In Defense of Change

It's an exciting time to be a nerd. Every superhero we can imagine is getting greenlit for a film. Old favorites like Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, and Jurassic Park are getting sequels and reboots. Fan-favorite comics and books like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Walking Dead are being translated into films and TV shows. Even the old British sci-fi classic, Doctor Who, is enjoying a surge in popularity seven seasons into its relaunch. I guess what I'm trying to say is, we should be thankful.

This summer alone, we've had the one-two-three punch of Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Man of Steel. I've had time to see these films multiple times and enjoy every single one of them. They were my top three most anticipated films of the year, and in one way or another, they delivered. However, I took a stance very different from the rest of the Internet and said that these films aren't perfect. For all the hype I was giving these three films, they do not wildly meet the high expectations I had set for them. But just because they didn't meet my expectations, doesn't mean they're bad films. I've seen them enough to pick apart their flaws, but also to appreciate everything they get right. And believe me, these three films get a lot right. But for all they get right, all people seem to focus on is what they get wrong.

"Mandarin's a washed up actor! Where are his power rings? Why is Iron Man fighting a fire breathing Guy Pearce?" "Why is Kahn white? He's supposed to be Indian! The last act is a rip-off of Wrath of Kahn!" "Where was Superman that entire movie? The Superman I know doesn't destroy Metropolis or break Zod's neck!" These are just a few of the complaints I hear about the films. While there are flaws in each movie that go beyond these complaints, I don't actually think those complaints are the problem. If you're criticizing a film, criticize it based on how well it tells it's story. What's common about all these complaints is that they're focusing not on the story at hand, but on what the films should be. In other words, all three of these films are getting a bad rap from the purists.

Now as a die-hard Marvel fan, I too was initially pissed at the way "Iron Man 3" handled the Mandarin. But upon repeat viewings, I came to see that what was at first a poorly mishandled parody was in fact a very self-aware reinterpretation of a dated character. This not only made the film more interesting, but gave it a villain smarter and more dangerous than previous Iron Man foes. Killian emerged as the true Mandarin of the film, and once I realized that, it hit me that the MCU's Tony Stark finally found an archenemy worthy of both him and the Mandarin's name.

As for "Star Trek," I also agree that the latter half of the film is too much of an homage to "Wrath of Kahn." But given its status as a parallel universe, wouldn't it make sense that the events of the first film cause things to happen earlier in this new timeline? The action is still good, the characters are great and the story, while a little unoriginal, is still told remarkably well. Besides, they even referenced the original Kahn through old Spock, so if anything this will just encourage newcomers to go back and discover the original "Wrath of Kahn." You have to reinvent the old to get people into what came before.

And as for "Man of Steel," whenever I hear that Superman destroyed Metropolis and broke Zod's neck, I get confused. First off, has anyone even read a Superman comic or watched the "Justice League" cartoon? Superman fights powerful beings all the time, and their battles cause tons of destruction. It's natural. Plus, Superman is still a rookie. He hates the amount of lost life, but in this scenario he needs to focus on Zod, the imminent threat, or else more people will die. And speaking of Zod, Superman's killed him twice before. He killed him with kryptonite in the post-Crisis comics, and killed him in Superman II after depowering him. After witnessing his father die, it would stand to reason that, watching others put in harms way, Supes would do whatever is necessary to save someone. He had no choice but to kill Zod, so he did what needed to be done. It doesn't make him a different character, just adds another layer to him. His anguish after the killing alone shows how he feels about his actions.

Now just because I defend these points doesn't mean the films aren't flawed. "Iron Man 3" suffers a little from overdoing the '80s action-comedy tone, "Star Trek" does play a little too much off nostalgia, and "Man of Steel" does have editing and pacing issues that hamper the effectiveness of both the flashback and action scenes. But they have so many redeeming qualities, not to mention pure entertainment value, that I can put these aspects aside and just enjoy them as films. I've mentioned what worked and what didn't before in my individual reviews of these films, but the reason why these points need to be re-addressed is that purists still can't get over how the films change their iconic mythologies.

We find this more and more in adaptations, sequels and remakes. Batman and Bane both being trained by Ra's Al Ghul. Tom Bombadill being cut out of Lord of the Rings. Spider-Man having even more angst due to abandonment issues brought on by his parents' disappearance. And yet, these aspects made for more entertaining films and more interesting stories. People, especially hard core purist fanboys, seem to forget that part of the filmmaking business is changing elements of the story to make a stronger film. Sometimes, this doesn't always work. I could write a book on how Sony mishandled Venom and Sandman in "Spider-Man 3," or how the X-Men franchise completely disavowed Dark Phoenix and Deadpool. And then of course there are the abominations that are Dr. Doom and Galactus in the "Fantastic Four" movies. Plus, I haven't even touched on Michael Bay's "Transformers" films.

But I don't seem to recall fans complaining when Tony Stark's butler JARVIS was made into an A.I., or Hawkeye and Black Widow being founding Avengers in place of the Pyms. I can't think of anyone who complained when Heath Ledger's Joker had white makeup and a facial scar instead of permawhite skin like the comics or Jack Nicholson. The point is, fanboys are fickle, especially purists. They forget that the film medium is rapidly evolving. Times change, and if these icons want to survive, especially on film, they need to change too. There have been many interpretations of Superman and Mandarin, and just because they're not the Silver Age versions many grew up with, they get picked on. Kahn is an iconic villain in Star Trek lore. It may not be original to go back to that well, but in a parallel timeline, using Kahn to explore post-9/11 politics was a smart move. Isn't the whole point of Star Trek about commentating on our modern society?

If the purists are so upset over the changes made to these characters, then they should go back to the versions they grew up with. Re-watch "Wrath of Kahn." Read some original "Iron Man" stories. Pop the George Reeves Superman show and the first two Chris Reeve films into the VHS. But don't deny fans of the modern age a chance to forge their own memories with new versions of these characters. The very reason they have stood the test of time is because they are willing to change. The movies have finally realized that, and while every adaptational change may not always work, it doesn't always have to be heresy.

In the case of "Iron Man 3," "Star Trek Into Darkness," and "Man of Steel," the changes to the mythology work in the films' favor. As much as I go to these films to see them draw from the past, I also want to see something new. The fact that these three films want to add on to their mythologies instead of just rehashing versions we've already seen shows the filmmakers care about these characters as much as we do. Sometimes, caring about a franchise means knowing when to shake up the formula. It's a dangerous balance, and doesn't always work, but I'd rather see a filmmaker take a chance in bringing something new to the table, even if it fails, than clinging onto one version of a character just to please the purists.

If you really want to please the fans, just stay true to the spirit of the source. In their own way, these films have changed up their mythologies while also staying true to what their stories and characters mean. As long as they do that, then any other change is justified. Change isn't always good. Sometimes, like in the Spider-Man, FF, and X-Men series, it can be detrimental. These changes can betray the characters and themes set forth by the source material. But that doesn't mean change shouldn't happen.

Change can be good. Sometimes it can be great. A lot of times it's even necessary. But one thing change always is is scary. Don't be afraid when an iconic mythos is changed. Instead, try and figure out why it was changed. If you want a series you love to move forward and be loved by others, then change is needed. And if you want to enjoy other adaptations this year, like "Kick-Ass 2," "The Wolverine," "Hunger Games 2," "Ender's Game," "Thor: The Dark World," and "The Hobbit Part 2," then change is absolutely essential.

Fanfic: Shaping the DC Cinematic Universe Part II

With my Man of Steel trilogy now established, it's time I take a crack at the other heroes of the DC Universe. Following "Last Son of Krypton," I want to re-establish Batman in a reboot called "The Batman." It will be based on "The Killing Joke," "Under the Red Hood," and "Night of the Owls." The basic storyline begins with Joker and Harley Quinn hired by a mysterious organization to kill the second Robin, Jason Todd. Not content with just doing that, they proceed to cripple Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, as well. About a year later, Batman is still in mourning. Barbara has remade herself as the hacker Oracle, while the first Robin, Dick Grayson/Nightwing, occasionally comes from Bludhaven to check up on Bruce. Bruce learns that the organization that hired Joker was the Court of Owls, a secret society that has run Gotham City for decades.

He learns that both Grayson and Todd were meant to be assassins for the Court, who use a special chemical agent to reanimate the dead. The Court plans to induct a new member, Tim Drake, into their plans. Batman saves Drake and takes him in, and when the teen shows promise, Bats reluctantly takes him on as his third Robin. All the while, the Court reanimates Jason as the Red Hood, who seemingly does the Court's bidding and leads a squad of assassins to kill Bruce, Tim, Barbara and Dick. Eventually Jason betrays the Court and helps the Bat family end them, before revealing that he has been using everyone as pawns to get to the Joker so he can finally have his revenge. Bruce talks Jason out of it, who leaves to become his own person, having been given a second chance at life.

Following this will be a "World's Finest" movie, that will depict the first meeting between Superman and Batman. With Luthor in jail following "Last Son of Krypton," LexCorp is run by his proxy Mercy Graves. As a result of the Brainiac/Doomsday event plus various super humans popping up across the country, the government commissions LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises to create an advanced, satellite guided missile system to deal with meta human threats. Both Bruce and Clark are obviously suspicious of the missiles, and meet in Gotham in their alter egos when trying to uncover Lex's true agenda.

They initially distrust each other, due to being polar opposites, but eventually learn to work together when they notice that several Batman rogues, notably Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Mr. Freeze, all begin carrying kryptonite and attack the missile site. The two heroes learn Luthor, through Mercy, has hired the villains to publicly hijack the missiles, so in private Luthor can launch the missiles at the country of Biyalya, starting a war that could only be won if he uses the recently discovered mutagenic effects of kryptonite to begin a meta human arms race. The two heroes stop the villains and destroy the majority of the missiles, and gain a newfound appreciation for each other and a rocky trust.

This will be followed by a "Wonder Woman" movie, which will show how Ares, the God of War, once attacked the Amazon nation of Themyscira with an army of Spartans, causing Hera, Zeus's wife, to grant the Amazons custody of Ares and giving them an island magically separated from Man's World. In modern day, Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, is raising her daughter Diana, who has god-like strength and a lust for battle but is naive about the Amazonian ideals of peace. When pilot Steve Trevor crashes on the island, Diana swaps guard duty on Ares with her friend Circe to enter a contest to determine who will bring Trevor back to Man's World. Diana wins, and while she takes Steve back, Circe releases Ares.

They travel to Man's World and turn Steve's friend Barbara Minerva into the Cheetah to distract Diana, now Wonder Woman, while they attempt to use nuclear warheads to kickstart World War III. This will give Ares enough power to attack Themyscira, kill the Queen, and from there assault Mt. Olympus and overthrow the gods. Diana stops Cheetah and Ares' plan, but the tension caused by the almost launch of the warheads empowers Ares enough to attack Themyscira, aided by Circe and an army of undead warriors released from Tartarus. WW learns that Ares is her father, the result of him raping her mother, which is why Diana has such a hunger for battle. Diana defeats the dark god, who is sent to the underworld, and embraces the Amazonian way of peace, becoming an ambassador to mankind.

A sequel to "World's Finest" and "Wonder Woman" comes after, called "Trinity." It will show Ares escaping from Tartarus and breaking Luthor out of jail. Together they steal the last missile from "World's Finest" and fire it at Biyalya, creating an international incident. Diana travels to Biyalya to negotiate peace talks, while Luthor and Ares follow to sabotage it. Ares still wants to start WWIII, and Luthor sees how he can re-start his arms race. Batman and Superman travel to Biyalya, suspecting Luthor's involvement, and meet Diana for the first time. The three are forced together when assassins sent by Luthor and Ares try to kill them. They form an effective team, with Supes and Bats gaining more appreciation for each other while Diana respects both of them and acts as the negotiator between the two. They become the Big 3 of the DC Cinematic Universe and defeat Ares, while Luthor uses the incident to convince the public that he was being controlled the whole time and gets bailed from prison.

From here, we get a series of solo films focusing on Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman. The Flash film focuses on grad student Wally West, who discovers his uncle Barry Allen used to be the Flash. An accident with a lightning bolt and a particle accelerator grants Wally access to the Speed Force, and Barry trains him to be his successor. Meanwhile, the son of Barry's old enemy Captain Cold, endowed with ice powers, takes up his father's mantle to battle the new Flash. Barry's partner Hunter Zolomon, seeking the Speed Force for himself, hires the new Cold to distract Wally while he replicates the accident, siphoning Barry's dormant speed energy to empower himself and killing Barry in the process. Now the Reverse-Flash, Wally must prove he's worthy of being the Flash by defeating Zolomon.

The Green Lantern film, "Emerald Knight," focuses on a rookie Hal Jordan and his mentor Sinestro as they liberate an alien planet from the tyrant Kanjar Ro, who has entered an alliance with the Weaponers of Qward to fashion a power ring out of the Yellow Light of Fear, the only color that can overcome a Lantern's green ring. Secretly, Sinestro and a conspiracy of followers within the Corps are tired of the Guardians of the Universe and their methods of patrolling space. They confiscate the Yellow Ring and ask the Weaponers to mass produce it. Soon, the Sinestro Corps secedes from the GL Corps, leading to the Sinestro Corps War. To defeat them, Jordan deputizes his friend from Earth, John Stewart, into a new Green Lantern, and leads the Corps in battle against Sinestro.

"Aquaman" focuses on Arthur Curry, aka Orin, the King of Atlantis. The film begins with Arthur already king, married to Mera and keeping his brother Orm as his political advisor. Black Manta, former captain of the Atlantean Royal Guard, has led a rebellion against Arthur, saying his life on the surface makes him unfit to rule. To escape the rebellion, Orm convinces his brother to spend some time on the surface. Arthur and Mera travel to the lighthouse where Arthur grew up, sparking memories of how he learned he was part-Atlantean, set out to find Atlantis, and learned he was of royal blood. All the while he deals with his reputation among the surface dwellers, who don't appreciate him, making Arthur an outcast on land and sea. When Orm and Black Manta lead Atlantis in an invasion of the surface world, Arthur must embrace his role as Aquaman to save the surface and reclaim his kingdom.

The last lead-in film is "The Brave and the Bold," which tells of how intergalactic serial killer and Lantern hater Atrocitus arrives on Earth to kill Hal Jordan. Finding Jordan is off-planet, Atrocitus setttles for John Stewart. To defeat him, he gives alien tech to several criminals, including Heatwave, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, and Weather Wizard. They form the Rouges to take out GL. These Rouges hail from Central City, and the Flash has been on their trail for weeks. GL and Flash meet for the first time and team up to take out the Rouges, during which time Atrocitus finds a way to siphon green energy from a power ring and corrode it into a rage-fueled red light. Becoming the first Red Lantern, Atrocitus proves a dangerous threat. Wally and John form a fast, buddy-cop like friendship to defeat Atrocitus, while reconciling their feelings of whether they can live up to their mentors.

This will lead into "Justice League," which finds the six aforementioned heroes dealing with strange beings attacking their respective cities and homelands. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern John Stewart (Jordan is still off-world) and Aquaman are all still met with suspicion by the government. Superman and WW have support, while Flash is a media darling, but Stewart is having a hard time gaining supporters while Batman is still a feared vigilante. Batman is also on edge, since his recent Robin Tim Drake has left to pursue a career as Red Robin in Bludhaven with Nightwing, leaving the Caped Crusader all alone and not willing to trust anyone. Their cities and homelands are attacked by Thanagarians, winged aliens bearing armor and weapons made of Nth Metal, which can even deal massive blows to beings like Superman. They are led by Katar and Shayera Hol, who seem to answer to a higher power.

When the Thanagarians decimate Atlantis and Themyscira, Aquaman and WW decide to alert the other heroes. The six heroes meet in the Batcave, where Batman reluctantly agrees to an alliance despite his current feelings towards metahumans, even the ones he's worked with like Supes and WW. The heroes receive a psychic distress signal from a government base. They intercept it and discover J'onn J'onnz, the last Martian. He reveals that the Thanagarians are serving as ground troops for Darkseid, the ruler of Apokalips who seeks to have all alien cultures bow to his will. Thousands of years ago, Darkseid tried to force the once mighty Martian race to submit, but when they wouldn't, he slaughtered all of them. J'onn alone escaped, going into stasis until recently, when he sensed Darkseid was coming and came to Earth to warn humanity.

The seven heroes retreat to the Fortress of Solitude to come up with an attack plan, but are greeted by Katar and Shayera. Shayera is shown a vision of what will become of Earth and Thanagar by J'onn, and pleads with Katar to spare the heroes. Katar refuses, and thus Shayera battles her husband before turning against her race to join the others. The heroes end up defeating the Thanagarians just as Darkseid arrives. Using their combined power, the heroes end up killing the tyrant. While the threat is ended, Shayera is exiled to Earth by her people. The eight heroes are praised by everyone, and decide to form the Justice League, with Batman creating the Watchtower satellite base for them to monitor the Earth.

The second film, "Justice League: Doomsday," has Batman secretly draw up contingency plans to incapacitate the League while Luthor uses the Darkseid crisis as a launching pad for his campaign as President. He is eventually sworn in, and with Amanda Waller comes up with Cadmus, a section of the government designed to deal with and interact with meta humans. When the League refuses to fold into Cadmus, Luthor initiates the creation of a "Legion of Doom," consisting of several supervillains from each heroes' rouges gallery, to defeat the League. Luthor hacks into the Watchtower and steals Batman's contingency plans, which he uses to develop a counterstrike with the Legion.

When most of the League is incapacitated, Batman gathers a group of candidates, including the couple Green Arrow and Black Canary and the newly created Cyborg (born in Star Labs during the Darkseid crisis) to help bring back the League and defeat the Legion. As it turns out, this was also a part of Luthor's plan-he was using the heroes and villains as pawns to justify activating an army of repurposed Brainiac drones, now called OMACs, to dispose of all meta humans and give Luthor complete control of Earth. Eventually the Legion and OMACs are defeated, Luthor is exposed and impeached, and Cyborg, Green Arrow and Black Canary are made permanent team members.

From here, we get two more Green Lantern films, "Emerald Twilight" and "Blackest Night," that deal with Hal Jordan going insane when he realizes he wasn't there to defend Coast City when it was destroyed by Luthor's OMACs. He gets possessed by Parallax, the living embodiment of fear, and wages a one-man war against the GL Corps. Sinestro is freed from his prison in the Central Power Battery to lead his Corps against Parallax, while Hal's love Carrol Ferris is chosen to join the love-fueled Star Sapphires. Atrocitus forms the Red Lanterns, while former GL Saint Walker forms the Blue Lanterns. These various colored corps team up to stop Parallax, but in the end it's John and Carol who convince Hal to break Parallax's hold on him.

Hal sacrifices himself to destroy Parallax, leading to the third film. Here, the different corps, now joined by Agent Orange and the Indigo Tribe, fight in the War of Light to determine who will rule the universe. Hal's body is used by Nekron, the Lord of Death, to reanimate the casualties of this war as Black Lanterns, Hal among them. John Stewart, Carol Ferris, Indigo-1, Sinestro, Agent Orange/Larfleeze, Atrocitus, and Saint Walker team up to discover the White Light that will end the Blackest Night, and in the end the different colored corps are removed except the GLs and Hal finally finds peace in death, with John now Sector 2814's sole protector.

Three more films remain in my cinematic DCU. The first is "Shazaam!", which tells of teenager Billy Batson moving into a new foster family and granted magic powers by the wizard Shazaam. He uses them to combat Black Adam, the original host of Shazaam's powers, and thereby brings magic back into the world. This leads into "Heaven Sent," where mystic John Constantine gathers Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Etrigan the Demon, The Question, and Dr. Fate to deal with a coming supernatural crisis. The Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, and the Endless, particularly Morpheus, all have supporting roles. This will lead into the grand finale of my cinematic DCU, "Justice League: Kingdom Come." It will be a loose adaptation of the Kingdom Come graphic novel, set 20 years in the future.

As with the original story, we learn that the Joker killed Lois Lane, sparking the JL's newest member Magog to kill him and thus forcing Superman into retirement. When a new generation of violent anti heroes begin fighting each other, threatening the human race, Supes comes out of retirement, along with the majority of the JL, to prevent more bloodshed. Batman and Lex Luthor will form their own groups, with Luthor's including a brainwashed Shazaam. Norman McCay and the Spectre will play a role, like in the original story.

It will end in a similar fashion, with Shazaam sacrificing himself at the cost of a meta human genocide. Superman decides to help humanity through leading by example instead of direct force, and marries Wonder Woman. The two have a child godfathered by Batman, who reconciles with Dick, Jason and Tim. John and Shayera are also shown to have a child in this future, Warhawk. As an epilogue, the Legion of Superheroes is shown in the far future, creating a golden utopia for humanity inspired by the actions and ideals of the Justice League and Superman. That's my plan for a cinematic DCU. Like my Marvel plans it's a pipe dream,  but it would be great to see any of this become a reality.

Fanfic: Shaping the DC Cinematic Universe Part I

While Man of Steel may not have gotten the glowing critical praise many expected, it did at least make bank at the box office. And thanks to that, a sequel is all but guaranteed. The only question is, where to go? Man of Steel was flawed, yes, but it left the door wide open for an entire DC Cinematic Universe to spring forth. I've done fanfiction on realizing the Justice League on film before, but now that Man of Steel has provided a direction, I feel like taking another crack at mapping the DCU on film, using MOS as the launching pad in a way similar to what Marvel did with the first Iron Man.

Unlike Iron Man, I feel it best that the Superman franchise remain somewhat standalone. While it wouldn't hurt to include easter eggs to tease the wider universe, I feel right now that Superman and his mythos aren't fully developed enough to have him join up with other heroes. He still needs to fully embody the ideal of hope that his father(s) wanted for him. As such, Superman will be handled first in my imaginary cinematic DCU.

Superman's adventures will continue in "Man of Tomorrow." The film will begin with an accident on a space station, causing the station and its occupants to re-enter Earth's orbit. Superman arrives to save the day, and here we see that he's a lot smarter and more confident in the use of his powers. Not only does he save the astronauts, but he also disposes of the debris so it won't hurt any civilians. Essentially, his Metropolis fight with Zod has given him an extreme aversion to killing and a desire to preserve all human life, along with the realization of just how much damage his powers could cause. He's slowly but surely growing into the savior status Jor-El wanted for him.

However, certain civilians and military brass are still untrustworthy of him. We learn that Superman worked in conjunction with LexCorp to rebuild Metropolis, during which time Superman was able to recover the Scout Ship, rebuild it, and move it back to the Arctic, where it's been refashioned into his Fortress of Solitude. Now the true Last Son of Krypton, Superman goes there from time to time to seek council from Jor-El. He laments the isolation he feels at being humanity's savior, and often wonders what the best way to save his adopted race is.

Lois Lane, Perry White, and new photographer and Supes admirer Jimmy Olson support him, with Lois always telling Clark that he's not alone and helping him adjust to his new job at the Planet. When Clark learns about a conflict stirring between two countries at a DMZ, he speeds off to prevent all out war from breaking out. However, his presence only escalates the tension, and causes the two parties to fire at each other. Superman gets in the middle and tries to save lives on both sides, but eventually the U.S. military arrives to call Superman off and scale back the fighting.

Lex Luthor is introduced as the billionaire head of LexCorp, a scientific and engineering genius who believes he embodies the best aspects of mankind-intelligence, ambition, and ingenuity. He's extremely jealous of Superman due to "the alien" having robbed him of his savior status. With the rebuilding of Metropolis, he's working on rebuilding his reputation while trying to publicly defame Superman.

In a televised interview, Lex explains how Superman claims to protect humanity but really thinks himself above it, as evidenced in how he stormed into an international military conflict and made things messy by representing the U.S. He ends the interview by questioning whether the battle with Zod was a ruse to gain our trust, and that he secretly plans to assert his dominance over the Earth by making us all dependent on him, thereby preventing human civilization from ever truly progressing.

Seeing this, Clark is enraged at Luthor's attempt to defame him but secretly wonders if his constant saving is more like interfering. Should he really get involved in humanity's affairs? Do his powers give him the right to intervene? And even if they do, even with all his gifts, is it even possible to save humanity? While Clark contemplates these questions with Lois, his mom, and Jor-El, Luthor is approached by the military to come up with a deterrent to Superman.

After rebuilding Metropolis, Luthor managed to salvage pieces of General Zod's armor. In addition, he took samples of the surrounding rocks from the area of the Indian Ocean where the World Engine began its terraforming, finding the surrounding environment has become an exact geologic replica of Krypton. Finding these fragments highly radioactive, Luthor uses them as a power source for his reverse engineered battle suit, dubbing the new power source "Kryptonite."

Lieutenant John Corben, a survivor of the Metropolis battle with an intense hatred for Kryptonians, is chosen to pilot the armor should Superman ever turn against America. Wishing to see if his hunch about kryptonite's effect on Superman is correct, Lex hires a gang of thugs to act out a terrorist plot, and end up framing Superman for a large bombing. The media blows the incident out of proportion, making Superman look like a villain despite Lois and the DP's best efforts to tell the actual story.

The military gives Corben the go ahead to use the armor, and in the resulting fight Superman is heavily weakened by the suit's kryptonite core. In a desperate bid to defend himself, Supes punches Corben through a wall, severely injuring him. Feeling ashamed and exposed, Superman flies off, admitting to Lois that he might have jumped the gun on the world trusting him and that he should go into hiding. Luthor has Corben rebuilt as a cyborg, using parts from the armor and the kryptonite to power an artificial heart. Corben is hailed as a true hero, while Superman is nowhere to be seen.

Clark thinks about how the kryptonite made him actually feel vulnerable for the first time in his life, so after all this time he doesn't feel so alone. He and Lois deepen their relationship, during which time Clark realizes that his upbringing and relationships with Lois and others make him truly human. Luthor's  criticisms of his saving efforts were legitimate because Clark was drifting away from humanity. As a result of killing Zod and nearly destroying Metropolis, Clark was focusing too much on his alien nature and savior status that he forgot that, amid all his powers, he's still human.

Knowing this, he accepts that he can't force his will on humanity, and the best way to guide the people is to embody humanity's ideals. All his life he was a Man of Steel, but to truly be Superman, he must become a Man of Tomorrow. This means he has to practice these ideals regardless of what humanity thinks of him, bringing new meaning to Jor-El's speech about the humans eventually joining him in the sun. Meanwhile, Corben grows insane when he realizes his new machine parts have made it impossible for him to feel anything. Fearing the loss of his own humanity, Corben decides that he's above it and goes on a rampage through Metropolis.

Superman comes out of hiding and fights Corben, with their battle being intense but a lot smaller and more personal than the Zod fight. Supes goes out of his way to minimize collateral damage and protect civilians, all the while getting weaker from the kryptonite exposure. When the people see this, they realize they were wrong about Supes and rally behind him. Eventually, Clark rips the kryptonite out of Corben, deactivating him (basically putting him in a coma). Supes collapses, near death, but the people of Metropolis hold him up and expose him to sunlight, restoring him. Superman is now wholly embraced by the public as a savior.

The military collects Corben's body and cuts Luthor's defense contracts. Thanks to Lois, Clark learns of Luthor's role in Corben's creation and confronts him. Luthor talks about how he is the true Man of Tomorrow, and that the people rallying behind him is only proof that they are simple minded and can't appreciate his genius. Thanks to his lawyers and PR department, he's removed any connection between him and the bombing that framed Supes, so even Lois's story won't matter. The two enemies reaffirm that this rivalry is only beginning. As Superman enjoys the trust of the public, Luthor makes it his personal goal to kill Superman. He continues tinkering with fallen Kryptonian tech recovered from the Metropolis fight, and as the film ends we see that he accidentally sets off a homing beacon that summons Brainiac to Earth.

The third and final film in the trilogy, "Last Son of Krypton," will begin with a flashback showing Brainiac, a humanoid supercomputer from the planet Colu obsessed with obtaining knowledge, kidnapping the Krypton city of Kandor. He envelopes the entire city in a force field and traps it in a pocket of Phantom Zone space. Usually, he would blow up the planet afterwards to ensure he was the only one possessing this knowledge, but his detection of the planet's unstable core makes him leave. This is what causes Jor-El to realize Krypton was dying, imparting this knowledge to Zod and leading to the rift between them that causes the events of the first film's prologue.

In present day, Brainiac detects the presence of Kryptonian tech on Earth, arriving to collect Krypton's last son. He meets with Luthor, and the two form an alliance. In order to incapacitate Superman, Brainiac manufactures a creature with the DNA of several Kryptonian animals to fight the Man of Steel. He names it Doomsday, and sets the creature loose on the world. Clark and Lois realize their love for each other and get engaged, just as Doomsday's rampage reaches Metropolis. Superman and Doomsday begin an all-out brawl that ends with both combatants dead. The world mourns the loss of their savior, Lois in particular. Luthor commissions a statue and a memorial for Supes, but in secret steals his body for Brainiac.

Finding it interesting that Superman's cells contain Krypton's codex, Brainiac uses a makeshift Genesis Chamber to clone another Kryptonian. Luthor hopes to use this process to create an army of Supermen, consolidating his power, but Brainiac says the process was an experiment and can't risk any Kryptonian knowledge ending up in the hands of a human. He has Superman's corpse placed in Kandor, and when Luthor tries to betray him, Brainiac absorbs Luthor into his being. Unwilling to be taken over, Luthor's consciousness fuses with Brainiac to form Lexiac, who decides to use the Superman clone to convince the public of Kal's ressurection. This is secretly a distraction so Lexiac can bottle Metropolis and destroy the Earth, the same as he's done with countless worlds.

While the Superman clone sucessfully convinces everyone Supes is back (all but Lois, who sees right through the clone's more violent behavior), Clark is ressurected in Kandor via a regeneration chamber. He's greeted by his Uncle Zor-El and cousin Kara, named after an ancestor who crashed in the Earth Scout Ship. Kara is a natural birth like Kal, the result of the Kandorians resorting to natural reproduction in the absence of the codex. With Clark having come through to Kandor, the portal to our world is temporarily open, but only wide enough for one or two people to go through. Zor-El pleads with Kal to take Kara with him, to give her a better life than here.

Kal and Kara breach the pocket Phantom Zone and escape Kandor, finding themselves aboard Brainiac's empty ship. They return to Earth and confront the clone Superman, who on orders from Lexiac is now destroying parts of Metropolis to distract from him readying the force field tech and Phantom drive. Kal and Kara battle and defeat the clone, alerting the public the real Superman is back. Lexiac sends a missile into the sun to destroy Earth, while trapping Metropolis in the pocket Phantom Zone. Kal and Kara escape, with Kara leaving to destroy the missile while Supes battles Lexiac, first on Earth and then on his ship.

Supes separates Lex from Brainiac and defeats the evil machine, while learning that the pocket Phantom Zones are only stable on board the ship. He restores Metropolis and finds a suitable planet to restore Kandor. Kara decides to stay with her parents to rebuild Krypton on this new world, where they are free to continue their civilization away from Earth while learning from the mistakes that doomed the original Krypton. Clark will communicate with Kara via the Fortress to check up on them, thereby becoming the bridge between two peoples Jor-El wanted.

Luthor's alliance with Brainiac and Doomsday and his role in creating the Super-clone become public thanks to Lois, and as such Luthor is awaiting a full criminal trial. Clark remarks how, thanks to his death and his reunion with Kara and the Kandorians, he fully experienced first hand what it feels like to be mortal, while also being happy that he's no longer Krypton's last son and that his people can live on. But he does not belong with them, and chooses instead of marry Lois. As the personal saga of Superman comes to a close, his adventures in the wider DC film universe are just beginning. Throughout the trilogy, the DP will get news of other heroes popping up throughout the country, foreshadowing how Superman has inspired not only regular humans, but other heroes as well. Their stories will be told in Part II of this epic fanfic, which I shall unveil later.

Man of Steel review

It's been two weeks since the return of the king. No, I don't mean Lord of the Rings. I mean Superman, the world's first superhero, who was recently rebooted in Zach Snyder's Man of Steel. I've seen it twice, and this is a movie not to be taken lightly. Beside the fact that it's overly serious, in stark contrast to the tongue-in-cheek Chris Reeve films, this film has had a largely mixed reaction from fans and critics. Debates raged whether it succeeded in modernizing Supes, or even if it was an accurate representation of the Superman they grew up with.

So with all the different opinions out there, I spent a lot of time just thinking about this film.  On the one hand, I heavily enjoyed the film's attempt to update Superman's iconic mythos. On the other hand, I have to admit, especially on second viewing, that the film is not perfect. But does it deserve the absolute hatred that some people are giving it? Personally, not in the slightest.

Solely based on the plot and its execution, I enjoyed this film heavily. It's probably the hard-core sci-fi buff in me talking, but I was in love with the opening scenes on Krypton. One thing I felt writers never really utilized that well was the fact that Superman was an alien. They knew it, but never really took advantage of it. This film, to my delight, did. Not only did we get to see a fully realized Kryptonian society, but the flaws that led to its destruction. By introducing all the sci-fi aspects first, our suspension of disbelief is established and the film's epic scale is shown. However, this prologue is also very character driven, as evidenced by the relationship between Jor-El and Zod and how their conflict sparks Jor-El's decision to send his son to Earth.

The emphasis on the alien side of Superman's character drives the rest of the film. This Clark Kent is more of a nomad, wandering the Earth deciding what he should do with his life and his powers, constantly plagued from being a child of two worlds. Frequent flashbacks help sell this conflict, especially ones showing his powers manifesting as a child and a talk with his dad as a teen. They provided an emotional core to the film that, amid all the sci-fi, also grounded Clark's character and sold his human side amid his alien nature.

When Zod re-enters the picture after Clark discovers his destiny, it ties the whole story back to the Krypton prologue. Clark is now forced to not only reveal his alien nature to humanity, but also to choose which people he should side with, allowing the internal conflict that's been eating at him to come to a head. The threat of Zod and his plan to terraform Earth into a new Krypton is as much an internal struggle as it is a physical one. As such, the action sequences have an added weight to them beyond just showcasing the raw power of Superman and his Kryptonian brethren.

And speaking of the action: it's simply breathtaking, as befitting Zach Snyder. Not just the opening coup on Krypton, but three separate battles between Superman and his fellow survivors. A fight with Zod's lieutenants Faora and Nam-Ek in Smallville, dismantling Zod's World Engine in the Indian Ocean, and the final Metropolis battle with a spiritually broken Zod are all standouts. Not only do they succeed due to being external manifestations of Clark's struggle, but they're also a treat to watch. At long last, we get to see Superman punch something, and show off the immense power that has made him worthy of being the world's greatest superhero.

Unfortunately, for as much praise as I give the action, it's also one of the film's biggest weaknesses. I began to notice on my second viewing that these sequences do tend to go on a bit too long. After a while they turn into giant explosion fests, and lose any emotional connection in favor of causing as much destruction as possible. In addition, the pacing is often erratic and leads to not only overlong action sequences, but flashbacks and character beats that feel rushed. Snyder seems mostly occupied with getting Clark into the suit as fast as possible, so his entire story arc in the first half is sped through to get back to the Zod storyline.

I feel that if the smaller moments were longer and the action beats shorter and more compact, the film would probably work better. Thankfully, the sheer enjoyment of the action beats and the emotion conveyed by the actors during the character moments prevent the film from being lackluster. It's flawed, for sure, but not to the point where it affected my enjoyment of the film.

What really sells the film, above all the issues with action, pacing and characterization, are the actors. No actor here gives a bad performance. Henry Cavill makes a great new Superman for the modern era. He may not yet embody the wholesome, entirely good archetype that Christopher Reeve did, but he is tough enough for a modern action super hero while still projecting that same friendly demeanor inherent in Superman's character.

The supporting roles are all fantastic, with Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon and Amy Adams all standouts. Crowe plays Jor-El as a hard core father willing to sacrifice everything for his son's safety, even as a hologram in death. Costner's Kent is the loving foster father who humbly bears the responsibility of raising a son with extraordinary powers.

Shannon kills it as Zod, bringing a surprising amount of depth to the character by making him genetically conditioned to protect Krypton. In his mind, he's as much a hero as Kal-El, making his battle with Supes a personal conflict about what it means to be a savior. Adams plays Lois as one of the strongest female roles in a superhero movie. She changes the classic dynamic with Clark by making her intelligent and resourceful enough to discover Clark's identity from the get-go. As she learns more about Clark and becomes the first human he opens up to, it's no wonder the two develop a romance.

The aforementioned pacing and character issues, however, prevent this romance from every truly being developed. But since this is an origin story, it's better that the actors at least show there's a strong, realistic attraction. The famous Lois-Clark relationship is only beginning, and the film does build a solid foundation for the two (literally) star-crossed lovers.

But even after all this analysis, there's still the lingering controversy about Superman killing Zod and the destruction from their battle. Many say it's too un-Supermanlike, making the character irresponsible, dark and brooding. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. While I do agree that the action does go on too long, it's perfectly realistic in a world where super beings clash. Superman here is still the Superman we know, wanting to preserve human life at all costs. He's just a little rough around the edges.

In this film, Supes is a rookie who is still getting used to using his gifts in public for the first time. Not to mention he's using them against beings just as powerful as him. When it came to Zod, he had no choice but to kill him. Not only was Zod threatening a family, but he would have destroyed the whole world if Supes didn't stop him then and there. Killing Zod will make Supes realize he needs to use his powers more wisely in civilian populations, leaving a lot of potential for sequels.

And speaking of sequels, I loved how the film was open ended enough to open the floodgates for a DC film universe. Unlike the horrible Green Lantern film and the standalone Batman trilogy, this film went all out on the fantasy aspects. Easter eggs like LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises showed that familiar characters exist in this world. There is so much potential going forward with this franchise it's unbelievable. But just looking at this film by itself, Man of Steel is an exciting, energetic update of the Superman mythos.

It's not perfect, since like I said it suffers from some pacing and character issues that tamper with the effectiveness of both the action and character beats. Still, what's presented to us is great stuff. It's entertaining without being completely mindless, but the action and scale are large enough to satisfy mainstream moviegoers. This is definitely a new Superman for a new generation. It's a better effort than Superman Returns, finally makes the character relevant again, and is the strongest film from DC since the Batman trilogy. As someone who didn't think much of Superman, I can proudly say that not only has this film made me believe a man can fly, but it's made me care for him too.

Star Trek Into Darkness Review

Now that the Iron Man 3 hype has settled, it's time for me to take a look at that other giant nerd event film released in May- "Star Trek Into Darkness." As with many others, I've been hyping this film since the last one, and it's been one of my most anticipated releases all year. While I'm not exactly a Trekkie, I have an enormous amount of respect for Star Trek due to its contributions to the sci-fi genre. When the reboot hit back in 2009, I loved it, mainly because, thanks to its time travel/parallel universe plot line, it managed to be a reboot, sequel and prequel all at once, honoring the Star Trek canon while doing its own thing and making it accessible to non-Trekkies like myself.

Even though I'm not a full-blown Trekkie, that doesn't mean I'm not familiar with the Trek mythos. I've seen several of the old films (Wrath of Khan and First Contact being my favorite, although I'm also fond of Voyage Home), and watched multiple reruns of The Next Generation, and even on occasion episodes of Voyager and Enterprise (although not as often). I prefer Captain Picard and Data to Kirk and Spock, but of course the old crew is comprised of a great cast of characters, which the reboot did a magnificent job of introducing to new audiences. I'm glad to say that this sequel continues that trend, introducing more classic Trek elements while finding ways to breath new life into the universe for newcomers.

As glimpsed from the trailers, the story concerns Captain James T. Kirk, First Officer Spock, and their loyal crew hunting down ex-Starfleet officer John Harrison, who is committing terrorist acts against the Federation.  The film begins with a great "Raiders of the Lost Ark" moment, wherein our heroes attempt to render a volcano inert on a primitive planet and end up exposing themselves to the natives. Since they violated the sacred Prime Directive (no interference with underdeveloped worlds), Kirk is demoted to First Officer under Admiral Pike and Spock is reassigned.

It is here where Harrison begins his attacks, causing Pike's death. As a result, Kirk becomes captain again and leads a vengeful mission to the Klingon homeworld Kronos, under orders from Admiral Marcus, to kill Harrison, carrying with him 72 prototype photon torpedoes. While Kirk is gung-ho about the mission, several of his crewmembers, including Scotty, are suspicious of the torpedoes' payload, and on edge about how traveling to Kronos could start a war with the Klingons.

First off, this is a great set-up. The opening screams classic Trek, and the story up to this point, while maybe too action packed for old Trek fans, displays the classic moral and ethical debates that defined old Trek films and episodes. Throughout the film there is a running theme of whether to use logic and seek diplomatic solutions, or go on gut instinct and possibly start a war. Like most genre films nowadays, there's a parallel to post-9/11 politics, in this case focusing on how the government is dead set on capturing a terrorist and willing to go to war to achieve this goal.

All the cast members perform their roles admirably. Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Bruce Greenwood all deliver, once again bringing these iconic characters to life. Peter Weller and Alice Eve also are standouts as Admiral Marcus and his daughter Carol, respectively. They are welcome additions to the cast and contribute to the story rather well, with the admiral in particular actually acting as a villain for a good chunk of the film. His villainous acts are the true catalyst for the plot, and play on the theme of the logic of going to war or desiring peace.

However, in the end this film belongs to Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Pine and Quinto's emerging friendship defined the previous film, and here it gains even more significance. Pine once again plays Kirk as rebellious and cocky, even in the captain's chair. Quinto for the second time nails the cold, logical presence of Spock. The great thing about this film, however, is that it really gives both of them the chance to really develop their friendship. If the first film was about them gaining respect for one another, this one is about them realizing how much they need each other, and that they are capable of using both logic and emotion when the situation calls for it. It's incredibly satisfying to see the chemistry these two share, and how the events of the film logically push them forward as characters.

But of course I also mentioned Cumberbatch, who very  nearly steals the film from everyone else. We are led to believe his name is John Harrison for the first half of the film, before in a not-so surprising reveal (several hints were given throughout the film) he is shown to be Khan Noonien Singh, the most iconic of Star Trek villains. Cumberbatch relishes his role here, delivering every line with eloquence and a subtle sense of innate superiority. He simply knows he's better than everyone else, and you can tell by the way he speaks and interacts with the characters.

With the reveal comes the revelation that the entire film is pretty much an alternate universe version of Space Seed/Wrath of Khan. Most die hard Trekkies would, understandably, cry foul at that. However, what they fail to understand is that the Khan story arc is one of the most important events of the Star Trek canon. Any parallel timeline would have to tackle it eventually, and the way they do it here is brilliant. Instead of using Khan when Kirk and Spock are older so they can reflect on their past mistakes, this film introduces Khan when Kirk and Spock are still young, in order to solidify their friendship and have them grow into the men they will undeniably become. Khan's inclusion in this film and at this stage in the rebooted timeline feels completely organic, and at no point feels shoe-horned in to play off the nostalgia of die hard Trekkies.

Several other homages to Wrath of Khan exist, most notably the ending. Instead of Spock sacrificing himself, Kirk does it instead, leading to an exchange where Kirk acknowledges this is something Spock himself would have done. It may feel lessened to older Trekkies since they've already seen this, but the scene itself is still sincere, features great acting from Pine and Quinto, and really drives home how much the two care about each other and how they can, in dire circumstances, act more like each other than they would care to admit. Spock's reaction to Kirk's death and following actions are solid proof of this, and by film's end it's clearly apparent that the two have forged their iconic friendship that Spock Prime hinted at the end of the first film.

Besides the top-notch story and character interactions, the film also delivers on action and still remembers to preserve the witty banter between the crew. Bones and Scotty in particular are standouts for their witty dialogue, even moreso when interacting with Kirk, Spock and Uhura. As for the action, it's simply stunning. The opening scene is probably my favorite, but a chase between a scout ship and Klingon warbirds on Kronos, a space jump between ships near Earth, and a brutal final (if short) brawl between Spock and Khan on floating barges are also highlights.

What I loved about the film was that these action scenes, and even the witty dialogue, did not overpower the film but instead just added to the story and characters. It gave everything a certain gravity yet prevented things from being overly serious, and allowed the audience to have fun without forgetting the stakes. There's some serious philosophical stuff mentioned here, as I said earlier, and the way the film presents it makes it seem like an actual war could be brewing in future installments. Just like the first film, there are enough nods to classic Trek to satisfy Trekkies and enough new elements to please causal viewers.

If I have any complaints, it's that once Khan is revealed, the use of iconic elements from that movie make it a little too predictable (did anyone really doubt Kirk would stay dead?), but the pace of the film and the amazing action and characterization make this more of a nitpick than a full-blown problem. It was interesting to see an old tale told again but different, bearing in mind that this is all supposed to be a parallel reality. Leonard Nimoy's Spock Prime even shows up to remind us of that.

As a fan of the first film, I was extremely impressed with the way J.J. Abrams decided to continue the story of the rebooted Trek universe while keeping it open for further adventures. I have full confidence in his ability to tackle Star Wars, if he holds that universe with the same level of esteem that he does this one. Thanks to its better story and character development, I would even put this film above the original in terms of ranking, although unfortunately it still doesn't hold a candle to the film it pays homage to. Then again, what Trek film has surpassed Wrath of Khan? If anything, what should be taken away from this is that Abrams has delivered two great Trek films in a row, which is an achievement in and of itself. The franchise will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in three years. As evidenced by this film, even if Abrams is jumping ship, the series will continue to live long and prosper.

Theatricality and Deception: Defending Iron Man 3's Mandarin

When I originally wrote my "Iron Man 3" review about a week ago, I planned to dedicate a large portion of it analyzing how effective the controversial Mandarin twist was. If I did, then that review would have gone on for ages, so I decided an entire article was more worthy of this subject. The twist, wherein the advertised Mandarin was revealed to be an actor named Trevor Slattery covering for the true Mandarin, Extremis creator Aldrich Killian, was something I originally found hilarious, albeit disrespectful. Subsequent viewings, however, have made me realize that not only is the twist necessary, it's also brilliant.

The thing about Mandarin is, he's only Iron Man's archenemy because he's the best out of a bunch of B and C-list villains who compose Stark's weak rouges gallery. Mandarin was initially invented as a personification of Communism, a Fu Manchu archetype designed to capitalize on the West's fear of the "Other." Since that's an incredibly racist and outdated version, the Mandarin has been reinterpreted every time he's appeared in comics or on screen.

He's been a corrupt archaeologist, a high school friend of Stark's, the spirit of a Chinese warlord, a robot, the name of an organization, and recently a terrorist-funding businessman who allies with other Iron Man rouges and even created an army of Extremis soldiers. Therefore, it only makes sense that the filmmakers chose to once again re-imagine Mandarin for this film, where he is the head of AIM and goes by the name Aldrich Killian. 

After being rejected by Tony Stark in 1999, Killian decides that his best weapon in getting back at Stark and the world while proving his superiority is anonymity. When he and Hansen began experimenting with Extremis, causing soldiers to blow up, Killian decided that using a terrorist excuse was the best way to cover up his failings. But then the Avengers incident happened. As Killian himself said, "Ever since that big dude with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety's kind of had it's day."

In order to preserve his anonymous M.O. while also making his actions more public, Killian decided to use his imaginary terrorist threat to convince the American people to back his Extremis research.  Since the media constructs our reality, he decided that an uber-terrorist that personified people's fear of "The Other" and perverted all forms of Eastern and Western iconography would aid in carrying out his goals.This uber-terrorist would give Killian a smokescreen to kill the President and install a new one, while simultaneously creating a scapegoat to justify militarizing his Extremis project. He even went the extra step and rebranded War Machine as the Iron Patriot, using him as propaganda to personify American military strength before perverting that as part of his Mandarin campaign.

This plan is, quite simply, brilliant. Not only is it highly original for a superhero film, but it offers great social commentary on the role of media and iconography in shaping our modern society, especially in a post-9/11 atmosphere. The great thing about it is, in a way, it's actually a highly meta-interpretation of Mandarin that stays true to his roots. Mandarin was originally Chinese because Stan Lee created him at a time when anything Asian was considered, in the West's eyes, to be evil. Nowadays, the Cold War has given way to the War on Terror, so any version of Mandarin would have to be a terrorist as opposed to a straight up Communist archetype. What Shane Black and Marvel did was take that idea one step further, asking "what if someone in-universe came up with this idea-that you could create an over-the-top character who personified the enemy of the West?"

As for the ten magic rings, while they could very easily be utilized in a post-Avengers world, the stories and tone of the solo "Iron Man" movies have always been action-comedy based tonally and tech-based storywise. Even though magic can exist in this world, it has no place in an Iron Man film. Extremis, however, does, since it deals with the misuse of science and whether scientific advancement is justified with military contracts. It makes total sense to make the real Mandarin powered by Extremis instead of magic rings, with the Ten Rings being referenced as the terrorist organization from the first film, here having their imagery used as part of Killian's attempt to make the Mandarin appear more threatening.

Some say the Trevor Slattery reveal is played way too much for laughs. Again, it keeps things in line with the action-comedy tone of the previous films, and cleverly upends the audience's expectations in order to focus fully on the Extremis storyline. It helps that Ben Kingsley is brilliant in both the fake Mandarin and Trevor personas, giving him a chance to flex his serious and comedic acting chops.

What some may see as a waste of a role is really an excuse for Kingsley to play a character that goes against what people expect of him. If Kingsley was to play the Mandarin straight, how exactly would a final battle between him and RDJ work? Would audiences pay to see a 70 year old man trying to kill Iron Man with laser rings? Even for a comic book film, especially one set post-Avengers, that concept is way too silly to work onscreen, at least in a solo "Iron Man" movie.

Instead, Killian's plan makes him a much more threatening villain, which is helped both by Guy Pearce's intimidating performance and his epic final battle with Stark. The entire point of the film was that he was trying to divert attention from himself with a larger-than-life villain, so of course he seems lesser compared to Kingsley. But the fact that he convinced even Stark for a time to go on this wild goose chase is a testament to his genius.

In a way, Killian is a dark mirror to Stark, going through a similar character arc but in reverse. Stark started off rich and famous, embracing the limelight but not giving a second thought to whether his scientific advancements were actually helping anyone. Killian was a scientific idealist who started off small, before deciding to work in the shadows. Tony reinvents himself by augmentation through technology, and decides to help people. Killian reinvents himself by augmentation through Extremis biotech, and wants to use it to perfect other people. Tony develops an ego thanks to the media's fascination with him. Killian uses the media to further his own ends.

Tony becomes paranoid after "Avengers" and, to shield himself from harm, invents remote-controlled Iron Man suits as an apparent extension of himself. Killian, to shield himself from the public, invents the "remote-controlled" Mandarin persona. In the end, Tony realizes he is perfect, not because of technology, but because of his own humanity, and blows up his suits to remove his mask and show that Iron Man is not the suits, it's his human skills as a mechanic that make him super. Killian, in the end, goes power mad, convinced Extremis makes him perfect and adopting the Mandarin identity for himself, as a way of consolidating his superhuman status.

Thus, he is a manifestation of Tony's own demons, becoming what Tony would have become had he not broken his reliance on technology over the course of the film. This makes Killian even more effective as Tony's archenemy, because he compliments Tony's character arc that was always the main focus of the movie. And that's not even counting that he blew up Tony's mansion, put Happy in a coma, and nearly killed Pepper, stripping Tony of everything he holds dear and raising the stakes higher than ever in an Iron Man film. And if that's still not enough to convince fans he's a great Mandarin, since Killian borrowed the name from Chinese history and presented it as a title, someone else could become the Mandarin in an Iron Man or Avengers sequel and plague Stark with the actual ten rings.

Even if that doesn't happen, the Mandarin as presented here is faithful to the comics in his own way. Besides his plan and character arc being brilliant in the context of the films, Killian invented the Mandarin persona that Trevor then embodied, bringing life to the classical version of the character. When Killian takes on the persona towards the end, he becomes the modern-day version of the Mandarin, that of the terrorism funding businessman who creates an army of Extremis soldiers and fights Iron Man in an epic duel, where he uses energy blast fueled martial arts moves to reduce Stark's armors to shreds.

Not only this, but Killian/Mandarin has even more layers when you factor in the elements from other Iron Man villains. Killian's fire breathing may be a reference to Extremis villain Mallen, but combined with his dragon tattoos, the filmmakers paid homage to the Mandarin's use of Chinese iconography, as well as referenced Fin Fang Foom, the dragon whose species gave Mandarin his rings. On another note, his status as the "big brain" that heads AIM is a reference to MODOK, adding elements from another over the top Iron Man villain into Killian's layered portrayal.

Ultimately, the filmmakers made a great decision to take a bit character from the comics, Aldrich Killian, and expand him. They gave him a fleshed out plan and motivation while combining elements from other Iron Man villains to create a solid, threatening version of the Mandarin worthy of testing the MCU Tony Stark's mettle. True, we may not have gotten the armor vs. rings battle we were all waiting for, but we got a version of Mandarin that, like the different cartoons and comic variations, reimagines the character for the context of this story. Aldrich Killian is the perfect MCU Mandarin, and thanks to him "Iron Man 3" sets itself apart from its superhero movie brethren by doing something truly unique with adapting the material.

Iron Man 3 Review

It's been a long time since I've blogged about anything. I realize this. Between college classes, fraternity life and a part time job at a newspaper, I've had no time to write anything since my "Hollywood shared universe model" piece. But school is winding down, and if there's anything in the nerd world that can get me out of my self-imposed blogging exile, it's Iron Man 3. 

I've already hyped up this film enough, between naming it among my top 2013 films I'm looking forward to, analyzing all of the Phase One films including Iron Man 1 and 2, and even commenting on the necessity of the trilogy model in Hollywood. And then of course there are the two Iron Man 3 fanfics I posted, where I tried to cobble together a plot based on fan conjecture and what I knew. I'd like to say in some parts I was actually right on the money, and in other parts...I clearly wasn't. The point is, now that Iron Man 3 is out, and I've actually gotten a chance to see it a couple times, I can make a fully detailed review about it, flaws and all.

Let's start out by saying that, like the first two films, "Iron Man 3" is incredibly well-acted. RDJ kills it as Iron Man/Tony Stark, but what I really love about this film compared to the other two is how the filmmakers decided to brake new ground with the character. Instead of being ego-driven like he is at the start of every other film, announcing his presence while blasting AC/DC, this film starts out with the opening credits singing "Blue Da Ba Dee," signalling a change in tone for our favorite genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. 

This film finally sees some great character development for Stark, building off of "The Avengers" to give Tony panic attacks at the very mention of aliens. His penchant for technology has become a full-blown addiction. Screw Demon in the Bottle, Tony's real problems lie with his overreliance on suits. It's no wonder he creates over 40 of them (all really cool by the way-fangasms abounded when the Silver Centurion and Hulkbuster suits showed up). I reveled at how this film showed a different side of Stark, playing off his anxieties and showing that it's his genius and integrity that make him worthy of being an Avenger, not how awesomely advanced his suit is. 

To that end, the suit isn't actually featured that much in the film, besides the obvious Iron Legion climax. My guess is the filmmakers took a cue from "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Skyfall" by crafting a film that would strip its hero of his toys to show exactly what makes him tick. Thankfully, while Tony is the main focus, his supporting cast get more to do as well. Pepper and Rhodey get bigger roles, with Rhodey's Iron Patriot being a great buddy cop to Stark and Pepper subverting the damsel in distress archetype when she gets her badass moment towards the end. A kid named Harley, who shows up during the second act, also nearly steals the show thanks to his chemistry with Stark, and Stark's inability to treat him as a child. Their energetic rapport signaled something truly new for this series, and Harley came off as innocent without being annoying.

James Badge Dale and Stephanie Stozak are great as Extremis goons, reveling in the power their fiery regenerative abilities give them. Jon Favreau is hilarious in his brief return as Happy Hogan, who may not be the director anymore but whose fate actually kickstarts the plot. The only real downside character-wise is Rebecca Hall's Maya Hansen, who acts fine but never gets a chance to completely flesh out her character. But I've stalled long enough. Let's talk about Mandarin.

Oh yeah, Mandarin. The elephant in the room. In a way, I was looking forward to IM3 even before I thought "Avengers" could happen, thanks to all the interviews saying they were constructing Iron Man as a trilogy and making Mandarin, his ring-wielding arch enemy, the Emperor Palpatine/Lord Voldemort/Sauron puppet master controlling it all. And then when they casted Ben Kingsley, I knew they were going to deliver on that promise. Then the film came out. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it by now-Mandarin in the film is not actually Ben Kingsley, but Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian, a bit character from the Extremis comics here reimagined as the head of A.I.M. and an intense business rival to Stark. As for Kingsley? He's really Trevor Slattery, a drunken actor hired by Killian as a scapegoat to cover up his faulty, exploding Extremis soldiers. 

What to say about this twist? Well, when I first saw it, I thought it was hilarious but also disrespectful to the canon. I get that the MCU is a separate universe, but the appeal of the films thus far was that they remained relatively faithful to the comics. Why did Shane Black decide to change this character so radically? I'm positive that this subject deserves a rant article all its own, but suffice to say that the Mandarin, while Iron Man's archenemy, is still an incredibly dated character that needed to be upgraded. 

Kingsley's Trevor Slattery was played for laughs, but when Killian is revealed to be the true Mandarin, it's definitely threatening. With his Extremis-fueled martial arts moves, dragon tattoos, and overly complex plan involving manipulating the post-Avengers climate by creating a scapegoat supervillain, I thought he totally came off as a worthy antagonist. He may not have embodied the Mandarin visually the way Kingsley did, but he more than made up for it with his intelligence, insanity, and utter ruthlessness towards Stark and his allies. For reasons better explained in another article, Killian fully deserves to be the MCU's Mandarin. 

His final fight with Tony in particular is also easily the best climax out of all three films. Iron Man finally fought a foe who was truly worthy of facing him physically, one who didn't need a suit of armor to go toe-to-toe with him. The comedy was memorable and well-staged, offering Stark and his friends some of the best one-liners of the trilogy. And unlike "Iron Man 2," this film actually stood on its own. It didn't need to set up another movie, and focused more on closing out Tony's story arc. Him blowing up his suits and removing his arc reactor may seem radical to some, but it's a perfect representation of how he's overcome his anxiety disorder, kicked his technology addiction, and reinvented himself yet again to be the man Pepper needs. 

The ending and the twist, combined with a lot more comedy, will of course be polarizing to many fans. It is certainly a little alienating to see Marvel deviate so far from the formula of Phase I. Instead of subtle comic references, this is an entirely mainstream product. New director Shane Black used Iron Man, and RDJ in particular, to make a throwback to '80s action-comedies. As a fan of movies in general, it makes me happy that the director and Marvel decided to take a chance with changing things up this time out. It certainly does make the film feel fresh, and it fixes many of the flaws of "Iron Man 2," which stuck to the formula a little too much. But in trying to change things up in order to be original, this film doesn't feel quite as magic as the first one, if only because it was doing things just for the sake of being different. 

When comparing this to its predecessors, "Iron Man 3" is right in the middle for me, not as good as 1 but not as average as 2. Since it's the beginning of Phase II, I feel it's wrong to really compare it to other Phase I films, especially the Avengers. However, if I had to rank it among its MCU brothers, it'd be lower than Avengers and Iron Man 1 but higher than all the rest, if only for how, unlike the majority of the Phase I solo films, more emphasis is put on making a great movie with excellent characterization than building towards another film.What I ultimately love is how the standalone plot did allow Tony to gain closure for his solo trilogy, while also logically  building off what his character went through in the previous "Iron Man" films and "The Avengers." 

It's truly a standalone film set in a now fully established shared universe, and succeeds wildly at it. I'd also like to add that, like I pointed out in my trilogy series, that this film heralds a new model wherein franchises can create standalone trilogies that don't necessarily need only three films to complete a character arc. Iron Man 3's character arc works because it's set after Avengers, thereby upending the need for just a trilogy while also functioning perfectly as one.  

This film may not have been the ultimate Iron Man movie I was hoping for, but its willingness to buck expectations and constantly deliver in the action, comedy, story and character moments make it a wondrously entertaining and worthy entry in both the solo "Iron Man" and larger Marvel sagas. It's a great start to Phase II, and I hope Marvel keeps toying with formula and genre conventions in the future so the MCU can continue to be a trailblazer for the film industry. 

As a postscript, the end credits scene was hilarious, but more reminiscent of the Avengers' schwarma scene than anything nerdgasmically awesome like in all the solo Phase I films. It was great to see Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Banner again, even if it was just dozing off at Tony's story. Then again, anyone who reads this could have  had the same reaction Banner did if I went into detail about what I thought of the Mandarin. For my full rant on the Mandarin, and what I think it signifies for this franchise, check back in later.