Iron Man 3 The review that Just cant wait! ^_^

Movie Name: Iron Man 3

Release Date: 26th April 2013

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Director: Shane Black

Writers: Drew Pearce and Shane Black (screenplay), Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby (comic books)

Stars: Robert Downy Junior, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingslay

PS: Don’t worry, there aren't any spoilers :)

Yes! Finally! The exams have ended and there was no better way to celebrate it. They did not end on as high a note as I was expecting them to, but then, celebration isn't to be kept off like that. So yes! Shinjali booked the tickets for all the nine of us! So a huge shout out thanks to her for doing an excellent job! Because I actually made a "duh" face in front of a friend who was there in the line to get the tickets thinking that he could in the first place. So old school. Haha, Never mind. Lets get down to the good stuff! The Iron stuff that I was talking about. Excellent. The first words that I would say about the movie. Not because of the hype, no, not at all. But because of what I saw. So all the goodness of Iron man three crunched for you within a few words. Here we go! Enjoy the review!

The Intro

It starts on a note that you don’t really want an Iron man movie to start with. You see now, seriousness isn't exactly RDJs' style. But then, something's are pardoned when you are doing something that big. So well yes, it starts off with a narration but then goes into the same groovy Stark tone. The style of speech and the modulations are just perfect and I absolutely adore the man for that. But lets not get biased here, it could've been better. You might end up feeling a little superficial in the beginning and not really getting into the movie, but give it time. Let yourself sink in. It might take a little longer than you thought but then the whole point of coming to a movie is letting yourself get consumed in the aura. So let it do that. Let the intro pass. All the magic and good stuff is right around the corner.

I give the intro a 8/10 that extra point for trying something new.

The Plot

Not that fabulous. Not particularly that awesome. No. But then great nonetheless. Why am I so jumpy about my statements? Like I am dancing from one foot to the other? Because well, that’s what unbiased looks like! Haha getting over it, we were talking about the plot. Staged in something fairly sensible and relevant as well as appealing. Terrorism and a plot of the 'dark people' creating super soldiers is what you can expect when you get into the build up of the plot. It is very fluid. I have to say that the movie makers have done a wonderful job at making the movie watchable and feel-able. One thing that I don’t very much like about the Nolan movies, especially the Batman series is that there is distinct disconnect between parts of the story. Although that is a very well calculated and distinguished art that puts a lot of fabric to the story, but then, it might not allow you to enjoy it sometimes. Its just a different kind of cinema but then comparison was only because both of the cinemas have come down to super hero movies and more or less been equally successful, at least in the word of mouth and hype part. (TDK might have been a tad bit more on the hype side because of Nolan's popularity and given it had the content) So yes, the plot is lucid. It dawns upon you and it needs you to embrace it. This one of the plots that isn't so audacious about falling upon you. You just have to let it in. And you'll have fun. Trust me, this movie is all about having fun and all about the way RDJ puts the image of the 'Steel Soldier'. As you'd expect, there is a lot of 'SUIT' and a boat load of JARVIS (Just A Really Very Intelligent System) jokes.

Overall there is this lack of pure story. Whether the movie stands without its animation and start-cast just as a story is a huge question that I am not very willing to answer. I would give the plot a 6/10

The Characters

Yes! They are what make a movie! Especially one like this! Tony Stark is a stellar. Ben Kingsley is stunning as expected. Flawless performance by the two of these. Pepper and the 'girl-who-pretends-to-be-a-friend-but-is-with-the-bad-guys' have also done a great job. But then there was a lack of commitment to the role. That's just what I felt. You may have a totally different opinion and we still might both be right. (that’s what I love about diplomacy) The world is ready for only one change at a time. (why am I quoting the Prestige here?) The characters so hold their earlier feel. Its like going back home for a series lover. The same amount of weight and groove to the set up as it was earlier. Wonderful consistency with the characters and the overall feel of the movie. There isn't really anything wrong with the characters if you'd ask me. So they get a cheesy 8/10 for that one! (you don’t score a 10 until you do a Prestige or an ESOSM)

The Screenplay

Yes! This is one part I want to talk about. The screenplay is not distinct. It’s the same old formula. Good guys, bad guys, good guy kills bad guy, he's still not dead, good guy gets hit bad, we all start whining, but wait its not over! There is a super sexy and super exciting, super confusing nevertheless, and super whiplash (read kickass) end of the story. Tried and test formula across ages and populations. Nothing new to add to it. Only the part where he narrates, that's new for Iron ma, but I cant take it as a significant improvement. As the plot grow, so does the screenplay, but only to a threshold. It wont take you very far from what you could image. Some very good thinking has gone into the making and sequencing but not as much as you want. Not the "super duper shit I did not see that coming" kind of good. I wont spill beans here because for this kind of straightforward work, talking about it is as good as telling it all. So I'll just contain all the spoilers.

For all the punches and screen-shifts along with the impounding suits and flying around shoot sequences and so amazing work and placement of Montage sequences, I give it a 7.75 for screenplay!

The Specials!

Okay. Now. Take a deep  breath, relax, don’t panic, don’t think too much, don’t move, and make sure you have your seat-belt on. Especially if you're watching it in I-Max 3D. There is some really, really amazing special effects work that has gone into it. The plot, the story and the overall scene marries with the effects really well. It all makes sense and all of the tweaking gadgets have a reason for being where they are. Everything placed and shot perfectly. As my friend Gayatri insisted (and I thank her or that) we waited back for the after credits scene and all of the rest of the theater had left (so dumb) which is where I noticed that they had a whole skydiving team! For a total geek material skydive that they have shown in the movie and they call it 'Barrel of Monkeys' Totally worth whatever tickets you have spent, this scene takes it all in. All that you can do is jump up and down and make sure you don’t die screaming! It is down right one of the coolest diving scenes you'd have seen till date!

Apart from that I'd like to dedicate a whole paragraph for the Suits! Damn, there are some really nice makes right there. Spell bounding special effects and absolutely amazing CGI. I bow down to whosoever thought it the way it is. The protest outside the Oscars is now totally justified and I am on their side. The people who make the imagination of the director look nothing but "REAL" deserve a standing ovation. I personally applaud all the efforts that have been put after this movie. Without the effects, it is nothing but a bunch of self obsessed people fighting for a bar of chocolate.

I give this a 9.5/10 (yes a 9.5! Not even Life of Pi got this!) simply because of the Integrity that the effects hold with the story which makes it so enjoyable.

The Feels

Now the Part where we sum it all up! Great experience! Beautiful movie, great dialogues, great entertainment. If you want to take your brains out, put them in your shelf out and then go watch it you are going to enjoy it! If you want to take your brains with you, you'll enjoy is even more! Haha! It is great for a good feel. Makes you scream for the flying suit and the way it jumps to his self obsessed (not to mentioned beautifully toned) hell of a body. Well planned, and nicely executed. The movie is great! No other words, just fabulous. If you have time, go watch it! There is nothing like it this weekend. Unless you're interested in what the Indian cinema has to offer with the sorry ass cleavage of some out of the scene heroines in a desperate movie (read Ek thi Daayan).

My overall rating? 8.5/10 or maybe 4.25/5 is more adaptable to your senses :) 4-1/2 stars are perfect for this flick!

Hanuman: The Faith and Beyond

I am an atheist. A very pronounced one indeed and some believe it extremely Hippocratic of me to write on 'Hanuman' and his perception today. But then I am the little rebel everyone hates. On a more serious note, this article is more about the few faiths in Hinduism that are pure and undoubted. Faiths that aren't stained by personal gains, faiths that have purity and an essence of understanding. As much as I hate the misconception within them, I cannot help but applaud the extent of emotion and innocence that they bear.

The next thing that you might endure to ask will be, "why this all of a sudden?" and well, the answer lies in that fact that while I was introspecting upon the way I perceive my culture and the way I would preserve its integrity when it comes to presenting it to someone not from this background, I need to have a sound and unbiased understanding of what it stands for what what its original purpose is.

So let us start with the background of Hanuman for those of you who do not, or only partially know this India's first superhero! The story goes way back into the Satyug or the first Epoch of time in the Indian mythology. They tell me that there are 4 epochs in general and that there is a mass destruction after every fourth epoch ends (known as the Pralay: the destruction after the Kalyug). And the saints who have lived eons hence claim that there have been 27 pralays till date and so the cycle keeps going on the same way again and again and again. And so my loved ones, the concept of parallel universes is not so new to then Indian culture. Coming back to the point, the inception of Hanuman is said to be in the early Satyug when Ram was also born. Hanuman is said to be a Rudra avatar of Shiv or to be clearer, a vibrant incarnation of the god of destruction. Said to be born to accompany Ram in his voyage that was precast to enervate the evils of Ravan from the planet, it has a more interesting back-story of Parshads or the gatekeepers of Vishnu being cursed but that'll be too off track and i will talk about it some other day. For now, Hanuman was born to accompany Ram on a voyage. But our purpose here is not the story. Our purpose needs us to jump to the end of the Ramayan or the story of Ram's life. It was the time when peace had been established in the world and Ram had decided that his time had come and he must leave. Hanuman was the most devoted follower of Ram and the love they shared was beyond the scope of gauges we can understand. So when Ram declared to go to exile and then vanish, Hanuman lamented, begged him to stop, said he was incomplete without his lord. And he was right. The purpose of his birth was to serve Ram. And to be a savior of the weak. To be left like this would leave him without a goal to look at. That was the moment where he did what is today the pose of most of the pictures he is fabled in. He sat on one knee and tore apart his chest to show that Ram and Sita lived in his heart. As humbug as it may sound, it is deductive of love that we share in absolute devotion. To every human on planet, there is an entity that he wants, and needs more dearly than anything else that he has by any means. Now this is the time that we get to part of faith. Ram said to Hanuman, “while i go, you must live on, while i perish, you must continue to serve your purpose, a new purpose, the one of true humanity and true devotion." Hanuman stood baffled  Not exactly understanding the nuances of what was to come, but very certain that it will be the to the best interests of the universe as a whole. “You shall live till eternity, and protect my disciples, live on for every single person who believes in the truth and material of god, live on for every form of life that has conscious of our presence." The words aren't exact, but the meaning more or less is.

That is the reason Hanuman has such a huge number of followers on this planet. There is more to the ape-man than a simple devotion. He has been left on the planet as proof of the god particle. He has been left on the planet as proof that when you have faith and when you have the willingness to accomplish something, forces as strong as that of the creator himself cannot stop you, for you are in all terms his masterpiece.

This stature that Ram left Hanuman with, was taken very seriously by the Hindu religion and it is, in its solemnity the most secular following ever built. Requiring no or very less maintenance the temples of Hanuman are always built in the most unexpected places and crevices where people are most probable to face fear. Somewhere in the middle of forests, on lonely roads, on twisting and winding paths to mountain tops, whenever there is fear, we have seen Hanuman standing there. Waiting. They say that if you have faith in him, he WILL come. If you believe he is there, he will be. And for all practical purposes, he does prove to be right. Now I won’t tread into superstition, but the fact that you believe in something so basic and so down to earth, makes you realize the ground realities of your actions. When you go ahead and take a stand of accepting your fears, you look at the bigger picture. You do not directly find strength, but you certainly find peace. That is what Hanuman is all about. Finding peace in the reality of situations. When you do that, when the holistic image is clear in front of you, there is a sense of new found responsibility. And that is where you get your strength from .The acute punch of all the power you could ever imagine, channeled through your veins into your muscles is all because now you know, what you are fighting for. The truth of the matter and the humanity that lies within it, that is all that life is about.

The Ramayan or the story of Ram has 7 chapters or 'kands'. The fifth chapter is called the 'sunderkand' or 'the beautiful-chapter'. It is all about the relationship and adventures that Ram and Hanuman had together and it is the most frequently chanted part of the whole scripture. What is worth noting is that today, whenever devotees plan and sit for a chanting of this chapter, there is custom of putting a miniature pillow somewhere near the idols they pray in front of. The more life-size-liking people use a whole chair kept empty and near the place of prayer with a direct view of the idol of Ram. The purpose is, people believe so, to keep a place for Hanuman to sit. Pretty amusing at first look. But we can do so much to understand the deeper reason to it. They believe that whenever there is a chant of Ram, He comes, to hear and to indulge in the bliss of being reunited to his lord in the purest form of love. And the more interesting part is that they believe in it and arrange for it in very regard. It is beautiful, how they have respect for feelings more than that for actions. The sentiments of Indian men and women are tampered with at every stage of life and the only reason none fight back is that they are too vulnerable to possibilities of the negative outcome of an event. We as people, fall prey to prayers only because we do not see our fears in clear vision. The Ape who was meant to show people their fears and push them to overcome is today referred to as an eradicator of fear. One who shall protect you and your family against all odds and all that you need to do is pray. Faith has a bent meaning of being an umbrella to rain. No one enjoys dancing in the face of showers anymore. The easy life, people think is available in the chapters of the epics, why search for it in hard work and perseverance when you can get it in chants and idiotic conservatism. Religion is a virtue; it is never a physical attribute. It can influence your mentality and psych but never your potential.

This is all ladies and gentlemen. Hanuman: The Faith and Beyond was only meant to question. You shall give me the answers :)