Contained Technologies in Iron Man Movie - Essay Example

Term Paper IRON MAN 3 Iron man 3 is a science fiction blockbuster movie based on Marvel comic. The movie features asmart, wealthy businessman cum scientist and an inventor who gets kidnapped by Afghan terrorists. The terrorists kidnap the billionaire for his scientific invention capabilities. During his time in capture he develops a super-weapon suit in which he uses to escape and to bring justice as the movie progresses. Key stars in the movie include; Robert Downey who is the main actor, Jr Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges among many others (Burr, Ty 50). This movie basically is a showcase of technology already in use or being developed with additions of fantasy technology. The main notable technology that makes up the movie is the use of artificial intelligent suit/armor and 3D holographic technology. The armor is a fictional exoskeleton suit that is almost indestructible. The wearer of the suit is able to function as a combat weapon with flight capabilities. Iron suit was developed by the creator of the movie ironman with next generation technology (Burr, Ty 50). The suit is artificially modified to be an artificial intelligence weapon and it can operate independently without the wearer as depicted in the movie Iron Man 3. An interesting point to note is the suit consists of about two million discrete units that joint to make up the armor. The basis of its structural integrity lies on the powerful force fields that permeate the units when the suit is active. When inactive these many units can ‘fold’ in on themselves to form a simple, smaller volume ‘suit’ (Burr, Ty 60). 3D holographic technology is another interesting technology in Ironman movies. To understand this technology, first you must understand the technology behind holographic technology. Holographic technology is a technique that facilitates recording and later reconstruction of light scattered objects. This technique is basically an optical store that retrieves and process information. The information retrieved is later processed into 3D output that can be displayed using special light emission objects. The fascinating element in holographic technology is the ability of projecting 3D images as seen in many of the science movies being filmed(Burr, Ty 55). This technology has been heavily used in Iron Man 3 by Tony (the billionaire) in his office/garage. Other minor technologies in the movie include artificial intelligent robots. Unlike most robot inventions currently in operation, the robots in Iron Man 3 are a few generations advanced. Their ability to function independently and precisely makes them more of a fantasy than real. Although they form a minor aspect in the movie it’s worth noting that, the whole garage is run by those robots from cleaning to repairing the iron suit. Another factor that is worth noting is that even the robots operate using artificial intelligence just like the suit (Burr, Ty 65). There are many reasons why the creators of this film choose those technologies discussed above in filming of Iron Man 3. The movie is a science fiction and consequently there had to be some sort of technology to justify its classification. The film’s plot is primarily an adoption of the ‘Extremis’, 2005-2006 comic story of the Iron man as written by Warren Elis. The suit builds the whole concept of the Iron Man movie (Burr, Ty 55). The wearer of the suit ultimately is the superhero in the film. The suit is designed by Tony, a billionaire scientist while in captivity. The initial suit was rudimentary and lacked appeal and this changes as the film gets the second and third sequence. The suit itself advances the theme of technology development in that, it’s an independent machine capable of own reasoning. Artificial intelligence has been used heavily in this film. Artificial intelligence is the ability of any technology to be independent of the user in terms of performing some tasks. This intelligence is mainly used with the suit and the robots to indicate the level of technology in use. The suit through artificial intelligence can detect, analyze and execute even without the control of Tony. The creators of Iron Man movie decided to use artificial intelligence to try to make the suit more acceptable by the audience especially the science nerds. This technology is one of a kind and its being developed in the real world (Burr, Ty 70). The use of robots in the garage serves the same purpose as the suit, technology advancement theme. Scientifically speaking, creating a super suit which is almost indestructible involved so many prototypes which in this movies are the robots. The suit being highly advanced technologically, its maintenance has to be by equally advanced robots. The robots technology although minor forms a very important part in the film. The robots are the mechanics to the suit ad also help Tony in carrying out house chores as programmed. They form an important factor in the plot development of the movie (Burr, Ty 65). Shane Black one of the writers of Iron Man 3 describes his part as more than two men in iron suits fighting. He describes his part as a superhero (iron man) fighting real life villain. Drew Pearce the co-writer intentionally removed the aspect of magic and space as in the film, Avengers. According to him, this was necessary to make iron man more of real world science fiction rather than a fantasy and distinguishing it from other science fiction movies. The writers spent considerable time discussing images and themes even before coming up with the script. Their writing avoided avoids scenes with pure exposition. The actual filming was done in different regions and began in Washington, North Carolina. Cinematographer John T opted to use digital camera because of their convenience of visual effects in heavy production. Toll used Arri Alexa camera during the filming of the movie. The port of Washington was used as a location for the climactic battle and oil tanker scenes. There was heavy usage of computer graphics in many scenes in adding exteriors and of course creation of the armor. Basically creating iron man 3 involved practical effects and computer graphics in production (Burr, Ty 80). Yes, with the latest innovation in filming industry, the fourth sequence of Iron Man franchise will be bigger and better. 3D holographic technology has revolutionized filming industry from two dimensional pictures to three dimensional pictures. This technology is employed in Iron Man 3 by the main actor while developing the suit. He displays the suit layout in a 3D image layout and makes alterations to the display using the holographic technology. Filming a movie to display in 3D format requires special digital cameras and more sophisticated computer programs (Burr, Ty 85). Iron Man 3 received the biggest reception of the past two Iron Man movie sequence. The movie was critically successful and commercially very profitable. Majority of the critics written about the movie were favorable. Almost half of the movie critics gave a positive review of the movie. The third sequence grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide making it the second highest grossing film in 2013. Also those figure placed it second in the domestic box office movies released in 2013. The movie is currently the sixth highest grossing movie of all times. The movie received a wide range of reviews from critics; Richard Corliss of the Times , the franchise previously indicated a downfall ,Iron man 3 has redeemed the franchise and placed it among the best selling movies of all times. “Besides the hero who overcomes anxiety and save the world from terror-industrial complex by simply cloning his body armor. Iron Man 3 clearly shows that planet Marvel still has intelligent life left in it.” Jake Coyle in his Associated Press review indicated the movie was trying too hard to hit the action blockbuster mark. Michael Phillips of Chicago Tribute enjoyed the movie but had a negative review about the film. “The movie provided a little too much and some instances too little. The whole movie had everything Disney and Marvel required to keep the Avengers superheroes shinning and regenerating into the next century in science fiction films. Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman rates the film a spectacular work of art. “The intense scenes thrown to you unexpectedly at every moment put this movie high above good. Downey’s signature sardonic lines bring out the superhero thrill.” He further reviews the mechanics of the Iron Man 3 as complex and rambunctious just like Keystone Kops. Forbe’s Scott Mendelson gives a positive critic to Marvel studio for impressive scenes with hidden surprises. He further notes the efforts made by the film in balancing the character work and the real world politics. “Perhaps iron man 3 is the best of the ‘threequel’ iron man comic book yet, the film is satisfying adventure wise and has a touch of greatness.” Manohla Dargis of the New York Times gives her take about the movie pointing out issues omitted from the film.”Iron man 3 generally focused on the escapist entertainment. Shane and his colleagues just like any other filmmakers used iconography of September 11 and the aftermath to induce reactions. Mr.Black and his team tapped the powerful reactions by including those events. Just like other filmmakers Shane and his team avoided the complex political issues arising from the incidences included in the film. Iron Man 3 so far is the most successful of the three Iron Man movies. Many columns have been written giving reviews about the movie and criticizing some aspects of the movie. I have seen the movie and read many articles about the movie. Personally the movie was great in terms of plot development and picture quality. My opinion about this movie is of positive nature. Iron Man 3 brought about new ideas and also incorporated new technologies under development like the holographic displays. Although some aspects of the movie may be viewed as radical against Muslim world, the film was a fine piece of art. If I was to rate this movie, I would rate it by four stars. Main reason on not awarding it with five stars is mainly because of avoiding some political issues arising from September 11. Works Cited Burr, Ty. "Heavy Metal Gear; Third Time Isnt Quite the Charm for Iron Man 3; Movie Review." The Boston Globe 2 May 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014. . Read More