Iron Man 2

There have been – if I am not mistaken – 10 superhero movie series in the 21st century so far. Some of them are reinterpretations of last century works, while some (like Spiderman and the Hulk) are completely new franchises. Lets see how that has gone so far
Superman (Returns) – boring
Batman – awesome
Spiderman – pansy
Hulk – errr .. the green guy (no, not Shrek)
Daredevil – huh ?
Hellboy – who again ?

Then there are the team based superhero movies –
X-Men - really cool and kickass
Fantastic Four – lame x 4
Watchmen – *still scratching my head on that one*

And the final one is of course – Iron Man. Now before I give a one-word answer, I have to put a disclaimer - the first Iron Man movie was really not that good – it wasnt any better than, say, the Hulk or Daredevil. But Iron Man 2 – the one word for it is ‘fun’. Batman is all dark and brooding – and has got the awesomeness of Christopher Nolan behind him. X-men works mainly coz of the kick-ass Wolverine. Iron Man is all about the narcissistic and satirical Tony Stark.

Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark/Iron Man – the only superhero who doesn’t hide behind an alter-ego identity. He, infact, is basking in the adulation that he is getting. Being a multi billionaire – he throws lavish parties, goes around with ravishing girls and takes part in sportscar races. Ofcourse, when needed, he dons his red and gold armor to fight the baddies. And he also finds time to mercilessly mock US senators & defence contractors trying to get their hands on the Iron Man suit.

Reminiscent of the uber-delightful banter between Holmes and Watson in this year’s brilliant Sherlock Holmes – Robert Downey Jr takes on a eccentric, playful and whimsical character which easily makes Iron Man 2 the most fun superhero movie so far. The other USP of the movie is the smoldering Scarlet Johansson. You’d expect a fully clothed Scarlet Johansson is no fun at all – but believe me, a Scarlet Johansson in a catsuit kicking baddies’ asses is just as turning on :) !!

True, none of the other characters apart from Tony Stark get enough screen time – Gwyneth Paltrow is a teeny-weeny bit irritating - and Samuel Jackson comes and plays a random Morpheus like character which is totally inscrutable (till you come back home and google to find out that he comes in part 1 too, after the end credits, to deliver a single-line dialogue). But still, Iron Man 2 is a great entertainer and a good superhero movie. Perfect watch for the weekend