Iron Man 1 & 2 – The Combined Review

Iron Man 1 & 2 – The Combined Review

I thank Jedi for booking tickets to Iron Man 2, giving me Iron Man 1’s DVD & forcing me to see the Part 1 before I saw Part 2. This helped me get a good perspective & truly enjoy the movie…

Part 1 –

In 2007 Robert Downey Jr was cast as the chief protagonists of Iron Man… At that time Director Jon Favreau (who also stars in the movies as Hogan) had famously said that RDJ wasn't the most obvious choice but he understood what makes the character tick... He found a lot of his own life experience in 'Tony Stark'…

Favreau insisted in having RDJ as he repeatedly claimed that he would be to Iron Man what Johnny Depp is to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, a lead actor that could both elevate the quality of the film and increase the public's interest in it… For this role Downey had to gain more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months so as to look like he had the power to forge iron…

And boy wasn’t Favreau correct as Iron Man 1 grossed over many Millions worldwide & also received rave reviews which cite RDJ’s performance as the highlight of the film… Even a starlet such as Ben Stiller famously wrote about RDJ that – “Yes, Downey is Iron Man, but he really is Actor Man… In the realm where box office is irrelevant and talent is king, the realm that actually means something, he has always ruled, and finally this summer he gets to have his cake and let us eat him up all the way to the multiplex, where his mastery is in full effect…”

The reason why Iron Man’s character as a super hero succeeds is because for once you have someone who builds everything on his own and doesn’t get some power due to a weird experiment or some bug bite… Saves the entire world rather than just a particular city (not just Gotham or New York, the 2nd part shows this more clearly)… Keeps coming back from the brink with innovation rather than just some stupid special effects concept… 

We live in an imperfect world but that’s the only one we’ve got… That’s the key base of Part 1 and how the plot progress and Iron Man comes into existence is truly exceptional…  Is it better to be feared or respected??? I say is it too much to ask for both???  Stark’s metamorphosis from a playboy genius who builds the most destructive bombs to a peace maker who does ethical business is what makes Iron Man lovable… 

It is a must watch for its brilliant character setup, slick direction, brilliant actor performance, amazing one liners, effective & good music, ultimate use of brands (Rolls Royce, Audi, Burger King) & most of all selling you a dream super hero who has a face, brains, looks, grace, money and time enough to help everyone…

RDJ as Tony Stark has put in an exceptional performance, his grace, charm and dialogues are the life of the film… Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts is subdued & deglamourized but pretty decent, she’s a brave character and always supports her boss with a smile… Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane is good, character needed a little more hellishness I feel… Jon Favreau as Hogan is lovable… Terrence Howard as Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes is brilliant, it’s just a training exercise the routine BS man…

FUZZY-O-METER:
4.5/5 – Must watch for understanding that there is hope for a genuine super hero, special effects, concept & brilliant individual performances... 

Part 2 –

Not going to divulge too much into the background here… Part 2 is Outstanding and I loved it… World peace is privatized and people are out the start war once again… The Monaco race scene is brilliantly done… It makes your pulse beat faster… Stark proves that the suit is just a suit without him, i.e. the man makes the suit and not the suit makes the man… that he is a real genius and better than the competition… He actually thrives in showing off himself and Iron Man… Tony Stark and makes you fall in love with him…

Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko does the job well… I want ma berd… Scarlett Johansson as Agent Natasha Romanoff is out-of-this-world… She will make all the men cry as they can’t have her and will make the women also cry as they can can’t be like her… Don Cheadle as Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes is ok, not as good as in the 1st part, he looked more pleasing and now seems hell bent on doing stupid things by thinking that the suit makes the man…

Over all as a sequel Part 2 makes sense, the story line moves fast, cinematography, special effects, background and title music, especially Highway To Hell is brilliant…

Special tribute to RDJ… Multiple arrests for constant drug abuse, almost 5 years off the movie scene all together and broken marriage have not let RDJ into being yet another typical Hollywood talent turn into a sour failure. Just like RDJ, Tony Stark’s character keeps coming back from the brink to keep fighting, re-inventing himself in this second avatar of the Iron Man series to make it an outstanding critical & commercial success...

If Iron Man 2 or even Iron Man 1 was made in 3D, Jake Sully and Neytiri wouldn’t even get a job as Tony Stark’s servants or extras… you want a real concept buy this one…

FUZZY-O-METER:
4.5/5 – Must watch by any standards for the concept, special effect, individual performances & Scarlett Johansson’s look.