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

Afro Samurai : retro-futuristic actioner rocks

Afro Samurai is one of those modern concoctions that you just know will take place some day – a Japanese animation made exclusively for an US network. Featuring typical Japanese themes, yet voiced by immediately recognizable American actors and a hip hop fuelled soundtrack, even the title of Afro Samurai indicates the bastard nature of this violent animation.

Set in a retro-futuristic wild west, Afro Samurai sets out to the avenge the death of his father by challenging the current No.1 fighter Justice, the man who slaughtered Afro Samurai Sr. Along the way, Afro Samurai is challenged by what seems like a group of monks known as the Empty 7 – in these battles Afro Samurai crosses swords with ninjas, terminator robots and a cybernetic friend from his childhood.

Created by Gonzo Studios (Basilisk, Samurai 7), Afro Samurai delivers very beautiful graphics with a very sharp colour scheme and well choreographed action sequences. The pace of the series remains fast throughout the handful of episodes, despite several flashbacks establishing Afro Samurai’s childhood. Many of the characters in the series remain mysterious but this is the kind of animation in which questions about how they came to be like that are better left off the table. Key characters are amusing, in particular Ninja Ninja (Afro Samurai’s motor mouth imaginary friend) and Kuma (the teddy bear headed assassin). Samuel L. Jackson does an excellent job voicing Ninja Ninja, delivering a sort of Tarantino feel to the dialogue. I bought the Director’s Cut DVD which keeps the swearing and gruesome / violent fights intact. I was very impressed with the gate fold package for the Director’s Cut; it was made with high quality paper bound of stiff cardboard and features awesome artwork.

In concluding, if you like animations like Ninja Scroll, Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, you are likely to be entertained by Afro Samurai. Recommended.