Marvel Animated Movie Review: *** Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)

 This animated movie review is similar to "The Avengers" (2012).  However some the the characters fighting the aliens are different.  Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) is in charge of an experiment to replicate the serum that mad Captain America.  They find the Captain (Justin Gross) frozen in the Arctic and bring him back to life.  Nick Fury (Andre Ware) is trying to assemble the Avengers.  Among others he asks Iron Man (Marc Worden), Janet Pym/The Wasp (Grey DeLisle), Black Widow (Olivia D'abo) Giant-Man/ Hank Pym (Nolan North), and Thor (David Boat).  Dr Betty Ross (Nan McNamara) helps Bruce Banner.  They were once partners but Banner is too unstable.  

The aliens are very formidable, but the team finally comes together.  And Banner takes the super serum, releasing The Hulk, trying to improve his control.  It doesn't work but he helps destroy the aliens.  He then begins attacking the avengers, until they are able to administer his medicine he had been neglecting.  

Not as exciting as "The Aengers" but entertaining.  

Marvel Animated Movie Review: **^Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

 Iron Man (Matthew Mercer) faces a new nemesis, a young man, Ezekiel Stane/Technovore (Eric Bauza) who uses a new type of nano technology to destroy people and computers and whatever stands in his way.  This includes his taking out Rhodey/War Machine (James Mathis III).  The part of this movie is why Nick Fury (John Erik Bentley) as director of SHIELD is so interested in Stark coming in rather than letting hm pursue Technovore.  This results in considerable loss of property.  He even sends Black Widow (Clare Grant) and Hawkeye (Troy Baker also Jarvis voice) to bring him in.  They would have succeeded if not for the Punisher (Norman Reedus) helping him.  Also important to him is Pepper Potts (Kate Higgins) who helps him with computers and he has used her voice as a backup for his satellite that Technovore has infected.  

Turns out War Machine is not dead, but took a long time recovering.  Without his help Technovore would have cleared the world of all humans.

Lots of action; but I felt the characters lacked motivation for some of their actions.

Movie Review: ****Iron Man 3

This is the continuing sage of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and his suits.  However his love, Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) also plays a much greater part.  Iron make takes on a terrorist who calls himself, "The Mandarin" and has been responsible for explosions around the world, explosions without bomb casings.  Turns out the evil comes from a fellow scientist Iron Man slighted some years previous.  He has developed away to regenerate limbs, but the side effects are explosions; and the recipient has an ability to generate heat.  One of Iron Man's Friends is accidentally infected with this, and is in a coma after he exploded.  Iron Man, in his anger, gives himself as a target, giving his home address.  They visit and blow his residence up, sending Iron Man into escape mode with a damaged suit.  He is helped by a boy, who sees him as Iron Man.  Back on his feet, but without his recovering suit, he tracks the evidence around these strange explosions, which lead him to The Mandarin's (Ben Kingsley) lair, who is not the lead but an actor, the scientist, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is the bad guy, and has this power to burn people with his limbs.  Iron Man is caught.  His suit is still repairing itself.
They use this power to wrest the suit from Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and use the suit to kidnap the president.  Pepper has also been kidnapped by our villain, and he is converting her into a fire woman.  This process may kill her.  We have a situation where the Iron Man is captured, but needing to save his girlfriend, and the president.  When his suit comes back on line it is no problem.  And we discover that the suit has over a hundred different suits it can call to its assistance.  However, mad scientist fire men are hard to kill.  However girlfriends who have been changed into fire women are hard to kill too.
This movie has plenty of action.  The ending is a bit confusing, and leaves them in a spot where you wonder if there will be any more Iron Man movies.

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Movie Reviews: ***^Iron Man and ****Iron Man II

Both of these movies star Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.  The first is in our home library, and the second on instant Netflix.

These movies turn my on deep down.  There is just something about Iron Man when he has his mask on, and when he lands after turning off his rockets, with that big thud, that is just cool.  Actually Tony turned me on to this story, and now that I have watched these movies, I am ready to see The Avengers.  The second video does a better job of introducing some of the Avenger characters.

I prefer the second movie, because the bad guy is so much more bad.  Jeff Bridges portrays the bad guy in the first movie,  being Tony Stark's business partner, but also trying to kill him.  He is able to compromise Tony's design, and make his own suit, but it doesn't work out for him in the end, as he doesn't have the experience.

On the other hand, Mickey Rourke  portrays the son of the original designer of the small reactor, who is seeking revenge for his father.  He makes his own suit with powers, and is a worthy opponent.  But he is defeated early, Stark's business competitor rescues him, and gives space for him to work his revenge.  He turns on the business partner, and takes control of the robots he made, which wreak havoc attempting to kill Iron Man.  Gwyneth Paltrow is great as the love interest, and Scarlett Johanssen as the lady from the Avengers.  Fun ride.

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