Check out my thoughts on the highly anticipated film
IMAX Poster When you work at an awesome place like Comic Vine for a living and you follow comic book related movie news as closely as I do, you realize that sometimes it can be hard to go into a movie like Iron Man 2 without being overly analytical and to just enjoy it for what it is- a really cool, action packed superhero film. Sometimes it's fun to forget that you are supposed to be analyzing the film and just have a good time- Iron Man 2 definitely did that for me. Being that I followed all the updates and knew about all the spoilers and images prior to the film's release, I figured it might be hard for me to be entertained; but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
The Good
My biggest fears going into this film were that the sequel wouldn't live up to its predecessor, or that the movie would be so far fetched from the stories that exist in the comics that it would alienate my inner comic fan. Let me just say that this film was better than I had anticipated. Robert Downey Jr. does a truly phenomenal job in his portrayal of Tony Stark. If you thought he had a grasp of Stark's character in the first film, wait until you catch him in the sequel. Stark is written as a flawed character- one of the many elements that initially popularized the character with readers from his initial conception. Stark deals with a tremendous amount of pressure in this film, and deals with his problems precisely the way I had imagined he would, clearly taking cue's from the comics. Don Cheadle who had taken over for Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the sequel did a good job in the film, as well. To be honest, the transition from having Howard play the role to Cheadle's performance was effortless- I barely noticed a change in actors. Downey Jr. and Cheadle had fantastic on-screen chemistry, as well; particularly during the phenomenal action sequences. The shift from being friends, to rivals and back to friends again was effortless and worked perfectly in the film. However, the most stellar performance in the film goes to Mickey Rourke. Scar-Jo can take some lessons from him on how to do a perfect Russian accent- maybe in the Avengers movie.
The Bad
Some of the scenes definitely felt a bit forced. I felt that the chemistry between Pepper and Tony was a little bit off at times, as well. Another problem I had with the film was that it felt there were far too many characters. I think they crammed a lot into two hours, and as a result, awesome characters like Whiplash had less on-camera time.
The Verdict - 4/5
If you are looking for a movie that will make you feel good, then go see this film. Between the incredible action sequences, astounding special effects, and top notch acting from most of the cast, this is definitely one movie you do not want to miss out on this Summer. The best part? You really don't have to be a fan of comics to appreciate this film, but if you love Iron Man, then you will absolutely love this movie.
