New U.S. IRON MAN 2 poster has dark and moody floating heads
Mar 31
Nothing says ‘the movies’ like a floating heads poster. Coverage for the highly anticipated sequel Iron Man 2 has been in top gear during 2010 as the release date (May 7 in the States, 29 April Down Under) fast approaches. I’ve enjoyed watching the abundance of trailers, teasers, posters and pics spill onto the web and following varied comments and critiques go up in response: mostly, people are just damn excited, and with good reason. I’m not even ‘into’ Iron Man — never read the comic or followed the character– yet even I’m excited to see this sequel following the surprisingly good first instalment.
Unlike the recent international Iron Man 2 poster (which, as Froley points out, was incredibly lame) the new domestic poster does away with the huge (PhotoShopped) fireball and floats the heads of the lead cast in a slick, black design, offset by Iron Man and War Machine’s chest-shimmering light. Sexy. Everyone besides Mickey Rourke and his character Whiplash can be seen. His floating head seems to be missing.
Leaving Rourke and Whiplash off the poster doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, especially considering the draw both the actor and character have. It’s a mystery. Maybe they’re trying to shield the plot — despite the incredibly spoiler-loaded trailer. It’s a strange decision, but it doesn’t take anything away from an otherwise appealing poster. Very appealing in some spots.
I sincerely doubt I’ve ever had as much fun reading the name Robert Downey Jr. as I have on this poster. Real nice:
International IRON MAN 2 poster is incredibly lame
Mar 25
I’m still not entirely sure why there needs to be more than one version of a film’s poster for different countries, but here’s the “international” Iron Man 2 poster anyway. It comes at you in a flurry of bad lighting, shoddy compositing, stock backgrounds and obviously-CGI characters dominating the proceedings, and it manages to convey absolutely nothing about the tone or narrative of the film. Who is this tin man with the gattling gun on his shoulder? Why is Don Cheadle in this movie, and why is Terrence Howard not in this movie? Why isn’t Sam Rockwell not given at least a small portion of the extensive real estate occupied by people in metal suits who also appear unsuited in the middle of the poster? And why is Gwyneth Paltrow looking at us when everyone else is moodily staring into the middle distance? Makes me wonder if I haven’t got some parsley stuck in my teeth or something.
Well the answers to most of those questions are obvious: War Machine plays a big part in this super-sequel; Terrence Howard was replaced because Paramount is run by idiots who think Don Cheadle is more recognisable or something; despite his cult following and undeniable talent Sam Rockwell is still too unknown to sell tickets; and, well, I guess the poster just wasn’t very well conceived. I particularly like (read: hate) the way Scarlett Johansson is automatically identified as the eye candy by the fact the poster-designers have managed to include her breasts and her behind in the same angle, while Gwyneth Paltrow gets a much more conservative headshot. I see what you did there, poster-jockeys! Meanwhile Mickey Rourke appears at the very bottom of the poster, appearing to fart napalm. ???
Despite the obvious fact that this movie will almost certainly be awesome, I can’t help but roll my eyes at this kind of nonsense. The moody solo-character teaser posters did a much better job of hyping folks up for the flick, and I much prefer the purity of Robert Downey Jr. staring grumpily at me over the awkward parsley-in-teeth stylings of this new poster.
Iron Man 2 hits Aussie screens on the 28th of April 2010; UK follows on the 30th, with USA copping a remarkably late 7th May release
New IRON MAN 2 trailer gives it all away
Mar 10
I enjoy that feeling of pressing ‘play’ on an online trailer, sitting back and thinking, ‘you’ve got about two minutes to convince me… go!‘ What usually follows is a mash-up of predictable tags, lots of fading-to-black, glimpses of things that should be impressive and a bunch of mood-swinging music, from action packed to heartfelt and back to impactfull, deep thumps for the title reveal.
The brand-spankin’ new trailer for Iron Man 2 (released 7 May 2010) chooses one particular format that I don’t enjoy: Reveal all the major plot points in sequence so you can figure out the story before you even see the film. It happens. This trailer, presumably, shows it all, from the opening of the film through the middle acts right up to what is sure to be the final battle featuring War Machine. It shows how Whiplash (Mickey Rourke looking lethal) exists and grows into a formidable enemy. The trailer even minces with the love interest(s), Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark kissing Gwyneth Paltrow and eyeballing Scarlett Johansson (nice!).
Sure, the complete action, thrills and tiny details aren’t there, and sure, the film itself is probably going to be predictable as hell anyway… but still, I feel like it has been spoiled because the complete journey has been illustrated.
Yet, while I knew I was seeing the plot unfold before my very eyes, I could not look away. It is definitely one impressive and enticing trailer. Fanboys online might be going just a little too ballistic over it, but it is a good watch, no doubt about that.
Also nice to hear Black Sabbath’s Iron Man song getting some playback. Always loved that riff.
IRON MAN 2 trailer is everything you expected
Dec 17
I don’t think that anyone can honestly say they are disappointed with the recently released Iron Man 2 trailer. Those who were keen to lavish it with glorious praise and love it to pieces are doing just that as it delivers glimpses of War Machine and Whiplash in full swing.
Those who are still ragging over the first movie and were not excited about an Iron Man 2 film (let alone a trailer) are equally impressed in that it seems the general trend of the first film will carry over into the sequel with no worries– which means they get to roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders, point to the trailer and say ‘see – more of the same’.
Well, yes. More of the same, indeed. I’m sure Marvel and Paramount hope it does more of the same business, too – Iron Man took over $585 million at the box office worldwide in 2008.
I think this trailer goes a long way towards selling the film to those who might be on the fence about seeing it. There’s plenty of stuff to look forward to that is glimpsed in the trailer, including slow-motion car smashes, saucy ladies, witty humour and what appears to be a ferocious robot/machine battle (presumably from the climax).
I found the trailer simplistic yet effective. Stock yet original (content-wise). It made me smirk. It made me tilt my head with intrigue at the Whiplash character. In fact, I have say it raised my interest in seeing the film (releases May 2010) because I am largely looking forward to Mickey Rourke’s performance coupled with Robert Downey J.
It also seems the idea that Scarlett Johansson is just eye candy is confirmed via the trailer. Take a look for yourself:
Picture this: Scarlett Johansson in a superhero movie
Dec 10
There’s a short list of ladies I will go see on a cinema screen for all the wrong reasons. I won’t share the list with you now (your guess would be remarkably accurate, I’m sure), just know that I’m willing to see utter rubbish if it stars one of these ladies, and Scarlett Johansson is listed. High.
Scarlett had been in a few minor roles before she broke through in Sophia Coppola’s highly acclaimed Lost In Translation (2003). That famous opening shot is etched in everyone’s mind as one of the sexiest shots of the decade. Thankfully the film would still be near-perfection without it. Lost In Translation sees Scarlett blossom in a very innocent and withdrawn performance. She proves she can play it quiet and subtle, using her gorgeous eyes, pout-lips (and two other very nice assets) to portray anything she needs in a role.
A quick glance at Scarlett’s filmography and you can clearly see the kind of roles she has stuck to and perhaps been geared towards. This is because, despite what you may think, she can perform accordingly in that environment. Performances in films such as Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004), Match Point (2005) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) are further proof that, when it comes to a gleam in the eye, a chatty conversation and perhaps some dramatic tension, Scarlett can deliver. I’m not talking top-shelf acting, I’m just saying she’s a safe bet and you could do a lot worse. So, fit her into a tight(er) outfit, give her some crummy one-liners while swinging her from cables for some high-octane action scenes and what happens? Erm, well… we’re yet to find out. But we will all find out in Iron Man 2 next year.
The last and only time Scarlett truly ‘did’ action (shudder) was in a film by this guy who goes by the name of Michael Bay (double-shudder) and it was called The Island (2005) (triple-shudder). The less said about The Island the better (I’m thinking, with his love of science fiction, I’d like to see a Froley review of The Island someday…). If you haven’t seen it, just know that it didn’t really work. It never sold itself on its far-fetched premise and Scarlett somehow felt very out of place– albeit looking hot in the process.
But, looking hot does not a convincing character make. Sure, it sells tickets, looks great on the poster and saucy in the trailer, but what good is it if the film is a debacle? The film being a debacle surely wasn’t Scarlett’s fault. However it does stand out as her only foray into action being a disaster.
Now I have to admit that I am completely looking forward to Iron Man 2 next year– both because Iron Man was such a simple and enjoyable film to watch, and because, among other interesting casting, it stars Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. What I still cannot wrap my head around is having to believe her in that role. I hope director Jon Favreau has worked close with Scarlett to ensure every layer of her character isn’t boiled down to a simple jumpsuit and wire fighting… which brings me to her recent quote.
Speaking to WebMD about what it was like working on Iron Man 2, I think Scarlett further illustrated to me that she stumbled through the process and potentially didn’t fit in to the action genre they way it may have been intended.
“It was a whole new world for me, but I built a lot of strength, that’s for sure. Working on the wires and being suspended in the air, you throw one wrong kick or punch and, yeah, you’re out of whack.”.
“But once you’re working with the stunt crew and they’re going through the craziest stuff, you feel bad about complaining that your knee has been blue for three months. The guys doing the stunts in those Iron Man suits, they can’t move in it and can’t take it off. I’d say, ‘Have you peed today?’ and they’re like, ‘No, we can’t move, we can’t take it off, we can’t drink any water.’”
Hopefully it’s just a case of Scarlett not really grabbing the opportunity to sell herself or the character she has constructed for Iron Man 2. Hopefully I’m reading between the lines far too much and spotting that quote somewhat out of context. Hopefully my anticipation is granted its wish and Scarlett flies through Iron Man 2 unscathed and un-noticed… but I think my doubts have merit because, at the end of the day – and let’s be honest here – she wasn’t exactly cast in the film to go by unnoticed, was she.
Everything about Iron Man 2 tells me it’s simply going to be a fucking good time at the cinema- a kickass popcorn movie with all the trimmings, complete with predicable beats and explosive ending. The only shred of doubt or concern that I have is that Scarlett stands out as the person who doesn’t really belong. Only because I hope she delivers. I really do.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
OPINIONS COUNT