November 27, 2011 | Awake & Dreaming

The parades that you see in North America – with floats, people in costumes, performing artists, huge designs and constructed shapes – do not happen in India (unless you count Slut Walk). Ever since I started watching tv & movies from way back as a little child, I have seen parades like the one on Thanksgiving (that comes to mind easily) or Mardi Gras or a sports related event (like the winning Stanley Cup team) or, and this is more recently, Gay Pride parades (seems colourful and fun and all that but I would never want to be there).

The closest thing to parades in Kerala are the religious kind that are boring and dull and have the same old crappy costumes and deities that you’d expect year after year. I mean come on, does being religious also mean a total lack of individuality, creativity & talent? I guess so. Temple processions haven’t changed since the turn of the 18th century – they just have better roads and lights now. You’ll never catch me dead attending one of them. My ghost would shun it!

I’d like to see a fun parade, even floats with a message and all that glitter & jazz in India. Hope a few shows up in town.

Iron Man was a truly wonderful movie as far as a superhero comic movie goes. I even remember reading the comics as a young kid back in Kuwait. And that movie hit a chord in me and I’m sure a lot of others. So what about the sequel? Hmmm, not so much. Director Jon Favereau has gone for bigger, in fact much much bigger, on the sequel. I think over the years I’ll probably watch the first one many more times than the sequel but I still think that the movie lacks substance.

So Robert Downey Jr has Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Favereau (who also directed the first one) for company. Gwyneth Paltrow returns in her role as Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts and this time they do get together right towards the end of the movie. We also have a small role for Samuel L. Jackson (there really is a Hollywood rule for having Jackson in almost all big budget action flicks) as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Mickey Rourke is the villain.

So now on to my comments after watching this movie:

Bigger but not better, the movie does have an amazing special effects & action sequences. The amount of cars being destroyed is astounding and the F1 scene where Ivan Vanko attacks Stark is great.
Speaking of Mickey Rourke, I did not like his role here as Vanko, who is fueled by revenge to kill Stark. His father Anton was a one time partner of Tony’s father Howard who had the Russian deported for trying to scam money & profit out of their work. The father died in poverty and the son seeks revenge against Tony? Rourke rarely spoke in this film but has a macaw as a pet.
Sam Rockwell plays Justin Hammer, a rival of Tony Stark and who hires Ivan Vanko to perfect a line of armored combat suits to upstage Stark. He also fakes Vanko’s death in a jail cell. Rockwell is superb as usual.
Terrence Howard did not return and so they have Don Cheadle stepping in to the role of Lt. Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Stark’s close friend. He takes an earlier version of the suit that Stark created and helps to fight off Vanko’s renegade robots. The two friends also have a battle of their own when Rhodes feels that Stark is self-desructing and not listening to anyone’s advice.
Sexy Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent who works undercover for Stark as Natalie Rushmore. Hot, smuldering, sexy and a delight for the eyes, she does her bit and has some kick ass moves.
Paltrow & Downey play the same two characters from the first movie and both are awesome. I feel that Paltrow had more to do in this movie compared to the first and by more I mean, character wise Pepper has grown! Downey is tailor-made for the role of Tony Stark – nothing else does his acting justice.
Favereau is funny in his role, getting a few laughs in a role made for the comedic relief.

Overall I like the movie but it left me feeling a bit let down. I know it was a huge hit and made a lot of money but I prefer the first one so much more. I’d give it a 7 outta 10.