On Iron Man 3, Terrorists, and an Outdated Lupang Hinirang

(written- April 24-25, 11pm-2.30am; edited & posted somewhat later for fear of being labeled a spoiler :p)

I can’t sleep.

Aside from the stimulants that I took today—Café Latte, Caramel Macchiato, 3-in-1 coffee, and black tea (in separate cups of course, during different times of the day, and not the kind that costs more than fifty pesos, really), one concoction is keeping me awake.

Iron Man 3.

So now I have decided to just open MS Word to fizz all these off. My adrenaline pumps up hyperactively after watching a movie, show, or concert that I tremendously like. I remember watching The Repertory Philippines production of The Wiz as a 5-year-old, and I was so in awe that I thought about it all night and slept in kindergarten class the next day. I woke up to the sound of our teacher’s voice, Mrs. De Oro, discussing the different modes of transportation (“Ivannee, what is a tuk-tuk?”, I think she asked me that as punishment).

My friends Kay, Shamee, and I were able to catch the 7.30pm showing of Iron Man 3. Kay, who is one of the most energetic and endorphin-filled people I know, helped elevate the excitement of every action-packed scene throughout the movie. We were giving each other high-fives during epic superhero or cheesy romantic scenes, and she made me belt out “Oh My Gosh!”, complete with hand-covering-the-mouth-wide-eyed reaction. Meanwhile, Shamee agreed that the Lupang Hinirang in the beginning of the trailers had a handful of boo-boo’s and was irresponsibly outdated (Aetas were pictured in random “indigenous” garb. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the last president featured, with the caption “A Strong Republic” under her name. That made us say “Whattt?” 90s-rapper-style while mouthing the National Anthem. Arrest us now for breaking the law). We also agreed that the image of a terrorist with a long beard and a Middle-Eastern persona was so passé and stereotypical (more of this later).

Overall, there were no dull moments in the movie. Much more, along with the edge-of-your-seat action, Iron Man 3 is also thought-provoking and relevant. Now I am no movie critic whatsoever; the closest I’ve gotten to doing a movie review was when I said “Titanic is so long and boring!” when I was nine, “Titanic is so long, but I just realized, Leo de Caprio is cute” when I was fourteen, “Titanic made me cry” when I was seventeen, and “The character of Winslet, Rose, is projecting an image of a/an ‘insert-nerdy-Psychology-book-neurotic-term-here’ “ when I was nineteen and taking up Psychology, thereby over-analyzing everything (I still do up to now).

It greatly helps that I have not read a single review of Iron Man 3. You see, I’m one of those gullible loons who believe movie and music writers more than I believe journalists from CNN or the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Among my favorite writers throughout my adolescence and up to now are Igan D’ Bayan and Ms. Regina Belmonte, who write about the Philippine art scene, mainstream and alternative music and films, popular culture, and all kinds of reviews. As a teenager, I believed everything they wrote, cut out their column illustrations and pasted them on my scrapbook, and got up early in the morning every Friday to read their stuff. I trusted them much more than I trusted the front page news, because I knew they were authentic in their writing. They wrote what they believed in, filtered nothing, and they didn’t care if the readers agreed or not. Mr. D’ Bayan’s writing influenced me a lot and he reinforced much insight and contributed to a wider worldview, which I personally could not extract from the front page news, in most academic textbooks, or in chick-literature.

This review, however, could end up turning into a fan girl review, so brace yourselves.

How was Iron Man 3? Below are three things that I liked (and a few things I did not like) about the movie:

1. Pepper Potts

It is refreshing that every now and then, the image of “damsel in distress” is deleted and replaced with “strong, smart woman with the abs”. Though the abs part is totally irrelevant, it’s still a breather from the big-boobs, skimpy/girly outfit, and far-away stare that dot the image of women in movies. Though Ms. Potts was used as bait for Tony Stark, which is typical in superhero movies I suppose, she played a huge role in saving his life and his essence. My favorite part was when she wore the Iron Man suit. Ms. Potts also is, corny and hazardously cheesy as it may sound, Tony/Iron Man’s anchor. (There, I said it! It’s so cheesy you can’t take it that you’re almost lactose-intolerant!) Instead of girl-needs-guy-to-redeem-herself ala all horrendous Nicolas Sparks movies, it is the reverse. Well actually, NO. That’s not the case, really.

They don’t need each other. They live for a higher purpose, something beyond themselves, and their relationship is just there to fuel that, not to complete themselves or their lives. Unlike Spiderman where Peter is totally smitten with Mary Jane (though I like spidey, but that’s another story).

“I wake up every day with a woman beside me who still has her soul,” Tony says in the movie. (or something like that)

Are you vomiting yet due to the cheesiness?

2. The Image of a Terrorist, Cleared

In the earlier-to-middle part of Iron Man 3, I had raised eyebrows about the villain, Mandarin (played by Sir Ben Kingsley, a severely talented actor). Typically, he seemed so... typical. He’s like every terrorist we know (as portrayed by media that is)- Osama Bin Laden-ish with the long beard, the Middle-Eastern accent. I was murmuring in disagreement, I was almost disgusted. Hollywood was boxing in stereotypes once again. And what’s with long beards? In the movie, Mandarin appears on tv, arousing a big scare throughout the entire United States of America.  There were also scenes picturing women in burqa (attire of women in some Islamic traditions) and men in taqiyah (caps worn by Muslim men) being interrogated.

And then, it happened. The clearing.

In the latter part of the movie, Iron Man finds the headquarters of this terrorist (in Florida, not in Istanbul or Kabul), only to discover that this Middle-Eastern-looking guy is actually a British marijuana enthusiast from Liverpool who is also a convincing stage actor. All along, he was simply playing a role; he was a mere representative, someone to promote fear. His image, after all, is what the world thinks a terrorist should be.

In truth, the real mastermind terrorist is a white guy in a suit (Yes! Now we’re talking!), who holds both science and sad beginnings in his hands. For me, this earns the movie plus points. It is made clear that “terrorist” doesn’t necessarily have to be the “terrorist” that we think.

After all, how many people do we know have overt/covert pre-conceived biases against groups of people wearing burqas or taqiyahs? Okay I’ll say it- Muslims? I personally know a guy who hates Muslims, all of them. And this guy is educated (complete with a Masters degree), but his hate overpowers him that not even his brilliant mind can fathom the concepts of peace and diversity. You might be asking: what does this have to do with terrorism? Well, I think it all starts from there. Hollywood, media—these biggies reinforce the hate or ignorance that is kept within us. Remember the Philippine Daily Inquirer controversy of a woman in a burqa shaking hands with PNoy? No? Well, click here (but finish reading this first, darling).

Interestingly, in the comic book, the Mandarin is Chinese (obvious ba?). Why did they not portray him as Chinese then? Is it because the image of an Asian terrorist is less threatening than a Middle-Eastern?

Oh, and I personally did not like the portrayal of Persons with Disabilities as angry and sad people seeking for revenge and redemption by succumbing to a mad science experiment (of the sad smart terrorist) which turns them into monsters. That is a little unempowering.

3. Tony Stark’s Process

We know Tony Stark as a suave braggart who has every reason to swank. After all, he is Iron Man, swoon-worthy, intelligent, good-looking, innovative. He gets the girls. The world is in love/in hate with him.

In the past two Iron Man movies, we witnessed his transition from materialistic corporate guy who sleeps with every hot woman to socially-responsible person who shifts from creating weapons of mass destruction to armors of national security. He’s had his issues with his father re-surfaced, which provided an empathic view for us to understand his psyche.

In Iron Man 3, he experiences anxiety attacks and insomnia. His billion-dollar house blows up along with his fancy cars, his laboratory, everything that he materially has. He lands in a small town, all-cold, stealing a parka from a Native American statue. His anxiety attacks worsen. Thanks to a kid who helps him (not only by allowing Tony to use his house as a laboratory, or giving him a tuna sandwich, but also therapist-style) and says “Okay just breathe. You’re the mechanic right? Then build something”, Tony realizes his essence—he builds and fixes things.

There is something very human about this. It is that cliché that I know you’re expecting from me (I’m a cliché fan, yes)- Iron Man is only iron from the outside, but deep down he is also flesh, hormones, nerves, trauma, and everything that makes up any human being. Be-ing.

In the end, his mechanical heart is removed and he is back to functioning with all his arteries and ventricles  intact. What a simple yet endearing way to cap the story.

And I guess I should make a conclusion now. It is almost 3am and I have work tomorrow, people at work will notice my eye bags and attribute my spaced-out state to my lack of sleep.

Spaced-out is always my state anyway, but right now, I’m still gushing over Iron Man 3 and Robert Downey Jr. like a cheesy fan girl.