The problem with Iron expectations

Tomorrow, Iron Man 3 will be released, will be a hit across the globe, and be solidified as the second-best Iron Man film ever made.

For all the fanfare, there will still be a group of people who sit behind computers and yell “MEH” loudly at the screens, disappointed at the latest Marvel superhero sequel.

How can one be that disappointed in Iron Man 3 though?

Let’s throw out the film’s plot conventions, the reviews, and what we think we already know. Let’s boil down this film into what it is—a film about a man who is the Energizer bunny.

Now, because this film has a great cast, and usually better-than-average special effects, dialogue, and directors, Iron Man and its sequels are the subject of over-fixation.

I read one review of the third installment, where the writer was disappointed that director Shane Black didn’t dive into bits of terrorism or bigger social issues.

Dude, this film is called Iron Man 3. Get real. Go watch Zero Dark Thirty.

I’m not defending how awful Iron Man 3 could be—I haven’t seen it yet—but let’s look at the facts.
Black is the same guy who wrote Lethal Weapon and The Long Kiss Goodnight, two honestly-mediocre films that have gained status as classics because they were surprise hits.

Note: everyone knows Lethal Weapon 2 is better. Second note: The Long Kiss Goodnight made my mom unintentionally laugh in theaters, and she goes to the movies to eat popcorn.

I can understand one not enjoying the technical aspects of an Iron Man movie, or the fact that it could be a hodgepodge of unrelated events that make you cross-eyed (that should have been the subtitle to Iron Man 2). I can understand how one would question certain events in certain films not making sense, see the entirety of Prometheus.

However, when you knowingly go into a film—a film about an Energizer bunny-man no less—and expect it to be something more than a summer blockbuster action comedy, that’s not the film’s problems. That’s your problem, and you should probably quell those expectations.

Remember: dude, this film is called Iron Man 3.

The reason for the expectations of a great Tony Stark film is because the first Iron Man was a pleasant surprise. We had no expectations when we saw that film. I remember having to coax myself into seeing it after finals. My friend even looked at me, “That movie looks stupid.”

I enjoyed the first film because I didn’t go in with preconceived notions. I went in to be entertained, and Iron Man did just that.

The ludicrous expectation for upcoming entertainment comes with digesting never-ending analysis, then instilling it in our brains as if to say that film or song has to be this or it’s bad.

We hear about this upcoming film or album, read spoilers or what “experts” thought, then experience this with those thoughts floating in our heads.

For example, The Strokes released another strong album this year, Comedown Machine. The Strokes have and always will be a good pop-rock band, known for getting great sounds. They are reliable because they deliver hooks.

For some reason, listeners—cough Pitchfork’s audience cough—expect the band to rewrite its second album Room on Fire. It’s not going to happen. The more you expect that to happen, the more you’ll be disappointed. But that’s not The Strokes’ fault. That’s your fault, and no entertainer/artist/musician should be judged by someone’s desire for a band to release the same album or for a filmmaker to make the same movie time and time again.

Just buy the collector’s editions, people.

The laundry list of examples is endless. If you want to see how mad a fanboy can get, read how disappointed people were at The Dark Knight Rises.

Then realize what a Batman film is at its core—a crime drama about a man dressing up as a bat. That film could be so awful, see Joel Schumacher’s camp dud Batman & Robin for a visual taste of how bad a Batman film can be. Yet, we got not one, but three brilliant dark dramas from Christopher Nolan. I can’t really say shame on you because the film grossed millions, probably a billion.

But you do realize how dumb it sounds to expect something groundbreaking out of a film about a guy dressing up as a bat, right?

Perhaps the only expectation to have is to be entertained. That might sound naďve. Yet, a critical analysis isn’t a list of how something did meet or subvert your expectations, but more a view of what worked or didn’t work in that piece of entertainment.

If we continue to want this rather child-like entertainment to be something we fashioned in our mind and review it based on those ideas, we’ll continue to be a disappointed young audience of grumpy old souls yelling “MEH” to an imagined audience because we wanted Iron Man 3 to say something about America’s battle against terrorism.