Iron Man 2 : Iron Man & War Machine vs battle droids!

As a long time fan of Marvel Comics, I have been delighted by the growing trend of adapting key Marvel characters into film but disappointed at the quality of quite a few of them (Punisher, Daredevil and Elektra, anyone?). A few years ago, when I heard that they were going to make an Iron Man movie, I was not optimistic that it would be good – a tin man flying around could potentially be real cheesy. But the final product was in fact, surprisingly, one of the better Marvel films. Of course, with its success, a sequel was planned and the film made its debut in Hong Kong on 30 April 2010.

Pre-release reviews by the mainstream press were pretty negative, but that obviously didn’t really affect my desire to see the film (nor, I suspect, will they stop many others). At over 2 hours in length, Iron Man 2 does provide enough adrenaline pumping action to satisfy most viewers. While there is little character development, which was one of the strengths of the original Iron Man movie, and the plot goes all over the place, I suspect most viewers who simply want a good time will find this sequel more than satisfying.

As far as the story goes, the film begins with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) facing two problems: deteriorating health and the government’s desire to force him to hand over his battle suits. Soon a third problem arises in the form of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who wants revenge on Stark of what Stark senior did to Vanko senior. Soon, Stark’s pal Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) flies away with one Iron Man Suit that gets fitted with multiple rocket launchers and Gatling guns and Vanko unleashes an army of battle droids on Stark. All hell breaks loose.

I am sure fanboys will be delighted with Scarlett Johansson’s role as the Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow. Johansson’s role was obviously an attempt to add some sex appeal to the franchise – while her role seems tacked on rather lazily, guys probably won’t mind some eye candy.

Iron Man 2 represents the return of Mickey Rourke to the blockbuster movie and this is the first post The Wrestler role I’ve seen him in. Unfortunately, he doesn’t really have much to do apart from looking mean. I’ve always like Rourke as an actor and find him excellent in Sin City. But I’m afraid The Expendables (coming later this summer) and Rambo V might sink his career again. As a side note, I’m not sure what villain he is playing in Iron Man 2; he looks like Whiplash to me, but the Hollywood Reporter lists him as Crimson Dynamo! I suppose he is a composite of the two.

Other fan moments : Samuel L. Jackson appears as Nick Fury, lends Tony Stark a hand in creating an updated power source and invites him to become a member of a special ops team. After the roller credits, a scene also hints at things to come, namely, Thor’s mystic hammer Mjöllnir is found in Mexico.

Overall, not as great as the first Iron Man film but still a great popcorn movie. Recommended.

Negative review @ Hollywood Reporter

Positive review @ Marsh Attacks

The Incredible Hulk fails to smash box office records

Marvel’s 2008 re-launch of their Hulk franchise was supposed to be more “mainstream” than Ang Lee’s previous take. By mainstream, Marvel was probably thinking of improving box office receipts. Ironic, then, that the film’s US opening weekend box office actually fared worse than Lee’s Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk basically follows the same updated storyline – scientist Bruce Banner is bombarded with gamma rays and turns into the Hulk when he becomes angry or when his pulse rate spikes.

Plot: It is immediately evident that Marvel wanted this new film to contain as little exposition as possible as one action scene follows another. The script and directing pays tribute to the 1970s TV series with Banner as a loner on the run. The visuals of Banner changing into the Hulk – the dark shot of Banner’s face with his eyes glowing green – is a direct reference to Bill Bixby.

Action: The studios hired Louis Leterrier (Jet Li’s Danny The Dog, The Transporter) to helm this project hoping it would turn out to be an action extravaganza – but I found the action unexciting with a been-there-seen-that feel. The opening chase thru the slums of Brazil is far inferior to the one in Casino Royale. The special effects are serviceable but not exceptional. On the positive side, the film is closer to the comic than Ang Lee’s version, and features crowd pleasers like Hulk’s thunder-clap and the big green monster shouting “Hulk smash!”.

Cast: I was surprised when Marvel cast Ed Norton in the role of Bruce Banner. The end result, however, is disappointing. I actually like Eric Bana more as Banner and also preferred Jennifer Connelly to Liv Tyler. The rest of the cast was unexceptional – no standouts.

Interesting note – Brazilian jujitsu master Rickson Gracie makes a brief appearance as Bruce Banner’s instructor, teaching him breathing exercises. The roller credits, however, bill him as an aikido instructor!

Fan pleasers: Marvel’s recent productions have all included minor scenes foreshadowing the imminent Avengers movie. In The Incredible Hulk, we get specific mentions of the super soldier formula / serum that was used on Captain America and a brief scene with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr). Nice for fans, I suppose.

In short, The Incredible Hulk is a brainless and unexceptional action blockbuster. Not a hit but not a total miss either (miles better than Daredevil!)

Zodiac : David Fincher’s best work yet

Fantastic Four : Rise Of The Silver Surfer – pure pop corn fun with no pretence of any high brow themes (or moralizing), this Fantastic Four film is probably the shortest blockbuster of the summer, clocking in at only 92 minutes. This is a plus in my books, as it means we cut straight to the actions scenes, with a little bit of comedy serving as diversion in between the set pieces. The best sequence was the introduction of the Silver Surfer and the subsequent chase with the Human Touch; unfortunately, the trailer exposed this scene months ago. All in all the film was fun: the Silver Surfer was cool and I can accept the compromise of Galactus being a cosmic cloud rather than Jack Kirby’s purple armoured giant (which wouldn’t work at all on the silver screen). Special effects were decent but not groundbreaking.

Zodiac – I have waited for David Fincher’s latest critically acclaimed film for months and I would say this is one of the best non-action movies I have seen so far in 2007. Based on the real life unsolved case, the film traces how both the press and the police failed to pin the Zodiac killings to anyone. The murders took place in San Francisco from the late 1960s to the 1970s and the serial killer has fascinated the public – in fact, the original Dirty Harry movie imagined a scenario where the maverick cop managed to identify and kill the Zodaic killer. In real life, the case was much more complex and David Fincher gives us an engrossing look at how a reporter, an inspector and a cartoonist dedicate their lives to uncovering the man behind these murders. Of the trio of stars (Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.), I thought Ruffalo was the most convincing one, though all three were outstanding. This is definitely Fincher’s most mature and controlled film to date. The film also features an excellent soundtrack. Highly recommended.

Eye In The Sky 跟蹤 – well received when it was shown abroad at various film festivals, I missed the Johnnie To produced, Yau Nai Hoi directed police thriller at this year’s HKIFF, but managed to catch it last week. Eye In The Sky follows the mould of most of Johnnie To’s thrilling police procedurals – I found the plot engaging, and the acting strong and generally subtle (in the case of Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka Fai). Former Miss Hong Kong Kate Tsui makes her big screen debut and acquits herself with an OK performance. The production was partially financed by Cable TV – this means prominent product placements for many Wharf Holdings companies, from Cable TV to New T&T. Overall, not quite as good as To’s Election movies or Exiled but still above average.