"Avengers" Assemble... at Comic-Con

Left to Right: Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Liam Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Hawk Eye, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Director Joss Whedon, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige

Movie stars filled the panels, rumors were laid to rest, and every nerd on the planet was waiting for this moment. The Avengers cast, in one place, at one time. That's the power of Comic-Con. I've talked about it a lot on the blog: everything from Chris Evans casting as the Captain, to Edward Norton's ugly exit, all things Avengers. At Comic-Con in San Diego this year, the entire cast went up on stage, settling three, very talked-about rumors.

First, Joss Whedon WILL direct the film. That's an obvious one, but Marvel never announced it officially before Comic-Con.

Second, Jeremy Renner WILL play Hawk Eye! I love this move by the way.

Third, and I guess most talked about... Mark Ruffalo WILL replace Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk. This movie can't get any more epic, can it? We'll have to wait and see. There's still those rumors of Nathan Fillion and Eva Longoria joining the cast as Ant-Man and Wasp. We'll let you know what happens. You satisfied with the cast?

Quickie: Gulliver's Travels trailer; Emily Blunt turned down Iron Man 2 for this?

Here's the trailer below for the new Jack Black "comedy"... Gulliver's Travels. Gulliver's Travels is of course a retelling of Jonathan Swift's classic novel. Read below the trailer, I have a few things to say.

The only reason I knew this movie was real, or that I cared it was real... was because of Emily Blunt. She was set to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2, but had to pull out due to her contract for 'Travels'. Don't get me wrong, I liked Scarlett Johansson as her replacement. But c'mon! Emily Blunt looks EXACTLY like Black Widow, and is a higher caliber actress than Johansson. So why my rant? Just because... I wish Blunt could have done the movie and we would be seeing her in The Avengers, not Johansson.

Tony: Iron Man 2 review

Not since Avatar hit the big screen has there been a movie with this much hype... OK I guess it hasn't been that long, but still. Was there a doubt that Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. weren't going to deliver in this highly anticipated sequel? Let's get right into it folks, I have a lot to say.


What I liked:
The Writing
The story is better than the first one, but still has issues. There are just too many dang characters for a 2 hour movie. The villains are better, the dialogue is amazing in Iron Man 2. My wife and I could NOT stop laughing at Tony Stark trading barbs back and forth with the supporting cast. There are so many examples of this, I wont try to explain any further, just trust me. The movie is categorically a comedy it's so funny, you'll see.

Pepper Potts played by Gwyneth Paltrow has a great story arc in the movie, as does Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. Paltrow is a true professional, and plays the part with such sincerity. I really enjoyed her in the movie. Johansson kicks some major ass in with what little screen time she has. Samuel L. Jackson is back as Nick Fury and had a lot more face time than the trailers indicated. Remember with the first film, he was in the post-credits clip. Speaking of; stay after the credits for a surprise! Don Cheadle replaces Terrance Howard as Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, but I will discuss that in a minute.

The Villains

The biggest complaint about the first Iron Man was the villain, or lack thereof. They didn't do a good enough job developing the fallout between Tony Stark and Obidiah Stone. But in this film, Mickey Rourke shines. If only there were more Rourke in this film. And kudos to Favreau and company for staying true to the look of Whiplash. Based on the photos and trailers released, you wouldn't think so, but wait until the end of the movie where you see a Whiplash that mirrors the comics, great job.

Justin Hammer is a new addition, played by Sam Rockwell (very underrated actor in Hollywood). Hammer is a fixture in the comics and was a perfect compliment to the story. Rockwell has to be funny, yet kind of annoying. We have to hate to love him, and he too nailed it in this movie.

The Action
Wow, there is a lot of action in this movie. You can tell pretty quickly that the Iron Man 2 budget was significantly higher than the first one. Now, I've said this a lot in the past, the action has to be in the movie to help the story along. There was definitely action in the movie for actions sake, but I'll get to that later.


What I didn't like:
Second Act
Wow, the second act drags so much. I told you above that the action is amped up for this movie, but it's important to note that a large chunk in the middle of the movie is story development. Yes, it's necessary, but it would have been nice to see a faster pace during this part where characters were being developed and Tony Stark makes a life changing discovery.

Misused Acting
I told you I loved Mickey Rourke in this, well I wish there was more of Mickey Rourke in this. The character is "underground" for most of the movie, but damn it would have been nice to see a bit more of Whiplash. Instead the story shifts towards droids that Justin Hammer has developed with the help of Whiplash (don't worry I'm not giving anything away). What I will tell you is the droids get a lot more attention than they should have.

Don Cheadle is a complete waste in this movie. As Col. James Rhodes, he has little to zero to work with. Yes, he does don the War Machine suit and kicks some major, major ass, but it's not enough. I hate to say this, I really do, but I wish Terrance Howard returned for this movie. His charm, presence and chemistry with Robert Downey Jr. was way better than Cheadle's.



The Climax
The Droids, I mean come on man! There is a scene where Iron Man and War Machine have to outrun (outfly) a lot of Droids. The scene does NOT end. There are at least 50 explosions in the chase and gets pretty redundant, pretty fast. And the worst part of the movie; the climax. Of course, it's a showdown with Iron Man and War Machine vs. Whiplash and it's LAME! Man, two hours of great story telling only to leave you with a sour taste in your mouth in the last 5 minutes of the movie. The holding hands climax (I don't want to spoil anything, you'll just have to see for yourself) is so bad.

The verdict is simple for me; I liked the movie, a lot. That's important, but it IS a sequel and will naturally be compared to it's predecessor. When comparing it to the first film, it's not as good. The charm and wit is there, but the creativity of the first film was replaced by a boat load of CGI and a lot more characters. The team of Favreau and Downey have struck gold, both figuratively and literally. We've even discussed whether it would beat The Dark Knight's record breaking opening weekend. That remains to be seen. As a movie fan and a comic book fan, I'm very satisfied with the finished product. And after watching the short clip at the end of the credits; I can't wait for more from the Marvel Universe!

"Iron Man 2" Trailer!

Finally... here it is, and it's kick-ass:

Quickie: Scarlett as Black Widow in IM2

The latest Entertainment Weekly issue was kind enough to publish these exclusive photos of Scarlett Johansson as the Russian Natasha Romanoff, aka "Iron Man's" Black Widow.

Friday's issue includes a full Comic Con preview and features the "Iron Man" cast on the cover.

We here at AtD are glad she isn't looking quite like her usual self and notice that the suit looks a lot more like it's from the real world then taken out of a comic book. While it's a cool idea, I hope it looks a little more cartoony than that, just to match the feels of Downey Jr. and Rourke's costumes.

Although I'm diggin' the red hair.

Can't wait for IM2!