Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 26th April, 2010
Time : 124 minutes
Director : Jon Favreau; Writer : Justin Theroux, Stan Lee (Marvel comics);
Starring : Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Jon Favreau, Don Cheadle, Samuel L Jackson
The kookiness of Robert Downey Jr and the sassiness of Scarlett Johannson, best exemplified by her black leather outfit, save this film from becoming robotic and regressive.
I haven’t seen Iron Man1, so for me the story starts afresh here. Its about Robert Downey Jr, billionaire, a man who’s invented these iron suits, that any man can step inside and become a superhero / war machine aka Iron Man. You can fly, fire guns, missiles, be impervious to bullets etc etc. He’s become a one many army who protects the country, putting people who previously supplied to the US Army, like Hammer Industries, almost out of business.
However, there are three issues in paradise. One, is that he has to wear this power source (don’t know why, guess it was explained in part1) and this is becoming toxic, bringing him closer to death. Second, the US Senate, instigated by the Hammer CEO, a wonderfully shallow performance by Sam Rockwell, is out to try and appropriate the suits on the grounds of safety. And third is that a brilliant disgraced Russian scientist, Mickey Rourke, who’s seeking revenge against Robert’s family, is out to get him.
The stunts in the beginning are quite exceptional. The Monaco Grand Prix sequence, in particular, is breathtaking for its imagination and execution. However, once the novelty had worn off, it got a bit repetitive towards the end, with grand finale actually not materializing / getting over in a jiffy. The grand battle between Robert and Rourke was actually a bit of let down after a pretty good build up.
The humour, Robert’s relationship with his uptight, newly crowned CEO, Gwyneth and his buddy Don Cheadle were good fun, as were his interactions with Scarlett, a woman he cant quite figure out. One sequence, where Scarlett and Jon Favreau enter a building and have to combat the security guards is also really good, both for its comic quality and slickness (a la Matrix) of action. Robert Downey seems to really have come into his own now, revelling in the freedom of roles like Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes, giving them a wonderful whackiness, a refreshing outlook in otherwise strait-jacketed linear movies.
This one is not going to stay with you but its enjoyable, its great fun for kids or those boys who still love their toys…
If it was not for Scarlett Johannson, I would have demanded my money back.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, if you have given this one 6/10, you MUST see Iron Man - 1. It's funny, moves at rapid pace (Iron Man 2 is really slow) and it's 9/10 in my books.
the fact that you have not seen Iron Man seems to weigh heavily on ur review.
ReplyDeleteThis movie simply is not abt Iron Man, like the 1st one. It takes off exactly where part 1 ended and follows the life of Tony Stark & his issues, as every coin has 2 sides.
The movie is darker than its predecessor & apologies but Scarlett is very much wasted in the movie. If a true fan were to see this movie, it would certainly not be for a gadget dependent superwoman with hardly a role to justify her existence in the team.
This movie simply gets u in the mid of Tony Stark & shows u how a superhero thinks when he is not one!
http://geniusoid.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/iron-man-2/
hi ! unlike u i dont know wht i've missed + hav nvr read teh cartoons so am going in blind. Found it decent even as a standalone, and as you said, found it fairly interesting in terms of the Tony Stark character.
ReplyDeleteI liked Scarlett's brief appearance as well...the five minutes in the black leather were so worth it