Cause and effect is the nature of any conflict in a movie, but what about when the cause ain't really all that bad, and the responding party is just blowing things way out of proportion? So much of the conflict in narratives and, indeed, in life, is caused by misunderstandings and misinterpretations, made no more clear than in these 10 movies from the year to date. Whether the plot point is an intentional overreaction in a good movie, or a wildly absurd response in a terrible one, the salient point is that the retort was totally out of step with the original act, comment or revelation. Some were wounded and acted impulsively, others long-planned an inappropriately bombastic revenge plot, and some just couldn't see the bigger picture at hand. Whether weird, stupid, hilarious or flat-out bewildering, here are the 10 biggest character overreactions in 2013 movies (so far)...
10. Aldrich Killian Gets Stood Up, Becomes International Terrorist - Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 opens at a New Year's Eve party in 1999, where a drunk, arrogant Tony Stark is milling about with the usual socialites and so wrapped up in having a good time that he just doesn't have time for folk like disabled scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who approaches Tony with an offer to join his Advanced Idea Mechanics company. Stark tells Killian that he'll meet him on the rooftop, though this is just a ploy to get rid of him, yet the ever-literal Killian nevertheless waits atop the roof for him to show, which he never does. This frames the rest of the film's narrative, implying that, due to Stark's harsh rejection, Killian was propelled forward, to get physio-therapy, a tailored suit, cool hair, and actually do something with his life. That this ended with him becoming an international terrorist, then, seems like his ambition aiming a little too high...or rather, in the wrong direction. Had Tony just been cordial to Killian in 1999, this path could perhaps have been avoided.