Hello there! It’s me, Molly! I have a confession to make…
Despite having photos like this…I have never seen a Marvel movie.**
(**Technically I have seen Guardians of the Galaxy. I watched it because…Chris Pratt, but I had literally no idea what was happening other than the soundtrack was amazing and the raccoon was cute. I also fell asleep trying to watch Ant-man once.)
Shocking, I know. I have seen every Disney animated classic, every Pixar film, ever Episode of Star Wars…but for some reason I never got on the Marvel bandwagon. And then when the big ones were hitting the screen (Infinity War and Endgame), I asked a few friends if I’d understand them. They said yes — but I had to watch like 20 other movies first, and I got too overwhelmed.
For years, I’ve awkwardly nodded along in conversations and pretended to know what the infinity stones are or who Hawkeye is (literally no clue), and I have no idea which one the best Chris is (for now, it’s Pratt IMO, but…something tells me Hemsworth may be stiff competition). Once I met Captain America at Universal Orlando and he asked me about something called Hydra(???) and I just had to nod and laugh along. This ends now.
I am starting a cinematic adventure — 23 movies and 12 years in the making. I have no idea when I’m in for — but these movies have grossed over $22 billion dollars worldwide, so they must be pretty good right?
For the record — I am watching them in release order. I know there’s debate about release order vs. chronological order, but everyone I asked said release order. Which brings me to Iron-man.
Here goes nothing!
71 Thoughts I Had While Watching Iron Man for the First Time:
1. Starting with AC/DC, this is already great.
2. LOL @ Robert Downey Jr. just enjoying a cocktail. I already enjoy him and his zippy Barney Stinson energy.
3. I am nervous things are going too casually and they are clearly in an active war zone.
4. Oh man, I hate being right. This is v stressful.
5. Oh the irony of being shot at by your own weapons. But he appears to also have been saved by his own weapons. Marvel is much deeper than I thought they would be, 4 minutes into the first film.
6. First impression — immediately not trusting this Stane guy. I feel like he may try and murder Robert Downey Jr. because he took over the company. Maybe he killed Papa Stark? TBD.
7. Oh wow, didn’t know Terrance Howard was in this. I feel like I’m going to be constantly shocked at how many super famous people are in these movies.
8. Is Stane Jeff Bridges? *pauses to check IMDB* Wow shocked by another celeb appearance already.
9. Is that Jon Favreau?! I will always know him as the Pete Becker, Monica’s rich boyfriend on Friends who wanted to be a UFC fighter. Didn’t he direct this?! *checks IMDB again* HE DID! Wow gotta love a cameo.
10. Tony Stark’s house, while not my style architecturally, is very baller.
11. OMG Gwyneth Paltrow?! Wow she is sassy with a smile and I am enjoying her, per usual.
12. The chemistry is palpable, obviously they love each other.
13. As a woman, I should hate Tony Stark. But…I love him.
14. LOL at watching this in 2020 and seeing the Motorola phone he has that’s supposed to be cutting edge.
15. Did they…implant something in him?
16. Yes.
17. Ok, I like this underground scientist doctor man. I do not feel the same for the armed soldiers who just walked in.
18. Tony Stark is on to you man!! He knows you’re lying!!
19. I feel like he’s having doing a lot of reflecting and having an interpersonal crisis that can only lead to him hating war and becoming a superhero.
20. I also kinda think he’s not really building a missile.
21. Nailed it.
22. Oh here I thought that the bearded bad guy was the in charge bad guy, but it’s really the bald bad guy.
23. I think he was on Grey’s Anatomy and Derek Shepherd had to take out his tumor. *checks IMDB yet again* He was. I am a little ashamed I knew that so quickly.
24. NOOO don’t hurt Yinsen!!!! I love him so much. He’s a precious angel.
25. Is there a gym at the Marvel Headquarters where all these guys just lift heavy things while smizing at each other? I hope so.
26. That bar is loading SO slow – it’s like when you’re trying to get a Rise of the Resistance boarding group and you’re waiting for the friends and family screen to load.
27. I am really hoping Yinsen gets out of this…but it’s not looking good.
28. He looks like The Iron Giant. Remember that movie? The eyes peaking out of the giant armour also reminds me of the Mountain on Game of Thrones.
29. YINSEN!!! He’s alive!!!! Wait…
30. “Don’t waste your life.” *crying emoji*
30. Are all of these movies going to be this stressful? I am going to need my blood pressure checked at the end of this.
31. Ok I don’t care what that suit is made of, he’d be dead if he flew into the ground at that speed….. I should probably just suspend belief for these films.
32. Gwenyth loves him so much!!! I love their back and forth. I also love cheeseburgers and fully understand his demands.
33. Burger King though? I’d be going straight up Big Mac. I wonder how much Burger King paid to be the burger of Stark’s choice.
34. It’s hard to pull off mad on a segway but Jeff Bridges is doing it brilliantly. The cigar helps.
35. Shouldn’t she wash her hands before this underground robot surgery? At least use a little hand sani?
36. Pepper, or Pepps as I like to call her, is gonna save the old heart machine thing I bet. I dunno why, but they made a big deal about if he should save it or not, and she looked at it longingly.
37. Ahhhh yes…the classic “bad guy spins slowly to reveal a scar/burn/injury he received in battle/identifying characteristic” move.
38. Cue the training montage. Jeff Bridges interrupted it but we’re back.
39. “Yeah. I can fly.” ICONIC.
40. He still looks like the Iron Giant, but no longer like the Mountain.
41. I like that he can fly and all that…but I still don’t really see what his super hero schtick is yet. Like…is he gonna fight crime? Go back to the war and battle the bad guys?
42. OMG SHE DID SAVE THE HEART THING FOR A LOVELY SHADOWBOX. Kewt.
43. I love the snark from the robot.
44. That’s not Hef, that’s Stan Lee!!!!!! I hear he makes cameos in the films. Into it.
45. JUST LOVE EACH OTHER ALREADY.
46. This guy with the long job title keeps popping up and I am pretty sure he’s important since he’s shown up twice now.
47. JEFF BRIDGES WHAT ARE YOU UP TO YOU SNEAKY BALD MAN.
48. Wait — why are all the bad guys bald in this movie? What statement is Marvel trying to make?
49. “Who, if anyone, will help?” *Tony Stark looks knowingly at his reflection.*
Me:
50. Iron Man is BACK and he means BUSINESS.
51. Cool guy walks away while something explodes in the background. Obvious, but always a winner.
52. Oh man, how is Tony Stark not motion sick. I bet he rides Mission Space on the Orange side.
53. Jeff Bridges is really leaning into the supervillain stereotype with the robe and striped collar on the outside.
54. Well, well, well…one bad bald guy meets another bad bald guy.
55. Jeff Bridges proves he’s the elite bad bald guy.
56. Pepps what are you doing!!! She’s about to save the day isn’t she.
57. I legit just jumped when Jeff Bridges walked in. HE BETTER NOT HURT PEPPS.
58. OH NO JEFF KNOWS SHE GOT THE FILES EVEN THOUGH PEPPS WAS SO SLICK. *starts stress eating popcorn*
59. Jeff is fessing up as he murders Tony but he doesn’t realize PEPPS IS ON THE PHONE. (I need to keep repeating that to myself so I don’t stress further.)
60. THE HEART FROM PEPPS IS GONNA SAVE HIM!!!! With an assist from the robot!!!! *slow clap*
61. I knew guy with long job title would return. Was his whole purpose to coincidentally be there for a meeting on the day Jeff Bridges was gonna attack? Convenient.
62. And I thought that ice all over the suit scene earlier was stupid and just for show. Silly me.
63. OF COURSE PEPPS IS GONNA DO IT. She’s gonna save the day!
64. Nice touch being able to see both their faces in the final battle.
65. Pepps saved the day!! And long job title guy did have more purpose so that’s good for him. Is he gonna come back? Should I learn his name?
66. OH HIS JOB IS WITH S.H.I.E.L.D?! That’s a thing in the MCU I’m pretty sure. Guess I should learn his name.
67. “I am Iron Man.” What a baller.
68. I was told by many friends I need to sit through all the credits????
69. Oh, that’s why.
70. SAMMY L IN THE BUILDING.
72. HE SAID S.H.I.E.L.D!!!! AND AVENGER!!!!! AHHHHH!!!! (Is this how all of you felt for the last 12 years?!)
Final Thoughts:
Iron Man was good!! I enjoyed it more than I thought thanks to RDJ’s wit and general demeanor, and the plot was easier to understand than I expected. (Guess that’s what happens when you start at the beginning.) I also really enjoyed Gwenyth as Pepps, and hope she’s back in the next Iron Mans. Plus, that end credits scene got me PUMPED for what’s next, which I did not think would happen.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being Home on the Range and 10 being Beauty and the Beast, I award Iron Man a 7.
NEXT UP: The Incredible Hulk
Molly's Thoughts on ALL the Marvel Movies!
- “This Movie Made Me Feel Again”: 74 Thoughts I Had Watching ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ for the First Time
- “Thank Goodness for Andrew Garfield.” 69 Thoughts I Had Watching ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ for the First Time
- 62 Thoughts I Had Watching ‘Spider-Man 3’ for the First Time Ever
- 56 Thoughts I Had Watching ‘Spider-Man 2’ for the First Time Ever
- 67 Thoughts I Had Watching ‘Spider-Man’ for the First Time in Almost 20 Years
- 3 Things I Loved and 3 Things I Hated about Marvel’s ‘Eternals’
- 5 Reasons I Loved Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’
- Such a Poser: 102 Thoughts I Had Watching Black Widow for the First Time
- I’m Mad That I’m Sobbing Again: 54 Thoughts I Had During the WandaVision Finale
- Why Am I Crying Over a Robot? 51 Thoughts I Had Watching WandaVision Episode 8
What’s your favorite Marvel Movie? Let us know in the comments!
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Judging by all of the comments (the most I’ve ever seen on AllEars), there’s no wonder why Disney is adding so much Marvel to their parks. It’s clear there’s a market for it. We LOVE our Marvel Universe! Never in a billion years did I think I’d ever be the one saying that. I’m always way late to the party, but glad I decided to come!
I know You can’t but I would advise skipping the first two Thor movies. Thor doesn’t get awesome until Ragnarok
I just recently did the Marvel Movie Marathon myself during quarantine! I’d say that Captain America Winter Soldier along with all of the Avengers movies were my personal favorites. I also loved the Guardians bc YES Chris Pratt will forever be my favorite Chris. Glad you enjoyed the first one!!!! I’m very excited to read the upcoming posts.
First off – Hemsworth, Evans, Pratt – that is the correct order! I love this article, Please keep doing. I only ever watched Iron Man because my son wanted to see it when he was like 8 and I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate so I watched it first, I have been hooked on all the films ever since then. My friend has never seen them either and we have been watching them but since COVID we are stuck at Civil War. I love all your comments. You will find many stars that are in the films and sometime not just as cameos. Yes you should remember SHIELD agent Coleson as he will be in many more films. Also ALWAYS watch all the end credits. There are a few duds in the mix – Incredible Hulk being one of them but out of 23 films there is only about 3 or 4 not really worth watching more than once. Hope you enjoy them all.
Captain America the first Avenger, Thor, and Black Panther. Black Panther is an amazing movie! I agree Mark Ruffalo is a much better Hulk. Enjoyed real time reactions, look forward to your reactions to the other movies.
You will probably like Mark Ruffalo better as the Hulk so don’t give up. I never thought I would like superhero movies but I was hooked after seeing Tom Hiddleston as Loki. And don’t forget Marvels Agents of Shield tv show. It actually explains some things from the movies and I think you will love Clark Gregg.
Molly, you never cease to amaze me. I never thought you could top your You Tube videos. But reading your real-time reactions to movies, especially Marvel movies? Sign me up!!! Can I be your BFF?
My kids and I did this before Infinity War. No Disney+ then so it was an adventure finding them all. It was a load of fun though. Some of the movies are definitely better than others. Enjoy the ride. Favorites were Avengers 1, Black Panther and Endgame.
I, too, was confused as to why ANYONE would select Burger King over McDonald’s (or pretty much anywhere else) as their top choice. But then I read the story as to why RDJ requested a whopper for that scene, and the world made sense again. You HAVE to look it up… pretty sure it’s in the IMDB trivia section for the movie.
Hulk is not as good as iron man. But you’ll get through it
That was a very fun read…looking forward to the rest of your reviews. The Captain America movies are my favorites..with Civil War coming out on top!
Molly this is VERY enjoyable. Pls keep doing them! Thank you!
P.S my fave is Black Panther and my husband’s is Thor Ragnarok. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy both very much; the humor and jokes in them alone make them worth watching. (Also very good acting, writing, character development, visual effects etc etc) but yeah I can’t wait for you to experience them
This makes me so happy! Can’t wait to read all of your reviews!
I, too, questioned the choice of Burger King… you HAVE to look up the story behind why RDJ requested a Whopper be used!!! it’s awesome and made me love the man all the more!!! (Think it’s told in the IMDB trivia.)
They’re hit and miss for a few years worth of movies. Then around the time of Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America 2 they hit their stride and it’s a crazy ride from then on.
Have fun!
Mols! I love that you are doing this. I actually did the same thing last summer. Took me a bit, but I topped it off by watching Spidey 2 in theaters. It was a long journey, but mostly good. I hope you enjoy. I can’t wait to see your other comments. I am so here for all of it!
Release order is the best best to watch these films IMO. Like any series there will be highs and lows. Fortunately the MCU doesn’t have any real lows, and does have some real highs. There are some lesser entries, but I think you’ll enjoy most of the films. The only advice I give is to avoid spoilers if at all possible before watching any movie. And DO watch thru the end credits of every movie.
That was hysterical. Love your humor. And writing style. The next two Iron Man movies aren’t quite as good in my opinion but they have merits. Scarlett Johansson is super badass in the second one and Pepper really kicks it up (literally) several notches by the end of the third one. Lots of great one liners. (All the best one liners are in Men In Black) 😉 Glad to have you on board with the Marvel Universe. I think you’ll love Captain America. (Move over Christmas Pratt)
Men in Black?
Love your comments! Thinking about watching it again just to follow along! Lol
Thank you, I needed a smile today.
Just so you know Iron Man 3 may be the absolute WORST movie ever made. Just a heads up.
Iron man and Hulk were made when Disney did not own marvel Studios. They were made on their own. While I liked both once Disney buys Marvel and gives them an unlimited budget the quality of the films sky rockets. What separates these stories from any other prior super hero films is the deep of character development and the well thought out story lines. In fairness, the increased development of the stories began with Christian bale in the Dark knight trilogy. however, DC studios really dropped the ball after that and marvel ran with it. I saw the first Avengers three times in the theater. It was amazing. All of the 1st phase movies were good, but they really take a step up with Avengers, and the movies that come after that. Winter soldier, civil war, etc.
I can SO relate! I tried watching Endgame without knowing who the characters were and it made no sense. I found a viewing order recommendation and watched enough of them to get to know character names and how they relate to each other. But ALL of the movies?! I have the utmost respect for you. You are a trooper! My favorite Disney movies: Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast (my daughter was tiny when these came out). Pixar: Up and Wall-e. Lifelong all-things-Disney fan. Molly, thanks for all you do for us!
Very fun idea! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the movies! Hulk and the second Thor aren’t the best, so don’t give up ☺️
A fair assessment, and yes I averaged about 5 IMDb searches per film so many famous people. As the films build up the interplay between the heroes really makes the series greater than the sum of its parts. Enjoy! 😀
PLEAAAASE keep doing these! I’ve practically memorized the Marvel films, and (coincidentally) just re-watched Iron Man last night for the unpteenth time…just cause. Reading your train of thought was thoroughly entertaining!
Loved reading this, that is indeed how I felt watching them all for the first time! You’re in for a real treat, especially from Iron Man 2 onwards because they had the funding and creative vision from Disney to produce even better films. Please keep sharing these thoughts over all 23 films, I’d love it and I’m sure others would too!
Omg!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed all your comments!! Makes me wanna watch with you! Haha
I CANNOT wait for you to watch the Winter Soldier.
“I feel like I’m going to be constantly shocked at how many super famous people are in these movies.
Oh, you have no idea! I love these movies, and look forward to hearing your take on all of them. (just don’t give up after Hulk & Thor 2, easily the weakest of the bunch).
Favreau was also the director. He knows his Marvel and Star Wars audiences very well. You’ll find out who killed Mr. Stark during your Marvel watch party! The movies are fabulous; some are slower than others, but all entertaining. Winter Soldier is the gold standard.
Avengers Endgame!
Your comments are hysterical but accurate! Enjoy the others! (Btw hemsworth is worth it in Thor:)
7??? NO!!!