Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

Movie Info

Iron Man and War Machine’s last stand…or float

Tony Stark is launching a new satellite help S.H.I.E.L.D. maintain peace around the world and keep crimes from even occurring.  When the Howard is targeted by the son of Tony’s former enemy Obadiah Stane, Tony finds Rhodey missing and presumed dead and himself on the run from Hawkeye and Black Widow who have been ordered by Nick Fury to bring Tony in.  With help from the Punisher, Tony is seeking out Ezekiel Stane and finds that Stane’s power might even surpass his father’s.

Directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, Iron Man:  Rise of Technovore (or the Japanese title アイアンマン：ライズ・オブ・テクノヴォア or Aian Man: Raizu Obu Tekunovoa) is part of the Marvel Anime line.  The movie was relatively poorly received.

I was never a big fan of Iron Man…but I loved the Iron Man films.  I thought Robert Downey, Jr. got the tone of the character right to make him enjoyable and the actual superhero and his abilities were secondary.  Iron Man:  Rise of Technovore is based in this Iron Man universe but it doesn’t have the same punch.

Yes Black Widow and Hawkeye, you just were beaten by the Punisher

I didn’t think the movie was as bad as implied by some of the reviews but I did think it was a bit of a bore.  Ironically, the movie almost ties in with Captain America:  The Winter Soldier involving a similar plot with the all-seeing satellite designed by Stark.  What didn’t work about the film was the main villain.  What did work was the small sequence when Iron Man teamed with the Punisher.

I love weird team-ups.  Marvel Two-In-One and Marvel Team-Up were some of my favorite Marvel titles because it forced characters to work with heroes that they never work with.  A guy with a gun and working with a billionaire with a superpowered suit was a different twist (though not entirely logical) and added a bit of fun to the story.  It was also nice to see Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Fury stop by…I just would have preferred a known Iron Man villain.

I know it’s all about the presentation and cool stance

The art for the movie is in manga fashion and therefore won’t be for everyone.  It does seem a bit washed out at points and the art is another reason that the show sometimes moves slow…it seems to put style above substance.  On a side note, it is also interesting to note that the translation varies greatly between the dialogue (voiced by Matthew Mercer, James C. Mathis III, and Norman Reedus among others) and the subtitles.

Iron Man:  Rise of Technovore is an average Marvel animated film and a below average anime film.  The movie has a few moments but is largely forgettable and the time spent watching it could be spent better elsewhere.  For fans of Iron Man, it might be worth seeking out in that it technically could fit in with the Iron Man continuity without messing too much up in the Marvel movie continuity.

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Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 3 (2013)

The Avengers (2012)