Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

I received this poster as a consolation prize for
having to sit through the 3D version of the film...

I've never followed Captain America, either through the 210 million copies of his comic books that have flown off newsstand shelves since his first appearance in 1941, or through the various movie serial and television adaptations that have popped up since then.  Until a week ago, pretty much my only exposure to Captain America in any type of media was that one episode of the X-Men animated television series* that shows a flashback of Wolverine fighting alongside the First Avenger himself back in the "Big War." (You'll of course remember that Wolverine is actually much older than he looks, and that his mutant healing power keeps him young and fresh... insert nerdy guffaw here.)

* Before I continue, let me just say that I'm so happy that episodes from this solid show are easily available online, without having to trudge through the various incomplete bootleg versions on the YouTubes. The above-linked episode is from the latter half of Season 5 where animation quality suffered  as they were rushing to complete their various storylines before the show ended. But many of the earlier episodes are extremely well done and deal with more advanced and deep themes than you'd expect from a typical Saturday morning cartoon. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it; several steps below Batman: The Animated Series, of course...

Thus when I saw Captain America: The First Avenger last Thursday at the Arclight Hollywood (but not in the Dome), I was able to approach the story fresh, with no preconceived notions instilled by pesky, more original versions of the story. I was able to put myself squarely and firmly in the hands of Paramount Pictures and director Joe Johnston's 21st Century interpretation of the character. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

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Saturday Morning TV: Batdance

GET THE FUNK UP! 

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Review: X-Men: First Class

Out of all the Charge Shot!!! writers on our wonderful staff, I wonder if I was the right choice for this review. I don't really know all that much about the X-Men comics (but you can ask me anything about weird second tier Marvel heroes like Sleepwalker or Darkhawk). I grew up, like a lot of us, on the animated series alone. And I have a history of liking any and every type of movie. Be this all as it may, I have seen all four of the other modern X-Men films and this one blows the rest out of the water. No contest, this is the best of the franchise. And you don't have to be a comic fan or purist to like what this movie has to offer. I'm not going to mince words here: this is a cool flick.

I gave an honest go of trying to figure out the actual origins of X-Men. It's the type of thing you have to spend a good week reading and cross-referencing. Some comic fans are bemoaning  the line-up they've put together in this film for the "original" X-Men. But I suppose everyone has a right to complain about everything.

The original line-up in X-Men #1 featured Professor X in charge of Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast (hairless), Cyclops and Angel. The line-up for the new origin film features Professor X leading a young (and good) Mystique, Magneto, Havoc, Banshee, (female) Angel, and Darwin. I'm a fan of a classic story, but this movie has a pretty good line-up of heroes.

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Movie Review: Thor

Almost exactly a year ago today I was reviewing Iron Man 2, Marvel's follow-up to the ridiculously successful Iron Man of 2008 and the second (or third, I guess, if you count The Incredible Hulk) step in their planned Avengers megafranchise. Iron Man seemingly came out of nowhere; it starred a washed-up middle aged actor and was directed by a filmmaker known more for being Vince Vaughn's fat friend than anything else by the general public. Also, it was based on a superhero that the general public could not be counted on to recognize.

Flash forward to the present. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet and everybody is excited for a movie about the Norse god of thunder that promises to be tangentially related to Iron Man.

I truly never thought I'd see the day when a Thor movie is number one at the box office anywhere outside of tenth-century Scandinavia; Thor is just too weird a superhero. What's are Thor's superpowers? His powers are that he is Thor. He is literally a Viking deity. He flies by throwing his mighty hammer and just holding on as it propels him wherever he wants to go. This is a real thing and now it's a summer blockbuster. How far we've come...

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Saturday Morning TV: George “Spider-Man” Takei

Ooooh myyyyy.

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Reinventing the Reboot (or, How Movie Studios Make the Most of their Intellectual Properties)

A few days ago, I read this article about Warner Bros.' hopes to launch a Justice League movie sometime in 2013. This would be the perfect time for a movie about a gathering of DC's all-star superheroes since Marvel will have released its Avengers the year before, effectively testing the waters for this sort of star-studded comic book affair. Also, Christopher Nolan will have ended his affiliation with the Batman franchise, leaving the character in need of cinematic reinvention.

According to the article, Nolan's Batman films were one of the sticking points preventing the Justice League from moving forward. Warners (understandably) didn't want conflicting versions of DC's flagship hero hitting screens simultaneously, especially when the first two installments of the currently-airing version of Batman grossed nearly $1.4 billion between them. But this unbelievable success of the Batman reboot is why Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov can't afford not to have a Batman-related film on his slate for the foreseeable future.

This marks a distinct departure from how reboots, remakes, and retellings have been treated in the past. Back in the day, if someone made a good, marketable movie based on a previously existing Intellectual Property, it became a franchise. Enter various sequels, prequels, and spin-offs until people became sick of it. Then, that property was considered covered, until some visionary director comes in with a new spin on the property, and it gets rebooted. Nowadays, though, the focus is much more on how to milk as much as possible from the properties owned by the studio rather than making the most effective film adaptations of these properties.

As they say, if you follow the money, you'll get a much better idea of why these films get made than if you follow the artistic merits of the films themselves...

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Taymor To Step Back From Spider-Man, Spidey To Soldier On

Dust off your Schadenfreude, more changes are coming to Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Broadway’s very own Titanic has hit another iceberg: the removal of director Julie Taymor and yet another postponement.

Taymor, the award-winning director of Disney’s stage adaptation of The Lion King, will remain on the creative team despite losing the director gig, the Associated Press reports. The producers’ statement said that Taymor’s schedule post-March 15 (the most recent scheduled opening date) would prevent her from working “the 24/7 necessary to make the changes in the production in order to be ready for our opening.” She’s still getting credit for it; they’re just letting someone else have a go at directing the spectacle.

The new team will include Philip William McKinley, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Paul Bogaev, and Peter Hylenski. McKinley (“The Boy from Oz,” “The Night of the Hunter”) will take over for Taymor. Aguirre-Sacasa will assist in rewrites, hopefully leveraging some of his experience writing for Marvel Comics. Bogaev and Hylenski will serve as musical consultants – further proof that Bono and The Edge need some fresh ears trained on their material.

A lot of people are working very hard to keep this show alive. Perhaps too hard. Were it not for the money at stake, I imagine most of the showrunners would’ve walked way ages ago.

Why else would they perform a complete talent transfusion on a show our own Boivin wrote called the Four Loko fever dream of a sleep-deprived English/Psychology double-major?

[via the Associated Press]

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Comic-Con Sold Out in Three Hours! Cue Whining.

San Diego Comic-Con 2011 is, effectively, sold out. It happened fast. It made people angry. Such is life in the genre universe. HDR first reported that the convention, held from July 21^st to the 24^th, sold out of Four Day Passes on Friday in a little under three hours. We’re talking thousands of tickets. We’re not even talking press passes.

Apparently the ticket vendor for the event was overwhelmed multiple times during the few hours the passes were available. That’s not surprising, but it did annoy a large group of people who considered their day wasted because they couldn’t get their passes. Technical failures aside, the reasons for the sell out are multitudinous and varied, but they are definitely worth talking about.

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Saturday Morning TV: Phoenix Jones

Oh man, Phoenix down!

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'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark' Reviewed or "Turn it off! Turn it off! TURN IT OFF! *sobs*"

As was the case with my parents' last visit to my New York abode, my father decided to spring for a Broadway show when they came to town two weeks ago. This time around, on Christmas Day 2010, he opted to secure tickets to a preview performance of the already infamous Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. For those of you who don't have subscriptions to Playbill (or you know, read the Internet) Spider-Man is currently on track to being the most expensive show ever to (dis)grace the Great White Way, with costs rivaling those of a summer blockbuster. More than that, technical problems and a shocking number of near-death experiences on the part of the cast  have delayed the production by over a year. Yes, I saw that show.

As you may or may not have been noticed, I am a lifelong Spider-Fan (I self-identify with that term). Spider-Man was, depending on the sources you consult, my first favorite superhero (largely varying on whether or not one counts Jun Fukuda-era Godzilla as a "superhero"). Spider-Man helped inspire my love of science fiction and served as a moral compass on my impressionable youthful psyche. My love of the character continues to the present day, being nurtured by the (first two entries of the) recent film series and a slavish devotion to the comics.

In addition, I was a theater kid in high school. I loved the spring musical, even if my particular vocal talents had yet to develop and I was usually relegated to non-singing roles (my greatest part played was the Constable in Fiddler on the Roof). My stage years nurtured in me a healthy appreciation for showtunes and admiration for the talents and perofrmances of live theater.

So, I basically had to see this show.

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Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Blogger Obsessed...

Joker's Renovations to the Visitor Center

I know I'm not the first Charge-Shot!!! blogger to have played Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I hope I'm not the last... although that may very well be the case, as I could see myself leading my third-person, Kevin Conroy-voiced, statuesque hunk of a Bat through the eerie dilapidated halls of Gotham City's most celebrated/terrifying lunatic asylum until my thumbs stop working. This was my third time through (most of) the game, but my first since actually owning a PS3 on which to play it, and every bit of it was as magical as the first time.

A Riddler puzzle that depends on where you stand

Since I received that aforementioned PS3 as a gift, I've spent pretty much every minute where I was both a) in my apartment and b) conscious totally immersed in the game's world. I completed the story mode with enough style and flair to gain enough XP to unlock all Batman's upgrades before the final boss fight (longer and more varied combos during "Free-Flow" combat sessions earn more experience points, which can be used to purchase cool Bat-gadgets). I'm currently embarking on the quest for 100% completion by finding all the hidden Riddler-themed items on the map and unlocking all the combat/stealth challenges. Then it's on the downloadable content. Which will hopefully hold me over until Arkham City comes out in the fall. Who am I kidding? I'll probably play through the story at least twice more before midsummer...

I don't have much of anything new to say about the game, except to profess my love for it. Andrew summed up the gameplay mechanics in his demo review. It's been well noted in Marginalias of the past how well this game stands up against all previous attempts to game-itize the Caped Crusader. So I'll jump right into a rundown of the game's comic-inspired renditions of our favorite heroes and villains and a discussion of how their gameplay mechanics relate to the underlying social and political themes of the Batman universe.

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The Schadenfreude of Spiderman: Gleefully Anticipating a Box Office Bomb

This morning, Craig provided a nice overview of the upcoming Spiderman musical, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, and the reasons that it might turn out to be an unmitigated disaster. The embarrassingly bad name, the $65 million dollar budget, the technical difficulties involved in getting Spiderman to fly across the theater, all have Broadway producers holding their breath. 

The show has attracted more attention than any other Broadway production scheduled for 2011 (even Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Book of Mormon musical, a ready-made controversy if there ever was one, isn't getting as much press). The day after Spiderman's first preview for critics, the show sold more than a million dollars worth of tickets. 

But the producers of Spiderman need to cross their fingers and hope these sales continue; it's going to take two years of full houses and upscale ticket prices to recoup this investment. (The show is going to cost $1 million dollars a week to put on, and NPR reports that this is more than twice the weekly cost of any other Broadway show currently running). And, as Craig pointed out, the critics seem less than thrilled with the production.

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Spider-Man and the Black Hole of Broadway

A recipe for a Broadway musical:

- Take one superhero.  Dust off recent movie megafranchise and create own unique take on widely-accepted origin story.
- Add one Irish alt rock duo.  Be sure to find one that’s at least ten years removed from real relevancy and about twenty years from its last work of real consequence.  Their massive success should afford them the opportunity to tackle a crazy, mixed-brow project as big as they believe themselves to be.
- Toss in an acclaimed theatre director.  Preferably one with lots of success bringing beloved animated characters to life onstage through the magic of puppetry.  Extra points if she’s coming off a bonkers film based on the work of a band even bigger than your Irish duo. 
- Book actors with name recognition.  Find other actors (preferably people with chops) when delays cause your marquee names to drop out.
- Mix in $65 Million.
- Cross fingers.
- Pray (if that’s your thing).

This is not a review of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.  This is not a preview of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.  I don’t know if/when I will ever bother get a chance to see Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. 

But now that I’ve thoroughly engrained the show’s debacle of a title into your brains, I really want to talk about Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.

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Doonesbury as the Great American Novel

I was a big fan of the comics page as a kid. However, Garfield becomes less and less funny as I grow older, and the double blow of losing both The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes around the same time meant that newspaper comics have been sapped of much of their former strength. Many of the old stalwarts still remain - I find Hägar the Horrible pretty funny, no matter what anybody says - but Blondie, Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois have lost whatever wit they might have once had. Others, like Shoe, Peanuts and B.C., continue on despite the death of their creator, a perverse legacy that takes three strips that once made me laugh and now either publishes reruns or write new jokes to old pictures. 

As of this week, the comic Doonesbury is forty years old. This is not so surpring in and of itself - the comics are a medium in which initial publication seems to guarantee that the strip will never die. But what is surprising is that the strip still manages to be fresh, funny, and relevant four decades into its run. It's still written and drawn by the original creator, and it still manages to paint characters who haven't devolved into stereotypical comic foils. It's one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dull and outdated comics page. 

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Dispatches From New York Comic Con 2010- Day Three: "Hail to the king, baby."

My experience on the third day of New York Comic Con was much shorter than the previous two for a number of reasons. First of all, there were fewer things scheduled, there was just less to do. Also, after forty-eight hours packed to the brim with comic conning (not to mention writing these reports and doing my other work for this site, oh and I sleep sometimes as well) I was about as exhausted as man who regularly sleeps until noon could get. Therefore I welcomed the reduced schedule on "Kids' Day" at the con.

However, what the events of the day lacked in number they more then made up for in intensity.

I'll proceed out of order for the sake of my art. Sunday marked the highlight of the many panels put on this weekend: AMC's Walking Dead. I made my way towards the IGN Theater with a healthy forty-five minute lead on the scheduled start time, more than enough; I even considered grabbing a coffee first because I didn't want to arrive too early.

Boy oh boy, did that forty-five minutes come in handy. When I came downstairs to the theater's entrance, a massive line had already assembled itself across the lobby and pretty much into the neighboring food court. I found myself a spot at the back that seemed cozy enough and when the line started moving I noticed that we were not going through the theater doors at all, we were advancing down a back hallway and into, of all places, a large loading dock.

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Dispatches From New York Comic Con 2010- Day Two: Long Lines, Heartbreak, and Synergy

I rose bright and early Saturday morning, ready to face the trials and tribulations of another day at New York Comic Con. After a long ride to Midtown Manhattan on the 2 Train, I emerged on 34th Street and made my way to a confounding sight: there were a lot more people this time.

Owing to the fact that most people work/attend school on Fridays and not Saturdays, the Javits Center was packed to the brim with humanity. A line stretched down the block as far as the eye could see. Worthy volunteers corralled and bally-hooed the crowd into some semblance of order and instructed attendees with weekend passes to avoid the colossal line and make their way to the main entrance. Being a credentialed member of the fourth estate, I advanced passed the great unwashed and entered to yet another huge crowd inside.

I was in a bind. I had arrived just in time to catch James Franco and Danny McBride speaking on a panel to promote their upcoming medieval(!) stoner comedy Your Highness in the IGN Theater at 10:30, but I also desperately wanted to visit the Venture Bros. signing event. I figured, with the event beginning at 11:00, the con having been underway for less than an hour, and with so many people still waiting outside to pick up their tickets, I had a pretty good chance to get a good spot in line.

I was very wrong.

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Dispatches From New York Comic Con 2010- Day One: "A Four Hulk Christmas"

On a rainy August afternoon, I was browsing the stacks at a Brooklyn bookstore when I received a phone call from Charge Shot!!!'s own Rob Kunzig. "How would you like it if we sent you to Comic Con, with a press pass?" he asked me. I was head-over-heels. San Diego Comic Con is the geek event of the year, a Mecca for people like myself. And now I would finally get to go, as a credentialed professional. I willingly gave Rob my information as requested by the con's management. I looked forward to summer 2011! Sand Diego, here I come!

Then I realized that Rob meant the New York Comic Con, no relation, which is in October. And New York, where I live.

NYCC isn't quite as prestigious as its West Coast cousin, lacking the main stream name recognition, but it's basically the same thing. The one con I've ever been to was at the age of twelve, when a friend and I attended some sort of Upper Midwest regional convention at the Thunderbird Hotel near the Mall of America. Since then, I've largely come to view big cons like San Diego with a bit of disdain. As far as I can tell, they represent what I will dub "Big Geek": the institutionalized commoditization of nerd culture. What started off as a way to meet fellow comic book aficionados became, since the rise of the comic book movie, a way for movie studios to sell us trailers months before their films premiere. From what I could tell, the art of the comic convention had been lost.

I am pleased to report that my findings from my first day at New York Comic Con proved my prejudices wrong. Sure, there was tons of whoring of licensed movie properties, both comic and non-comic related, but there was enough old school comic focus and geek love to make it a blast.

Plus, I get to go for free.

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Freeman, Eufloria, and Transmedia – Chatting With Rudolf Kremers

Eufloria creator Rudolf Kremers likes to keep himself busy – when he’s not working on Freeman, his next major game project, he’s working on ventures into “transmedia,” or helping Alex May port Eufloria to the Playstation 3. We talked a little with Rudolf via email to get some more information on his latest projects.

On Freeman

Kremers is keeping the specifics of his next game close to his chest, but he was willing to divulge some details.

“The idea of Freeman is that it is an ode to classic sci-fi and the beauty of scientific exploration, in the guise of an indie game,” says Kremers. The exploration theme works on many levels – you’ll physically explore your environment, but you’ll also explore your place in the narrative and the game mechanics themselves, “as well as on other levels that I am not ready to share yet,” says Kremers.

Fans who have been paying attention will notice that Freeman is the first name of physicist Freeman Dyson, whose surname was Eufloria’s original title. When asked about this, Kremers said that the games shared no overt connection. More than that, he wouldn’t say – just that we should expect Freeman sometime in 2011, and that we can expect a better look at the game not more than “a few months” from now.

On going “transmedia”

Kremers did tell us that he had aspirations for Freeman beyond the game itself – something that he calls a “transmedia approach.”

“The game is set in a sci-fi universe that I have been working on for a while, and I decided that I really want to explore this universe further through other media projects as well. As it stands I am planning a graphic novel and investigating a cinematic exploration of sorts.” Basically, Kremers wants Freeman to be just a piece of a larger narrative puzzle.

“The reasons why I think Freeman can be at the centre of a transmedia approach are mainly to do with the fact that the project touches on so many of my permanent interests, and I would be exploring them in one way or another anyway. After some advice from a friend I realized that I may as well develop this new IP as a coherent universe in which various creative efforts can find a home, and that way support and strengthen each other. For example, I recently re-evaluated my other comic project "Spire" and found that it would fit absolutely perfectly in the Freeman universe. So with some minor alterations that project can be added to the whole transmedia approach.”

On Eufloria and the Playstation Network

Lastly, we talked once again with Kremers about his and Alex May’s superb Eufloria (read our review, our first interview, and our follow-up interview), which is coming to the Playstation 3 via the Playstation Network in early 2011. Why the Playstation Network? Simply put, greater creative freedom.

“[The Playstation Network] is the only natural place for the game really as a WiiWare version stranded early after Nintendo approached us at the IGF (they don't like that we work from a home office) and Microsoft put so many extra demands on an XBLA port that it would be both too much a financial risk as well as introduce things in gameplay terms we are not that interested in. Sony on the other hand have been genuinely enthusiastic, and have shown to be very welcoming to the indie approach we bring to the table. We agreed on the direction of the game, both in terms of scope and creative content, which was also crucial. We also think that PSN audience would welcome a game like this. So in short, it makes sense for us to do it this way.”

While Kremers has not announced plans to bring Freeman or any other project to game consoles as of this writing, he says that it’s certainly not out of the question. “At least I expect this to be the case,” he said.

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Movie Review: Iron Man 2

I'm being serious this time.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that sequels to wildly successful summer blockbusters have very high expectations on them. When something strikes a chord with audiences and critics alike like 2008's Iron Man did, people will be waiting with baited breath to see what comes next and they will want it to blow the first installment in the franchise out of the water, Empire-style. So the question that really begs asking is "Does Iron Man 2 live up to its incredible hype?"
The question we should all really be asking though is "Can Scarlett Johansson wear a catsuit in every movie she appears in?" And if Hollywood wants anymore of my money ever it should shout "YES! DEAR GOD, YES!"

In terms of living up to hype, the question is probably best answered with changing the subject to ScarJo in a catsuit because any real discussion of the merits of Iron Man 2 comes down to that or else becomes an exercise in avoiding some glaring mediocrity in an attempt to extract some very good elements out of the film. The truth is, ask anyone you know if they liked Iron Man 2 and they'll probably say something along the lines of "Well..." to start their opinion. This is a movie that inspires "Well..."s in conversations, so keep that in mind.

Iron Man 2 picks up six months after its predecessor left off. Tony Stark has gone public with his role as the eponymous armored superhero and is basking in the augmentation to his already considerable fame. He's being hounded by the United States government to hand over the Iron Man suit while at the same time realizing that the arc reactor in his chest that saved his life at the beginning of the first movie is also slowly killing him. But he's not gonna let that break his stride, he's not gonna let that slow him down, he's gonna go on being a famous international playboy the same as he always has because he's the type to grin and bear it and face death with a grin. Or he's developed an ego-driven death wish or something like that.

With all this bullshit piling up on Stark's plate of life, he also has to deal with a disgruntled Russian physicist (Mickey Rourke, who appears to be playing himself) with an axe to grind with the Stark family, and a slimy business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who would like to see harm done to our hero if it means edging him out in the arms manufacturing game.

I guess I should start with what I didn't like. Someone with more film criticism clout than myself (I want to say it was someone at /Film) made the astute observation that Iron Man 2 is sort of like the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest of superhero movies: it seems overstuffed with subplots and goings on to the point where it sacrifices silly things like plot and character (not to mention that characters irrevocably betray each other and then reconcile with little effort). What is genuinely surprising in this case is that even with this valid point there are still only three real action set pieces.

Iron Man 2 almost feels like it could be done as a stage play; for a summer action tentpole it’s unusually talky. Now this is a weird criticism to make, even I'm not entirely comfortable with it but sometimes during my viewing of this movie I just really wanted more explosions and less instances of Tony Stark speaking to people to convey that he's something of an asshole.

Catsuits notwithstanding, Robert Downey Jr. remains the best thing about this movie. Much like the first entry in the series, RDJ gives another inspired performance and remains the best cast of the comic book movie protagonists. It just seems that because he is so damn good and people love his character the Powers That Be decided that it would be fine to just let him run wild for an hour and a half and then deal with things like tying up the story in a slapdash manner.

What did I like? The cast is amazing, everyone gives great performances all around. Worth noting above all is Sam Rockwell who really tears it up here. Justin Hammer is something akin to Tony Stark's non-union Mexican equivalent and he plays it great; nothing is better than a supervillain with an inferiority complex living off the protagonist’s sloppy seconds and Rockwell hits it out of the park, as usual.

The action scenes, when they happen, are also quite good. Compared to Iron Man's so-so Iron Monger finale, the team up with Don Cheadle's (upgrade!) War Machine (I love palette swaps: Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Ryu and Ken, Mario and Luigi, Iron Man and War Machine) is awesome. My sold out audience was mostly silent for most of the movie but when the good guys teamed up in the final fight against a swarm of evil robots they were cheering.

Most importantly of all, Roger Sterling himself John Slattery shows up in archival footage as Tony Stark's dad, Howard, who was basically the Walt Disney of arms dealers. He is awesome.
All in all, Iron Man 2 is a mixed bag and something of a minor disappointment. It is without a doubt a bridge movie; I can only imagine that the oft-promised Avengers movie on the horizon will more than make up for it.

CATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUITCATSUIT!

Final verdict (with catsuit): 39 Congos
Without catsuit: Like, no fucking Congos, man.
With only catsuits: 1000 Congos!

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Iron Man Lives Again!

Intrepid blogger Alex Boivin used his many connections/musk to weasel his way into an advance screening of Iron Man 2 this week. He has agreed to answer some questions submitted by you, the Charge Shot!!! readers as well as provide a brief plot summary of the summer movie season opener before it hits theaters this Friday.

Q: Has [Tony Stark, as played by Robert Downey Jr.] lost his mind?
A: No. Since the events of the first movie, Iron Man's alter ego retains a modicum of sanity, though he remains a dangerous thrill seeker and famous international playboy, if one can call that sanity.

Q: Can he see or is he blind?
A: The Iron Man armor actually provides Stark with an advanced field of vision, bringing his senses to superhuman levels.

Q: Can he walk at all, or if he moves will he fall?
A: See above.

Q: Is he live or dead?
A: Since Iron Man 2 picks up where the original left off, Tony Stark is indeed alive and well, though since he has outed himself as Iron Man he has made numerous enemies who would wish to do him harm.

Q: Has he thoughts within his head?
A: Tony Stark remains the third smartest human being in the Marvel Universe, falling just behind Reed Richards and Hank Pym.

Q: We'll just pass him there, why should we even care?
A: The first Iron Man did incredible box office numbers and received near universal critical acclaim, despite having its origins in what is a second-tier comic book property. Also, RDJ is a joy to watch.

Q: Does Scarlett Johansson look good in a catsuit?
A: Are you kidding me?

In this newest chapter in the Iron Man saga, billionaire playboy/one man military-industrial complex Tony Stark is turned to steel in the Great Magnetic Field when he travels time for the future of mankind. This is of course based on the ten issue story arc of the same name written by David Michelinie in the early 80's.

Stark finds himself unwanted by the public that once adored him, staring at the world in despair. This leads him to plan his vengeance which he unfolds in due course.

At this point in the story, the time has come for Iron Man to spread fear. Avenging himself from the grave, Stark kills the people he once saved, which is of course a great departure from the relatively happy-go-lucky escapism of 2008's Iron Man. Director Jon Favreau should be commended for his willingness to stay true to the source material and deliver a dark, intellectually satisfying film.

Considering him unworthy of their help, the public turns their heads from the unwanted Iron Man. But now Tony Stark has his revenge: with heavy boots of lead (the original titanium alloy armor having been destroyed by Whiplash) Stark's victims are filled with dread. As fast as they can run, they are powerless in the face of this truth: Iron Man lives again!

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