In the space of a few days I’ve spent money I don’t have on going to the movie theater to watch Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness.
No spoilers here, just me flailing a little at the awesome!
Not that either movie is perfect, but then kind of like most romance novels these stories are not about being stark, ruthless reflections of life. They are supposed to be fun, with varying levels of believability and internal logic.
Frankly, STID doesn’t have much logic at all on its side, but then I look at that as a reflection of the series itself. Kind of like continuing the tradition of utterly absurd storylines, you know?
There is a whole controversy about the character Benedict Cumberbatch plays, which I can’t discuss without revealing an important plot point to the movie. Let my contribution be this: the questions being raised by fans are totally, 100% valid and I’m disappointed in the choices JJ Abrams made with the role, but I think Cumberbatch did a phenomenal job portraying the character. His contribution to the movie, however poorly handled by Abrams, is mind-blowing and memorable. Cumberbatch’s voice, his delivery, his expressions, the physicality with which he plays his character took my breath away!
Iron Man 3 is, I think, the better movie over all. The script catered to RDJ’s strengths in both drama and comedic timing, and also (gratefully) treated Pepper Potts and James Rhodes as more than mere sidekicks/love interests (read that as you will!). Of course Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin was almost a show stealing performance, and while (again) I cannot discuss his role without giving away a major plot point, suffice to say I’m not convinced any other actor could have pulled off what he did with such aplomb. *claps wildly*
Watching these two latest entries into well-established franchises just fired up my creativity. I want to build worlds like these, where fans love the characters and write fanfic and cosplay and re-read and re-watch over and over again. Honestly, I’ve never really wanted to be a superhero; I have always wanted to be the storyteller. For me, the dream has always been about being the next Stan Lee, or Gene Rodenberry, or (one of my fave sf authors) CJ Cherryh.
Making it happen!
