Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom, Hiddlestone, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Lou Ferrigno
Synopsis: Really? I need to give a synopsis for one of the two most anticipated comic book films of the year?? What rock could people be living under? Okay, okay, I’ll be serious. When a major super-powered being and his army threaten Earth, no one hero alone can face it. So Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., assembles a team of super powered good guys, along with some highly skilled assassins, to defend Earth. In short, he assembles THE AVENGERS!
Cast: Daniel Craig. Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano
Synopsis: Jake Lonergan (Craig) wakes up in the desert with a weird bracelet attached to his wrist and no memory of who he is and how he got there. He rides to a nearby town where he gets himself in the crosshairs of local mogul Woodrow Dollarhyde (Ford). All differences must be put aside though when an otherworldly threat abducts many of the citizens of the town, and Lonergan’s bracelet is their one best defence.
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Rashida Jones, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons, Andy Samburg, Lou Ferrigno
Synopsis: Peter (Rudd) has proposed to his girlfriend of eight months, Zooey (Jones), and she is perplexed that he has no good guy mates to share the news with. He sets out on a mission to find a best friend. After many aborted attempts, he meets Sydney, and they start to hit it off. It takes time to discover if this is actually a good thing though.
A review by Film Nerd.
This is one of those comedies where the trailer was for me a little underwhelming, however it sparked the interest of my lovely bride. So, after picking it up in a buy 2, get 1 free sale, we watched it together on the weekend just past. In the end, it was not a bad way to spend a lazy Saturday evening, but that said there was nothing there I really took away from the viewing either.
There humour is at least actual humour, and not a Wayans brothers interpretation of what humour is. There are a lot of chuckles, and one or two significant belly laughs. So far so good. I think the problem really lies in characterisation. Paul Rudd begins in his likeable persona, relating very well to his female friends, and it is initially amusing when he embarrassingly meets some guys while trying to talk how he thinks guys talk to each other. This is one gag that does get old when it is used for the fifth time. The introduction of Segal’s Sydney brings more life into the picture, and though seemingly crass, his character predictably yet successfully proves to be the best mate a guy could ask for despite a few flaws.
Surprisingly, this is where the cracks in Rudd’s character appear. He is perhaps meant to be showing frustration at Sydney’s oafish behaviour, but in the end comes across as exceptionally ignorant in interpersonal relationships. He blames Sydney’s advice for causing his relationship with Zooey and his career for hitting the skids, yet it is more a case of him taking that advice to extremes and sacrificing himself. As a result, his treatment of Sydney as he tries to revert back to the person he was comes across as utterly inexcusable. As a result, I found it very hard to walk away from this film with any sense of affection for our protagonist.
Still, it is not unenjoyable due to this flaw, just not memorable. I enjoyed my lazy Saturday, but for my next comedy dose, I might be sticking on my Blu-ray copy of The Hangover next time.
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell
Synopsis: Tony Stark’s popularity has sky rocketed since revealing to the world he is Iron Man. However, the government desires the suits tech to be handed over, not trusting such power in the hands. Pressure to relinquish the suit only increases when mysterious Ivan Vanko produces his own miniature Arc reactor, the same device that powers Iron Man’s suit, and poses a threat to national security. Meanwhile, Stark is losing control as a result of battling his own demons.
A review by Film Nerd
There is no question that the original Iron Man was a surprise hit, unless you were already a dedicated fan of Marvel comics before the release of the film. For many, it not only marked another successful comic book adaptation, but a sparkling return to form for Robert Downey Jr., whose presence and charisma defined the film and fitted the character of playboy billionaire Tony Stark like a glove. Sequels to films such as these are a very tricky prospect, needing to capture what made the original so entertaining, while adding new elements to avoid a feeling of dull repetition.
Iron Man 2 is a very solid, entertaining sequel. Once again, it is truly Downey Jr.’s film, his character defining the tone, and maintaining a sense of fun to the proceedings. However, Stark is battling personal demons this time whereas in the last film it was battling the demons of his company’s legacy. It is revealed early on that the element Palladium, which acts as the core of the Arc reactor and powers the Iron Man suit, as well as keeping his heart running, is slowly poisoning him. Indeed, the very thing keeping him alive is also killing him.
This is bad enough, without external pressures mounting. The government is seeking access to the suit technology in the interest of national defence, the (not unreasonable) fear being that other countries may indeed develop this technology to use against the United States. Stark’s defence that this technology being developed elsewhere is not likely for another five to ten years is destroyed on the appearance of Rourke’s Ivan Vanko, who develops his own Ark reactor to power his own suit. He adopts the identity of Whiplash to take revenge on the Stark family for stealing the Ark technology from his father in the first place. Roarke continues his career resurrection here, playing the role with an effective, quiet menace.
The external characters all get a chance to shine. Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Stark’s best friend Lt. Col. Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes, and frankly does a much better job. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts maintains that mix of spice and vulnerability that worked so well in the first film, and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is thankfully an entertaining performance in a way many of hers have not been of late. Special mention has to go to the always brilliant Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, a business rival of Stark’s. It is a role that could have been dull when playing against top form RDJ and Rourke, but in Rockwell’s hands it is a true stand out.
Overall, the film equal’s but does not quite better the original outing. That said, it does have a true “middle chapter” feel. Though Iron Man 3 is not yet slated, Marvel’s Avengers is due out next year, uniting Iron Man and Hulk with Thor and Captain America, both characters due for their own films prior to the release of the Avengers. That said, it is here that the true Marvel Fanboy can get extra out of this film. I noticed at least two Easter eggs in the film hinting to these later films, one of which had me nerd-gasm enough to give my fiancée a significant fright in our car at the drive-in! Note, stick around after the end credits, as one of these Easter eggs is dropped then. All I can say is that I can’t wait!
A entertaining sequel that, despite not feeling an improvement of the original film, at least equals that previous effort. An extra half star was given for the fanboy references.
