Iron Man 3

    I was concerned with this latest installment of the Iron Man series. Since Iron Man 2  there has been Avengers Assemble, and I was very intrigued with how they were going to integrate that film into Tony Stark's history within his own franchise.
    I found myself rather pleased with how it was done. Iron Man 3 was a kind of sequel to Avengers Assemble. Stark finds himself to be suffering from anxiety and panic attacks brought on by what he had to go through in the Avengers. The fact that none of the other Avengers were in the film was also handled well, as Iron Man wasn't saving the world, but saving himself and the people he loved. It was made a personal vendetta.
    The villians matched Stark in humour and stage presence. Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian and the brilliant Ben Kingsley as The fearsome Mandarin were excellent.
   Although probably not as good as the previous two installments in the franchise, Iron Man 3 still hit all the right spots for any fan of the comic book hero. Remember to stay to the end of the credits, as there's a funny scene that should not be missed.

For fans of Iron Man, comedy and an action packed ride.

Stars ***

Taken 2

As I only mildly enjoyed the first outing I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the sequel...and I wasn't...Liam Neeson's latest action films from the Taken's to Unknown have been so similar I can't actually remember which is which.
The storyline created for this sequel is a realistic notion that there are actually consequences to killing a lot of bad guys! They all have family and friends who won't be best pleased about their loved ones being killed, even if they did kidnap someones daughter. The premise of the story means there could be another half a dozen in this series, as brothers, cousins- 2nd, 3rd and 4th removed seek revenge.
Neeson plays his usual hard and calculated role as hero, which I found difficult not to enjoy and join in with his cool fighting moves. However, Maggie Grace, who takes up the role of his daughter, Kim, is annoying from the off. Her irritating characteristics which I despised from the first film were back with a vengeance  while her weak acting only aggravated me more.
The film was mildly enjoyable, very much like the first. But the plot was all too obvious, there was nothing original to the script and the only reason the film stayed afloat was because Neeson carried it.


For fans of Liam Neeson and mindless action films this is only worthwhile if you have nothing better to see.

Stars **