Iron Man 2

In the US the long awaited Iron Man 2 movie is premiering tomorrow May 7th, but the International premiere for the movie was last week and since I don't live in the US (just close) I went to watch the movie. So for all of you who haven't seen it and are waiting to anxiously here's a review of what you'll get (I promise I won't spoil anything)

Synopsis

In

"Iron Man 2," the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.

Movie Details

Runtime: 2hr 5min
Release Date: May 7, 2010
MPAA: Rated PG-13 
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jon Favreau, Kate Favreau, Kate Mara, Leslie Bibb
Director: Jon Favreau

The Story (No Spoilers)

So besides what the synopsis can tell us about the movie I can tell you that the movie's repertory of supporting cast doesn't stop with just Pepper and Rhodey but it includes Nick Fury, Justin Hammer, Whiplash, Natalie Rushman, and Agent Phil Coulson.
As for the story goes it has a lot of tidbits from story lines we are all very aware of such as Demon in a Bottle and Armor Wars.
 

Review as a Movie

Let me explained what I'm doing here. I have this thing about any media property. I first enjoy it, then I go back and criticize it, but then again I have different ways to review a movie and a comic book movie.  

The Good
This movie was an action packed movie, with amazing actors and actress, that includes the guest stars such as Kate Mara and Olivia Munn's small cameos in the movie. When I saw the trailers I thought they were spoiling too much of the action we were going to get to see in the movie, and although most of it was, the fight sequences tended to be a little bit longer than expected. There was a lot of story involved when the story became more focused on Stark's past and focused on the introduction of the new characters.
 
The Bad
Like I said there was a lot of action in the movie, but that doesn't mean everything was fast paced, there was a lot of slow moments even in the battles, not neceserilly because they were too long but because [in my personal opinion] the slow motion effect was sometimes overused. Also another thing I said was that there was a lot of story, a lot. Which means a lot of slow times, and a lot of down/talk time.
 

The Verdict
As a movie, and from a non-geek's perspective this is a good movie but not nearly as good as the first.
 
Rating: 3/5
 

Review as a Comic Book Movie

Now what a true geek thinks...
 
The Good 
I have to say that the movie had a lot of comic book geek tidbits that met my expectations. Nick Fury and the heavily involvement of SHIELD in the movie made me smile, a lot. Natalie Rushman's appearance was maybe one of the best (opposed the opinions to most that Scarlet Johannson can't act), she did an excelent job at being mysterious throughout the whole movie. There was a lot of acknowledgment of the Marvel Universe as Nick Fury explained what was happening on the East side of the US, and in New Mexico (hint, hint). 
Whiplash''s spotlight was awesome, and the added rouge to Iron Man's list was awesome. Not to mention the other "bad guy" of the movie: Justin Hammer. I was skeptical about his appearance being a younger man, but it worked perfectly as the rivalry between him and Stark was awesome. 
The relationship between Rhodey and Tony is touched upon heavily in the movie, and it's one of the key points in the movie that bring the movie to an amazing wrap up. Also the relationship between is Pepper and Tony is addressed, not as I would've hoped for but it is.
Oh and the scene after the credits, made my day!
 

The Bad 
A lot of the expectations were a let down when I finally got to see what roles Kate Mara and Olivia Munn played. Warning: They are not any of the speculated characters. I can't say I there was a lot of disappointment in the movie, but there were moments when I would want for the story to move along quicker, but don't worry there's not a lot of those moments. The ending was somewhat as a let down since there's a moment when you say: "That's it?" but the creators were smart enough to let you know it's not it.
I do have to say that War Machine's reveal was also a surprise, not exact;y negative but it was not expected, and it's definitely not like in the comics, but in the end it worked, although I was still iffy as I watched the movie when the actor was changed for Rhodey's character. (I liked the first choice better)
I think the thing that bugged me the most was that a scene from the trailer was cut. If you remember there's a scene where Tony and Pepper are at a plane and he asks her for a kiss, and after a passionate kiss to the helmet Tony says: "You complete me"... Well that was cut! 

Oh and Stan Lee appears, but only for less than a second. (I am not joking)
 
The Verdict 
I really appreciate the impact of comic book related events on the movie, and while some moments were a little too much or too little as a whole the movie was a nice mesh.

Rating: 4/5
 
So watch it and enjoy it... Then go watch it again and review it..