(film review) - Iron Man 3

Most people love technology and flashy hi-tech stuff. Moreover, having an Iron Man suit is something you are likely to put on your Christmas wish-list. I mean, who wouldn't want to shoot energy proton lasers from their chest or hands? Better yet, running late for work? Suit-Up and fly to work. With invincible armor, you can do almost anything you like, right? Well, sort of, but it doesn't stop you from being human.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has endured a lot of things. Since becoming Iron Man, his life has become more important and at the same time, even more at risk. There are bad guys everywhere who want a piece of that armor or a least some kind of armor which works just the same. Obadiah Stane with the Iron Monger suit. Ivan Vanko as Whiplash with his energy powered "whips". And with almost losing his life, again, after aliens attack New York, Tony Stark is left in a state or shock and restlessness. I mean, from someone being someone who is super intelligent, one of quite a bit, to having a armor powered suit which renders him invincible, to fighting and trying to save the planet from an alien takeover/war with a Norse GOD, a Super Soldier who was frozen in captivity and a man who can double in size, strength, leap huge distances and turn green, Tony doesn't sit well with this at all and has been finding this hard to adjust to. It is a lot, if you think about it.

This time around though, we have Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a disabled Scientist who works with Maya Hansen, the inventor of Extremis, who at a New Years Eve Party in 1999, is celebrating with Tony and Killian where Killian offers Tony a job with Advanced Idea Mechanics. Tony turns the job down and years later, Killian is a successful business man in science.

However, The Mandarin emerges causing terror, with threats, jammed public broadcasting and a string of bombings everywhere which leaves Tony's pal and security chief Happy Hogan in hospital. At this point, this is the last straw for Tony who leaves the Mandarin a televised threat in which the Mandarin excepts the invitation by bombing Starks Mansion. Presumed dead and far away from home, Tony must uncover the truth about the Mandarin, the bombings and a possible love interest in Killian to Pepper Potts as he has been driving her away with his recent behaviour.

I think I was expecting too much from this film as I felt it could have been better. But with that said, remembering how the film played out, the acting, the plot, the twists, the technology and the action; this film does everything the second film doesn't and keeps the film a little bit more grounded and closer to the first Iron Man film. Not to say, in my opinion of course that Iron Man 2 wasn't good as I liked it, but Iron Man 3 excels where Iron Man 2 doesn't. The film is darker, funnier and has a more humane feel to it. The Iron Man suits are always great to see and in action, especially when 6 - 7 and then some, fly to Tony's aid in the final scenes with the bad guy. Even War Machine aka The Iron Patriot has a bigger role in this film than the previous films and added a little bit of that buddy on buddy back to back fighting Iron Man 2 left us with.

If you enjoyed the previous films, this one will be no different.

(film review) - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Have you seen the first Sherlock Holmes which came out a year ago starring Robert Downey, Jr & Jude Law? Did you read my review I did on the film? Sherlock Holmes? All I can say is that this film is missing a lot of things yet replacing with a whole lot more.

Before, I said Sherlock Holmes was batty with a sensitive nose and great eye for detail; nothing has changed.
In this film, Sherlock Holmes is caught in a game of mind games with his nemesis Professor Moriarty who seems to be 1 step ahead of Holmes in every single way possible and out whitting/smarting Holmes so that he can get away war profiteering. You'd think that with Sherlock Holmes being really intelligent and constantly "high" on opium, you'd think this would be impossible.

Without spoilling the film, I'd say that if you enjoyed the first film, you will definately enjoy the second as although there is no bare knuckle boxing, Robert Downey, Jr once again brings Sherlock Holmes to life and provides the batty, insane comedy in which IS Sherlock Holmes. As well as Robert BEING Ironman, he IS most definately Sherlock Holmes as he carries the character soo well and the relationship between himself and Watson are unparrelled in terms of working together. The brotherly love is there and believable and you can tell that the actors had fun doing this film.

Guy Ritchie once again injections his COOL into this film and you also get to see the pre-though calculations in which Sherlock Holmes does before he acts out a move/action. Even better, at then end of the film, showing how smart and calculative Professor Moriarty when they show his pre-thought process battling Sherlock Holmes. The Battle of Genius. Genius. Go see, it's very good. Infact, Great.