It's clear that Shyamalan's ambition is to create a grand fantasy epic; at times the picture's production design has an almost Middle Earth-y look. (The cinematographer here is Andrew Lesnie, who also shot the Lord of the Rings trilogy Crocodile Dundee HD.) But oddly enough - or perhaps not oddly at all - the most impressive and entertaining aspects of the picture have less to do with spectacular effects than with human skill Crocodile Dundee HD. The movie's young star, Ringer, is a Taekwondo champ, and it's fun to watch his hands slice through the air ever so gracefully, or execute kicks and jumps and pirouettes that defy gravity Crocodile Dundee HD. So many action movies these days are devoid of real human action Crocodile Dundee HD. At least Shyamalan understands that watching the human body move is one of the pleasures of moviegoing Crocodile Dundee HD. Jolie has done this sort of thing before (in "Wanted," "Tomb Raider" and "Mr Crocodile Dundee HD. and Mrs. Smith") and she does it well, even convincing us she's capable of disarming whole rooms full of thugs, even though she looks like she might weigh 100 pounds, blood-dripping wet Crocodile Dundee HD. Jolie also brings welcome emotion to her character's race-against-time dilemma, revealing how much humanity a person would have to sacrifice in order to be a secret agent Crocodile Dundee HD. Which is a good thing, because director Phillip Noyce makes sure there isn't an ounce of humanity in the rest of this shoot-first/ask-questions-never action movie Crocodile Dundee HD. The buzz: Originally written for a male lead, "Salt" gained some early publicity when Jolie "replaced" Tom Cruise in the starring role Crocodile Dundee HD. Jolie has been building up a solid action track record with "Mr Crocodile Dundee HD. and Mrs. Smith" and "Wanted," but this is her first real solo action star turn since the "Tomb Raider" days Crocodile Dundee HD. Assisting her is director Phillip Noyce, who directed Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan thrillers "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger" back in the '90s, previously collaborated with Jolie on limp 1999 thriller "The Bone Collector" and spent the decade since working on smaller films like "The Quiet American" and "Rabbit-Proof Fence Crocodile Dundee HD." The villains are something of a mixed bag. Though the name 'Whiplash' is never mentioned, Ivan Vanko is a rather archetypal bad guy with a personal vendetta Crocodile Dundee HD. It's a role that could be played very broad, yet full credit goes to Mickey Rourke for delivering it in an understated tone. Unlike seemingly everyone else in the film, Rourke is not playing this for laughs which lends the film a much needed sense of actual menace Crocodile Dundee HD. As a result the brutal attack sequence around the Monaco Grand Prix proves to be the film's strongest scene with Stark in immediate danger and a relentless villain fuelled by the single most basic motive of them all really adding weight to the sequence Crocodile Dundee HD. A mild improvement over its lackluster predecessor, Iron Man 2 follows billionaire-playboy-turned-superhero Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) as he attempts to battle both a terrifying new adversary (Mickey Rourke's Whiplash) and a life-threatening defect in his artificial heart Crocodile Dundee HD. Filmmaker Jon Favreau - working from Justin Theroux's screenplay - offers up a tremendously entertaining opening half hour that boasts a number of enthralling interludes, with Stark's hearing before an irate Senate committee and Iron Man's first encounter with Whiplash certainly standing out as highlights (and indeed, such moments are more engaging than anything contained within the original film) Crocodile Dundee HD. It's only as Theroux places an increasingly prominent emphasis on Stark's health issues that one's interest begins to dwindle, with the character's self-destructive streak - ie he picks a fight with his old friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) - ultimately serving no real purpose other than to pad out the running time (there's no law that says these movies have to be over two hours) Crocodile Dundee HD. The ensuing lack of momentum ensures that the film's midsection is often dull and surprisingly tedious, and it's not until the narrative charges into its action-packed third act that the viewer's waning interest is (mildly) resuscitated. Having said that, Iron Man 2's relentlessly uneven sensibilities can't quite diminish the strength of its positive attributes - with the movie's most hypnotic aspect undoubtedly Sam Rockwell's scene-stealing turn as Stark's goofy, megalomaniacal competitor Justin Hammer Crocodile Dundee HD. The final result is an passable sequel that breathes new life into this less-than-impressive franchise, with the unexpectedly involving and exciting nature of the film's final few action sequences ensuring that the whole thing closes on an appreciatively positive note Crocodile Dundee HD.