Head’s up!
Above is the new “Star Trek Into Darkness” poster, with the Enterprise falling through the atmosphere.
And here’s one of the earlier posters for “Iron Man 3,” with Tony Stark falling through the atmosphere.
We’ll see both in May. In the meantime, I suggest you wear a hard hat.
We’re going to have to find a new word besides “awesome” to use every time another trailer for a Marvel movie comes out.
This time it’s used in connection with the new trailer for “Iron Man 3,” out in May.
The trailer is full of good stuff:
Tony’s (maybe) PTSD following the events of “The Avengers.”
The assault on Tony’s Malibu mansion.
The rescue of Air Force One.
Iron Patriot.
Mandarin’s freaky way of speaking. This guy might be second only to Yoda in odd but entertaining phrasings.
And lots and lots of armors. As much as it horrified me to see the original suits destroyed, the ending – in which an army of armors shows up to help Tony and Rhodey – is ultra cool.
And is that a Hulkbuster armor? Gotta be. Wonder if it will be referred to as such.
We’ll see May 3.
So Marvel has been releasing these character posters for “Iron Man 3.”
The ones for Don Cheadle as Rhodey and Guy Pierce as a baddie are fine.
But this one … this is cool.
At the top here is Ben Kingsley as Mandarin. Based on a fairly typical 1960s-era “Yellow Peril” villain from the Iron Man comics, Mandarin seemed like a daunting character to pull off in a modern-day movie without being offensive or silly.
But I wonder if director Shane Black hasn’t gone and done it.
Look closely at that poster.
See the dog tags hanging over the arm of Mandarin’s chair?
He’s wearing the camo pants of a soldier but the regal robe of a king.
He’s a big lover of incense.
He sports both cool shades and a ponytail.
But most of all: The ten rings!
Just the design of this character’s look is cool.
I cannot wait until May. But I guess I have to.
Not much needs to be said here, except this new “Iron Man 3” poster is pretty cool.
And it looks more like an image from the comics than from a Hollywood movie.
The movie opens May 3.
If you’re only a casual fan of the movies made from Marvel comics in the past four or so years, you might not be familiar with the “phases” that the company is moving through as it brings its complex universe to the big screen.
Phase 1, as dubbed by Marvel, began in 2008 with “Iron Man,” moving through solo adventures for the Hulk, Thor and Captain America and culminating in last summer’s “The Avengers.”
“Iron Man 3” kicks off Phase 2 this May, with “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” to follow, and Marvel films honcho Kevin Feige has indicated that series will sew the seeds for the “Avengers” sequel in 2015, even if moviegoers don’t recognize those seeds at the time. (Talk about a crazy Easter egg hunting challenge!)
“Ant-Man” is already on the schedule for late 2015, a few months after the “Avengers” sequel, and would kick off Phase 3. Marvel films honcho Kevin Feige hinted recently that “Dr. Strange” might also follow in Phase 3.
Remember that Hawkeye was introduced in “Thor,” so it’s possible we’ll see more Marvel characters introduced in Phase 2.
But here’s what we want to see in Phase 3:
Diversity. Luke Cage and the Black Panther are two longtime Avengers who would not only be great additions to the team but bring needed color to the movie line-up.
Women, including Wasp! She was a founding member of the Avengers, for pete’s sake. It would make sense that she’s introduced in the “Ant-Man” movie.
More Hulk. Even better, a Hulk/Iron Man Marvel Superhero Team-Up.
Big and small. A good mix of personal, high-stakes stories – which “Iron Man 3” appears to be, as much as any Marvel superhero movie can be – with the grand-scale action plots we know from Marvel.
Dare I say it: Crossover with characters whose big-screen rights are owned by other companies, namely “Fantastic Four,” “X-Men” and “Spider-Man.” Surely with lots of money to be made this can be worked out, right?
Come on, Marvel. Make it happen!
2012 was a pretty good year for geek movies. I’m still boggled, sometimes, that so many comic book, science fiction and fantasy movies – not to mention big-budget, well-crafted ones – are released these days. We might be in a golden age for the genre.
Looking ahead to 2013, the calendar looks like just as much of a treat for fans.
“Iron Man 3.” After the superhero team-up that was “The Avengers,” why look forward to a solo superhero outing? Isn’t that a step back? Well, it would be but for a few reasons. I trust Robert Downey Jr. and director Shane Black. The preview looks dire and action-filled. And the movie kicks off Marvel’s Phase Two, which culminates in “The Avengers” sequel in 2015, so I’m pretty sure they’ll have some references to the big picture. May 3.
“Thor: The Dark World.” The first “Thor,” in some ways, held the promise (threat?) of being the weakest movie in the first phase of Marvel. Yet it was solid entertainment and laid the groundwork for much of the mythology that followed in “Captain America” and “The Avengers.” I feel very much at ease with this realm of big-screen Marvel. Nov. 8.
“Pacific Rim.” This story about giant robots created to fight giant, Godzilla-style monsters looks like something to appeal to all the 12 year olds within us. July 12.
“Star Trek Into Darkness.” This J.J. Abrams sequel to the reboot looks awesome. Unleash the Cumberbatch! May 17.
“The Wolverine.” I am not the craziest of fans of Marvel’s snikt-happy mutant. But Hugh Jackman has been so good as the character I’m looking forward to this and his role, however big, in “Days of Future Past.” July 26.
“Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” The first movie was a pleasant surprise. The second book is the weakest of the series, but I’m hoping they pull it off. Nov. 22.
“Oz the Great and Powerful.” This retooling of the classic story, a kind of prequel, could be really fun or really awful. March 8.
“The World’s End.” While we’re waiting for director Edgar Wright to make “Ant-Man,” how about this end of the world comedy starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Martin Freeman? Yes, please. Oct. 25.
Movies I’m almost dreading:
“Man of Steel.” We don’t need another origin story. We don’t need a “dark” Superman. We need a Superman who feels like the last of his kind but isn’t mopey about it. We don’t need a “Dark Knight” treatment, but I’m afraid that’s what we’re getting. June 14.
“World War Z.” I’ve said it before, but here it is again. The preview doesn’t look like the terrific Max Brooks book. June 21.
“The Lone Ranger.” A beloved childhood hero. I’m just not sure about the approach. Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp bring a lot of charisma to the proceedings, however. We’ll see. May 31.
So the teaser trailer for “Iron Man 3” came out today and the Interwebs got mighty, mighty excited.
We see Tony Stark in action. We see some sinister doings by Iron Man suits. We see beloved gal pal Pepper Potts having a bad day.
We see Tony Stark himself having a very bad day. Besides getting the heck blown out of his Malibu digs, Tony obviously takes a beating himself.
We get our first look at the Mandarin, the longtime Iron Man foe played in the movie by Ben Kingsley. We even get a look at his rings.
A few big questions come to mind.
What’s up with the kinda sorta Captain America shield tattooed on the neck of the Mandarin? We’re assuming that’s the Mandarin since we saw Kingsley sporting a hirsute look not unlike the wearer of this tat, which has an “A” in the middle to differentiate it from Cap’s shield.
Is Tony suffering from post traumatic stress disorder? He mentions the battle of New York – as depicted in “The Avengers” – and indicates he’s still troubled.
What’s happening with Happy Hogan? The quick glimpse we set of Jon Favreau’s character looks pretty dire.
Who’s in the Iron Man suit that’s menacing Pepper and Tony? Or is that one of the rumored remote-control suits Tony supposedly creates for the movie?
What the heck happens that destroys all those earlier Iron Man suits?
What’s Tony doing out in the snow?
Director Shane Black’s movie reportedly isolates Tony and gives him huge obstacles and challenges to overcome. The trailer sure makes it look like that’s the case.
Here’s looking forward to May.
Okay, “Iron Man 3” doesn’t come out until May, but we can enjoy some teasery goodness, can’t we?
The teaser trailer is apparently coming this weekend. And above is the teaser poster.
Oh, Marvel, you tease.
keithroysdon 