IRON MAN 3 AND THE DARK KNIGHT RISES: PLOT TWISTS
So a lot of people have been comparing Iron Man 3 to The Dark Knight Rises in terms of the big plot twist. I’m going to say that it’s completely unfair. The two plot twists may be similar on paper, but they both work completely differently. So let’s compare, shall we?
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
THE TWIST:
Miranda Tate is Talia al Ghul, and has been working with Bane the whole time
Okay, I’m going to say it... every time I see The Dark Knight Rises, this twist in no way surprises me, but it still feels epic when Batman is looking down at Bane, but is stabbed in the back (literally and figuratively) by the woman he loves. It’s tragic, it’s epic, it’s touching. Marion Cotillard, you may not have given the best death scene, but I love the twist reveal. The thing about it, however, was that we all saw it coming. In fact, I’m not even sure if it counts as a plot twist. Also, many people were angry at Talia being the mastermind, as it made Bane obsolete. Seriously guys, Bane’s still a badass. He’s still intelligent, he’s still the face of the plan. And it gives a whole new layer to Bane. It shows that... well, the Tin Man must have a heart. Because it’s breaking. It makes Bane four-dimensional. He’s doing it for his own purposes, and for love, while also building on his three-dimensional character traits. And it gives the bland Miranda Tate a new identity and better reason to be in the movie. Yeah, I laughed at it the first time I saw the movie. But after two more viewings, I came to love this twist.
WHAT WORKS:
*It gives Bane more character
*It gives Miranda more character
*The reveal scene is great
*A flow of emotion happens at once
WHAT DOESN’T
*The fact that fanboys raged about it
*It sets up the worst death scene ever
Now, to Iron Man 3!
IRON MAN 3
THE TWIST
The Mandarin isn’t the Mandarin, but an actor
My first reaction: Kill me. My second reaction: (frick) this (frick)ing movie. My third reaction: Hahahhahahahahaha! That... oh God, that’s the best thing ever!
And that, friends, is how my mind works. First was when I first heard about the twist. Second was when it was revealed in the movie. Third was at home, browsing 9Gag. Allow me to explain:
The first two times, the Mandarin was rendered obsolete to me. Probably to a lot more too. I wasn’t a big fan of Iron Man until I saw the first movie. Then I got really into the comics. I own a bunch of them, and the Mandarin holds a special place in my heart. So I was... less than happy about this twist. God, I was so mad! I couldn’t analyze the scene out of anger. I was pissed about it.
On 9Gag, however, I got it. First, Marvel couldn’t make Mandarin work in an Iron Man movie. Not properly. The Iron Man movies have been branded as techno thrillers by audiences, and the Mandarin is much more fantasy than sci-fi. He got human sized power rings from an alien spaceship piloted by a dragon from outer space. Now, imagine that in an Iron Man film. Done? You sure? Mad? Angry? Dissapointed? Of course you are. Now, imagine Mandarin as the lone villain, with power rings. However, they are powered by arc energy. At the end of the film, there’s a two-minute fight scene against the Mandarin, who now has his own suit. Happy? No? OF FREAKING COURSE NOT!!!! Second, the Mandarin was all a play. Killian made a deal with the Ten Rings organization to play them up to be huge terrorists to distract Tony and get some tech for Extremis if they were promised some. I smell Iron Man 4! Third, It’s comedy. It’s a metaphor for North Korea and all these terrorists who are ‘acting’. They have no real power, or anything unbelievably devastating, and they’re playing themselves up to be huge bad guys. The real threat is in the inside. Treason, double agents, all that fun stuff. Like Killian. Also, it kept the 2-D Mandarin from being unmemorable and bland.
WHAT WORKS
*The comedy
*The metaphor
*The added depth to the character
*The changing of formula (villain gets a suit)
WHAT DOESN’T
*The blind rage that I was thrown into
*The ‘fake’ Mandarin, who was played up in trailers
You see how they’re different? I laughed at The Dark Knight Rises. I laughed with Iron Man 3. After a rage-filled Hulk-out session. But never mind that.
That was it. Please no hate comments. I mean come on guys. Here, I’ll give you a word of the day.
OPINION.
Say it with me. opinion. opinion. O-P-I-N-I-O-N. Rhymes with Killian. Or fillian. Or sillian.
Until next time,
Comiccow6