Incredible Hulk (2008) --- "Guy Loses Love And Must Work With His Alter Ego To Save The World From An Even Worse Threat."

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Plot Summary

Scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk. Cut off from his true love Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) and forced to hide from his nemesis, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), Banner soon comes face-to-face with a new threat: a supremely powerful enemy known as The Abomination (Tim Roth). (1)

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     By the end of Ang Lee's Hulk (2003), audiences were given the impression that there was going to be a sequel film. Well, 5 years later we get Louise Leterrier’s (Now You See Me, Clash of the Titans) The Incredible Hulk which is more of a reboot film, like Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005), than a sequel. This was a good decision, not because Lee’s Hulk was bad but it wasn’t great enough for a sequel. Of course doing a reboot of a film can be tricky, either you could get it right or you could get it wrong, for example, The Amazing Spider-Man is a good film but it is definitely not better than the original. So if the 2003’s Hulk left you disappointed and green then fear not because The Incredible Hulk has a whole new cast, new method of storytelling, and amazing visuals.

Hulk (2003) --- "Guy Uses Pacemaker To Control His Big Green Alter Ego. It Doesn't Work Out So Good."

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Plot Summary

Eric Bana ("Black Hawk Down") stars as scientist Bruce Banner, whose inner demons transform him in the aftermath of a catastrophic experiment; Jennifer Connelly portrays Betty Ross, whose scientific genius unwittingly helps unleash the Hulk; Nick Nolte plays Banner's brilliant father, who passes on a tragic legacy to his son; and Sam Elliott portrays the commander of a top-secret military research center. (1)

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     I am not a comic book fan at all mostly because I just never really got into them but I do enjoy the film adaptations of comic books (i.e. MCU and DCEU). Their suits, gadgets/weapons, and/or powers are pretty awesome to see on the big screen. The Hulk is pretty cool because he is virtually indestructible, as seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and yet at the same time Hulk’s story is probably the most tragic of all his powers are more of a curse than a blessing. However, his attempt to dig deep into his own darkness doesn’t actually pan out in Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003), instead, it comes across as unexciting.

Iron Man 3 (2013) --- "Guy Has An Identity Crisis When His Girlfriend is Turned Into A Fire Bomb."

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 Plagued with worry and insomnia since saving New York from destruction, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), now, is more dependent on the suits that give him his Iron Man persona -- so much so that every aspect of his life is affected, including his relationship with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). After a malevolent enemy known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) reduces his personal world to rubble, Tony must rely solely on instinct and ingenuity to avenge his losses and protect the people he loves. (1)

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     It seems like the Marvel films like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, all follow a similar pattern. The first film is an introduction, origin story where the main character has an awakening and comes into their powers and/or becomes a superhero (like in Iron Man 1 and The First Avenger). Then follows the second film where the hero is now embracing their powers, then they come to a somewhat small personal crisis - Captain America’s past, Iron Man’s health scare, and Thor’s somewhat damaged relationship with Loki – only to face an enemy that may just be their match. And finally, we have the third installment of the trilogy. Here the hero has gone through the hardships of both films and has now come to a new level of maturity only to lose pretty much everything and/or everyone and now they have to build themselves back up. They have to discover who they are without the suit or the shield or the hammer. Despite Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor following a similar pattern this does not make the films any less amazing. It is interesting to see the journey our heroes take, how that journey affects them, and the person they become in the aftermath.

Iron Man 2 (2010) --- "Guy Fights An Electrical Whip-Wielding Enemy And Discovers A New Metal To Save His Life."

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With the world now aware that he is Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from all sides to share his technology with the military. He is reluctant to divulge the secrets of his armored suit, fearing the information will fall into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) by his side, Tony must forge new alliances and confront a powerful new enemy. (1) 

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     Iron Man attracted a lot of attention in 2008 as a large majority of audience members were surprised that the first installment turned out to be a pretty solid film. As a cross between a serious origin story and a comic book comedy, it became clear that topping the sequel would have some pretty big shoes to fill if they wanted to top the first film. Well, Iron Man 2 (2010) does so with a balance of nail-biting tension and witty humor, everything good about the first film was carried over and then amped up in the second film. Picking up where Iron Man (2008) ended, billionaire genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holms) has just revealed his identity as Iron Man to the entire world and now he faces the consequences. Not only is the military and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell - Moon) a crooked competitor, striving to obtain the secrets of his Iron Man technology Stark also discovers that the very technology keeping him alive could potentially be killing him. As he is trying to have some semblance of a life Stark seems to have met his match with a new villain named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke – Sin City), a foreign weapons genius who bears a deep-rooted grudge that has stemmed from the legacy of Tony's father, Howard Stark (John Slattery - Spotlight). Iron Man 2 is far from being darker than the first film and that is refreshing. Of course, there is a bit of tension in the film but for the most part, it is a brisk, cheerful, and inoffensive film that moseys on at a compelling pace with a bit of emotional awkwardness thrown in. This allows the film to give itself the authority to stretch its innocence and the idea that realism does not apply here.

Iron Man (2008) --- "Kidnapped Billionaire Forced To Make Bomb Makes An Armored Suit Instead."

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A billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), is conducting weapons tests overseas, but terrorists kidnap him to force him to build a devastating weapon. Instead, he builds an armored suit and upends his captors. Returning to America, Stark refines the suit and uses it to combat crime and terrorism. (1)

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     Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) needed to start producing origin movies for their Avenger characters a long time ago, and luckily in 2008 we were gifted with not one but two origin films; The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. Filled with the essence of what makes these comic books so popular, Iron Man (2008) is also a well-written origin story, similarly to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). The film is filled with realistic action and adventure, a well paced plot, well developed characters, and a nice mixture of comedy with a touch of drama. The CGI was almost seamless and realistic as it only further enhances the real life Iron Man suit armor rather than create a costume out of nothing. In the trailer, we saw some scenes of Iron Man flying amongst fighter jets and at the time seemed a bit lame but when it all comes together on the big screen the context of those scenes deliver. One aspect that I enjoyed the most out of the film had to be the computer systems that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes) utilizes throughout the franchise. The multiple screens, instant holographic reproductions, and the ability to actually interact with 3D representations is stunning. Despite it being mostly CGI it all looked very realistic , it’s a shame that we have yet to do so in real life.