Just Good Ol' Fashioned Revenge

Let's talk about "Iron Man 3." Of course, the big news today is the release of the new trailer for the summer blockbuster. And that is definitely a talking point all it's own. However, as a nifty little tie in to the trailer release, I would be remiss not to mention yesterday's Variety report of a blog post (potentially written by former Digital Domain Media Group CEO John Textor) accusing Marvel of being complicit in the ongoing studio v. VFX debacle (see The VFX Rebellion). First, the trailer. As any number of reviews on the trailer will attest, this is not your average Iron Man. While the first two films in the franchise were cheesy super hero fun (although the overly long "Iron Man 2" was probably more fun in theory than execution), "Iron Man 3" appears to have a darker tone right off the bat. Tony Stark can't sleep. At first it would appear he has it made. "Im Tony Stark: I build neat stuff, I got a great girl and, occasionally - save the world. So why cant I sleep?" Well, it could have something to do with the slew of attacks throughout the city, no doubt caused by new villains The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), and protecting the love of his life, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), from an untimely demise. The trailer promises a more introspective approach to Tony Stark and Iron Man. More along the lines of "The Dark Night Rises" brooding Bruce Wayne or, hopefully to a lesser degree, "Spider Man 3" and the tortured asshole persona Peter Parker adopted. The trend here being that by the third go around our favorite heroes have been heroes for so long, they now question who they are and how to balance life with duty. Bruce Wayne went rock climbing, Peter Parker threw temper tantrums and it looks like Tony Stark will blow things up, suffer from anxiety and clone himself until he reaches self-realization. It is an interesting theme to tackle in this age of fame: a seemingly beyond human super hero grappling with doing his job and living his life. "Do you want an empty life or a meaningful death?" The Mandarin puts this ultimatum to Iron Man in his slowest drawl, evoking what could be the strongest aspect of the film - to live a normal life, or die in the name of some self imposed value. Tony Stark, typically a flat persona, has the potential to become a more complex and interesting character given the introduction of such inner struggle. This is obviously speculation on what could be a throw away one liner. But if the Iron Man franchise really is heading in a stronger dramatic direction, Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jr. is probably the best brooding super hero to stew in self reflection given his vast wealth, playboy past and wildly unknown future (sound familiar). Despite some clear intersections between the recently concluded (?) Dark Knight franchise (a slow speaking brute of a villain, a plane stunt nearly identical to the opening sequence of "The Dark Knight Rises"), "Iron Man 3" looks ready to provide a stronger, more dynamic, better structured film for the summer audiences now wanting cerebral heft with their popcorn and slushy. And now, you might be thinking, what was that less notable talk about a blog post from some guy you've never heard of? Variety reported yesterday that blogger "VFX Soldier" suspects a comment on his recent post regarding the Oscar day Hollywood and Highland protest, signed John, could be from the former CEO of Digital Domain Media Group, John Textor. Digital Domain is one of five VFX facilities who worked on the recent Iron Man installment, the first in the series not to receive its visual wonder from previous facility, Industrial Light And Magic. Digital Domain Media Group filed for bankruptcy in September of last year, leaving Mr. Textor with a rather disgraced name in the VFX industry, and Digital Domain visual effects was sold to Beijing Galloping Horse America and Reliance Media Works. The main portion of the post can be read here: http://variety.com/2013/film/news/did-former-digital-domain-ceo-dish-on-bad-iron-man-3-deal-1200002686/
At its core, the post puts blame on Marvels Victoria Alonso and Marvel itself for supposedly being in support of visual artists, but providing little more than 14% gross margin to Digital Domain for its work on "Iron Man 3." In the commenters words, "not enough to even cover the light bill." The post also intimates that studios are the main culprit in disabling the VFX industry due to a lack of proper compensation for the work. The post concludes with a veiled accusation that this practice is what destroyed Rhythm & Hues. The author of this post has not been confirmed. However, Textor has often made the same opinion publicly known. Whether or not it really is Textor, the accusation establishes "Iron Man 3" as an unwilling symbol of the current VFX dilemma. As the supposed rebellion continues to stir, more attention is being focussed on visual effects. And with words as harsh as those aimed at Marvel, studios will come under more scrutiny in their handling of VFX in their films. With threats looming of retaliation by visual artists, it is possible the VFX industry will use the effects heavy summer season to bring attention to their plight and put a negative light on Hollywood studios. Suddenly, the summer blockbuster season will not only have action on the screen, but in Hollywood itself. As attested by Iron Man himself, "No politics here. Just good ol' fashioned revenge."