Iron Man; Jonas Hex

Posted on October 31, 2010 by bob in DVD, November 2010

Iron Man 2 (PG-13)

Sequel dropoff is a well-known phenomenon, but it still bums us out when it occurs. Most of us only bother with extensions of films we liked, as we hope the next edition will buck the industry trend. Like Godfather 2. No such luck in Robert Downey, Jr.’s further adventures in this superhero’s supersuit.

After a great early scene in which a witty, sarcastic Tony Stark triumphs over a pompous senator’s (Gary Shandling) political posturing, the film drags emotionally – especially compared to the charismatic, sympathetic Stark persona introduced in the first film. Six months after the events in that one, we now find a Stark who is initially too full of himself, then anxious and morose over threats to his health and the superiority of his technology over those who would do evil in the world. Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke head the new arrivals, as a surprisingly versatile assistant and arch-villain, respectively.

The adrenaline rushes of battles and explosions are viscerally comparable to such scenes from the first, but lose some punch, having to overcome the long morose stretches of Stark wrestling with his issues. There’s still a decent scattering of comic relief in Jon Favreau’s direction of the script Justin Theroux wrote with The Master – Stan Lee. But the overall energy level is disappointing. Not enough to kill the franchise, but at least offering a cautionary tale for the brains behind an Iron Man 3 to remember what made the first one such a winner. (9/28/10)

Jonah Hex (PG-13)

Josh Brolin stars in this dark action flick, based on a comic book character. Hex fought for the South in the Civil War. The battlefield proved to be his natural habitat until his unit’s leader (John Malkovich), bitter about impending defeat, turned into a homicidal megalomaniac. Their clash led to tragedy for both. A bitter, disfigured loner, Hex found life on the trail as a bounty hunter his only option. When Malkovich became a 19th century terrorist, hell-bent on destroying the Union by its Centennial by crafting a weapon of mass destruction, President Grant summoned Hex to foil his old nemesis.

The timing and the scope of Malkovich’s Machiavellian Mission make this mix of sci-fi and cowboys seem like a cranked up variation on The Wild, Wild West with lots more carnage, and much less humor. The plot and characters work well enough for most of the movie, but the climactic confrontation is so poorly lit and edited that it’s hard to tell who is doing what to whom. That’s been occurring in many big-budget action movies – The A-Team, for example.

Megan Fox, as a deceptively tough hooker-with-heart, adds some eye candy and humanizes Hex by slightly cracking his wall of laconic isolation. The handsome Brolin goes exactly in the opposite direction, sporting the face of a psycho killer from a run-of-the-mill slasher flick. (The above photo shows Jonah’s “good side”; for Ms. Fox, every side is a good one.) The overall package is nothing special, but one could do worse when seeking a bit of escapist fantasy. (10/12/10)

Mark Glass is an officer and director
of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.