The Avengers review

Every year, there comes a Hollywood blockbuster that will send you into a tizzy and give you total paisa vasool entertainment. Such films are generally visual effects-heavy and are superhero films. This one is like the big daddy of all superhero films. Yes, Avengers, it is

Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye form this terrific superhero ensemble. Black Fury is the guy who brings this team together to save the earth from the clutches of Loki from Asgard. The Tesseract is an unlimited source of energy and it lands in Loki's hands. He wants to use this to vanquish the earth. The Avengers stand between him and his mission.

Hulk reigns supreme in many scenes when he shows his anger and aggression. The crowd goes crazy during such instances. Iron Man comes a close second with his AC/DC soundtrack, his casual punchlines and style. Thor is brutal with his physique while Captain America shows his mettle when he leads the team in the final showdown in Midtown Manhattan. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow is sexy to say the least. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye is stylish with his moves as the master archer.

Ultimately, this is not a movie to be analyzed much. It is to be experienced on the big screen with 3D glasses. The effects are crazy at times as they just come on your face. Nice gimmickry. The last one hour is pure madness. The action on screen makes the child in you go WOW. There are some sober moments in the first half of the movie which is resurrected by the Iron Man's charm. But. the last hour is unanimously marvelous. There is a sequel as well coming up sometime in the near future.

VERDICT: A marvelous action fest from Marvel Studios and a perfect distraction from the terrible Indian summer. Switch off your mind and get consumed by this high octane action fest

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Whats it about:
The film starts off with Tony Stark reviving the Stark expo, to showcase the best inventions from around the world. He is also having trouble with the element palladium that is keeping him alive. His blood toxicity is too high. The Govt is also against the Iron Man suits saying that many duplicates can come up in other countries, which can post a grave danger. But Stark shrugs it off.
    Then comes Ivan Vanko with his dangerous technology based on drones and he poses a major threat to Stark. Vanko is on a personal vendetta mission. Hammer technologies' boss and Stark's business rival, Justin Hammer recruits Vanko to build something that can put Stark in the shade.
    In the meanwhile, Stark and his buddy Colonel Rhodes have a minor disagreement regarding the Iron Man suits and Rhodes escapes with one of the suits.
    Finally Colonel Fury and his SHIELD team help Stark counter the palladium problem. Stark sees one of his father's old videos and gets an idea for the future. He invents a new element to counter his troubles and succeeds big time.
   In the end Vanko's army of drones take on the Iron Man and his side kick, Colonel Rhodes in another Iron Man suit, and are wiped off totally. Hammer is also put in prison for putting the country in danger with his involvement with Vanko.
    The movie ends with Pepper Potts and Stark smooching and also a premise for another sequel is shown

                                                                         
Hits

• As usual Robert Downey Jr. is a style icon. This role is another cakewalk for the charming hero
• The technology, the visual effects and the production values are out of the world, as usual. The artificial intelligence at Stark's disposal is unbelievably advanced and awe inspiring. 
• Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson are the 2 leading ladies. Both have contrasting roles and are a pleasing sight to the eyes. Gwyneth is her cute self and Scarlett gets to show some action moves too. 
• Don Cheadle is a replacement in this version, as Colonel Rhodes. He has a couple of good lines
• Mickey Rourke as the brooding and macho Vanko is imposing as usual. 
• Sam Rockwell as Hammer excels in some scenes. But the scope of his role is limited. 

Misses

• Too much slam bang and not much finesse, particularly in the last 30 mins. Just a showcase of some mind blowing visual effects. 

VERDICT

Another movie that boasts of the best technical values, a huge star cast and great production standards. Watchable once.