So, in about the last month I've seen Hulk II, Iron Man, and Hancock. It got me to thinking about trends in superheroes...
Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, Hulk, etc. What do they all have in common? A sense of honor and tragedy. Most of them are just normal people (or aliens) who came to be what they are through a lucky situation, usually something involving science fiction. Quite a few of them are nerds, often of the sensitive/caring personality strain. Many of them don't even want to be superheroes.
Enter: Iron Man. First thing to note is that unlike all the others he doesn't actually have any superpowers... except for Batman... I grew up thinking he was bitten by a bat, and then he could fly, but I just discovered less than five minutes ago that he's just a normal guy. Well, if multi-billionaires are normal. Anyway! Tony Stark doesn't have any superpowers, unless being a genius is considered a superpower. And yet, he's not the nerdy type at all. He's got serious attitude - it's just such an unexpected kind of character. Refreshing, and funny :)
One thing that made me a bit mad about the movie, though, was the hypocrisy of how promiscuity is portrayed. I mean, when Pepper sees the reporter girl to the door she mentions that her duties include "occasionally taking out the trash." Yet, on the balcony, talking to Tony, she says "everybody knows how you are with women, and that's fine." Why, in one case, does such behavior classify a person as trash, and in another case it's totally fine, even attractive? Well, to her credit, she wouldn't get involved with him, citing his reputation as one of the reasons. Guys should have to worry about their reputations too, even if they are cool superheroes!
Now, don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to admit that there are lots of other things to like about Tony Stark. In fact, in some ways he distinctly reminds me of Adrian. Like, when he keeps the general waiting at his plane, and the general says "I've been waiting for 3 hours!" Then Tony breezes past him and retorts "Well, we're waiting on you now!" That SO sounds like Adrian. It would be annoying if it weren't so funny! So, yeah, Iron Man is probably my favorite Superhero now. BTW, Robert Downey, Jr. will be playing Sherlock Holmes! I can't wait! ...I wonder who will play Irene??
Oh, and I did like Hancock. It wasn't super great, I guess, definitely not what I expected. But, it had such a jaw-dropping plot twist that it's going to take a while for the bruise to wear off my chin.
Original MySpace comment by me (lost italics formatting):
ReplyDeleteI recently saw Iron Man II. Don't get me wrong - I still like Iron Man. Alot! But, I also just finished listening to on CD The Millionaire Mind (sequel to The Millionaire Next Door). Watching this movie with those books still fresh on the brain caused me to notice several ways in which Iron Man in NOT a typcial American millionaire:
* Most American millionaires do not live in mansions. Most millionaires do not have custom built homes. (Watch Iron Man and tell me that's not a custom built mansion.)
* Most American millionaires don't drive flashy sports cars (Iron Man has several, which he totals on a fairly frequent basis. He also has a private jet.)
* Most American millionaires are married with children. Iron Man is not (well, not yet).
* Most American millionaires work a lot, but could not really be classified as workaholics. Iron Man is borderline, and his father is certainly made to look like the workaholic type.
* Most American millionaires spend lots of their free time watching their children's/grandchildren's sporting events, or consulting with tax attorneys. When have you seen Iron Man do either? I think his main leisure activity is hardcore partying!
* Most American millionaires are self-made. Their wealth is first generation. Iron Man inherited his.
* Many American millionaires do not have exceptional IQ's or prestigious college degrees. Many are even high school dropouts. Iron Man is a genius who graduated from MIT.
* ...and last but not least, most American millionaires don't have iron suits that let them fly and be superheroes, but that just goes without saying. Furthermore, it proves why Iron Man is way cooler than any typical boring millionaire! ;)
Another of my favorite movies, The Martian Child, shows another statistical anomaly. John Cusack's character has what again appears to be a custom built mansion. Furthermore, he made his money writing fiction novels (in real life, it's much more likely that the agent would be the millionaire). Often, in real life, even movie stars don't have enough money to live like movie stars(http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/08/business/la-fi-cage-foreclosure8-2010apr08). One of the few more accurate portrayals of wealthy people in the movies that I can think of is from Phantom of the Opera (the Emmy Rossum/Gerard Butler one). The owners of the opera actually made their money in the "junk business *ahem* scrap metal." Actually, stories of business owners who recycle/resell junk is relatively common. I remember two specific stories in The Millionaire Mind of a man who resold used trailer-truck parts, another who salvaged and resold upscale women's clothing from fires, and a third who made underwear for prisons from recycled cloth!
"They're not historical documents. They're not *all* historical documents!" - Gwen, Galaxy Quest
1 year ago
Oh, and the new Sherlock Homes was a big disappointment!
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