, this movie nailed it. Huge battles, lots of explosions, combat action, hammer throwing, Hulk smashing, shield boomeranging, repulsors firing, arrows shooting, girl fists punching—yeah, it has it all.

    It’s also very important to point out that the casting of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk was an amazing choice. I honestly wasn’t too thrilled with the news when I first heard it, with Ruffalo being more of a chick-flick romance guy, but he got the role done so well that if there’s a spin-off, I hope he gets the job. He’s definitely earned it.

    Chris Evans as Captain America—a Superman performance, which is good and brought a traditional superhero element to the team. As the running joke was throughout the movie, a little “old-fashioned” was what was needed.

    Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man—do I really need to talk about this? He’s the same Tony Stark from the first two Iron Man movies, the only difference being he’s mellowed out a bit because, despite his arrogance, he understands life isn’t all about him and there are other people out there, too. This bit really comes through in this movie.

    Chris Hemsworth as Thor—bold, poetic, commanding, everything his character is supposed to be so kudos to him for carrying on with a great performance from the stand-alone movie.

    Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye—I don’t know much about the comic character other than he’s like Green Arrow, but perhaps with a more military-mind-set, so I can’t comment. Renner did sell me on Hawkeye though, but why couldn’t they give him that awesome mask? Maybe in the sequel.

    Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow—she really comes into her own in this flick because in Iron Man 2, it was more a back-up appearance so we didn’t know much about her. I’m glad she got the screen time she deserved and, come on, her fight scenes were fantastic.

    Tom Hiddleston as Loki—he’s the bad guy you love to hate, the one that, even just looking at him, you want to punch in the face. I appreciated how Loki, to a degree, was a villain to sympathize with because of his exile, but you also get mad at him for being such a jerk about it.

    Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury—an excellent portrayal of Samuel L. Jackson being Samuel L. Jackson—but under a fictitious alias. Yeah.

    The Avengers is a solid good-times-turn-your-brain-off-action-fest that is great for escape and is recommended for that reason. As a spoiler warning, if you want just the action parts, start the movie around thirty minutes in.

    Honest assessment is 3.5 out of 5, but because it’s the first movie of its kind and because of all the building up to it that has been going on since 2008, I’ll give it a 4.


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