Weekend Watch: The Iron Claw, What If...? Season 3
Grappling with a wrestling dynasty and more Marvel multiverse action
Image Credit: A24
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, where I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, Zac Efron leads a powerful drama and Marvel explores more alternate realities. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite and Threads/Instagram: @jammerwhite
I’ve never been the biggest fan of wrestling; it simply didn’t appeal to me beyond a certain age and Saturday afternoons watching the likes of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks grappling on TV.
The American side of things largely passed me by, so I had no knowledge of the Von Erich brothers, who were minor stars of the sport in the 1980s, but succumbed to numerous tragedies among their family. In a lot of ways, I’m thrilled that I went in cold to see The Iron Claw, as the film hit me like a tonne of bricks. Or, well, like a clothesline.
Written and directed by Sean Durkin of Martha Marcy May Marlene and more recently The Nest, The Iron Claw follows the true story of the inseparable brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the siblings seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
To say the narrative is wreathed in tragedy is akin to saying King Kong is a slightly large simian. The Von Erich family, led by driven patriarch Fritz (brought to mercurial life by Holt McCallany), suffered a truly awful run of bad luck –– several suicides, terrible injuries in the ring and out of it, and endless pressure to perform. And Durkin doesn’t even include every brother from the family in the film.
It all sounds like it would be an emotionally draining slog, but while your emotions will certainly be impacted, the film is still infused with the joy and love the brothers feel for each other and their extended family.
And the performances are, to a one, sublime. I’m not sure I ever expected to write the phrase “deserving potential Oscar nominee Zac Efron”, but here we are. He’s beyond committed here as the anchor of the movie, Kevin Von Erich, who initially followed in his father’s footsteps, but became disillusioned as his career didn’t work out the way he hoped.
He’s not alone, though: there is a wealth of talented people doing some of their best work here, including Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons (as Kevin’s brothers) plus Maura Tierney (as their mother) and Lily James (as Kevin’s wife Pam).
Durkin threads the needle of pain and family here with skill and compassion, and the result is a sort of American Greek tragedy –– and aside from one fantastical misstep near the end which feels like it comes from a different movie, this is a heart-wrenching but remarkable film. Even if you know nothing about wrestling.
The Iron Claw is in US cinemas now, and will be in the UK on 9 February.
Image Credit: Disney+
Given the absolutely horrendous year Marvel has had (box office flops and the dire Secret Invasion on the small screen only leavened by the success of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki’s second season), it’s good to report that the company is ending 2023 on a high note.
What If…?, the animated show that explores different multiversal opportunities for characters both established and new, was a fun diversion back in 2021, with characters such as Captain Carter (what would happen if Peggy Carter got the Super Soldier serum as opposed to Steve Rogers) and an ambitious, darker take on Doctor Strange made for compelling entertainment, and, aside from a few connections, didn’t require an extensive knowledge of the sprawling MCU narrative tapestry. And it even affected the live-action movies in certain ways.
Season 2 is, if anything, even more fun, the creative team behind the series having used Season 1 to figure out what works and becoming even more experimental this time around. Episodes which posit concepts such as the Tesseract arriving on Earth in the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the colonization of America and granting powers to brand new hero Kahhori of the Mohawk nation are fascinating ways to expand the MCU in new directions, including employing native language for much of the dialogue. And rather than just isolating her in her own story, she impacts the wider story of the season.
The team has cannily expanded the world of the show with some continuing storylines and fun stand-alones: essentially, if one episode doesn’t do it for you, another will have something you enjoy. Want to see a 1980s version of the Avengers featuring Hank Pym, King T’Chaka, Bill Foster and Dr. Wendy Lawson (AKA Mar-Vell) taking on a young Peter Quill who is looking to re-shape the world according to his father Ego’s wishes? It’s here. Wondering what would happen if it was up to Happy Hogan and Darcy Lewis to save Avengers tower from an invading Justin Hammer in a clever Die Hard spoof loaded with references but also great character work? Present –– and that, I must admit, was my favourite.
Should you worry that Marvel can’t find its way again, What If…? is a healthy sign that it can still bring the thrills. Thank goodness, then, that Season 3 is already in development.
What If…? Season 2 will be released one episode daily between 22 December and 30 December on Disney+. I’ve seen the whole season.
Programming note! Weekend Watch will take the week off on 29 December, but I will be publishing my Pop Culture Picks for 2023. Merry Happy, all!