2010 Review #12: Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Rated PG-13

2 hours 3 minutes

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr.

Don Cheadle

Scarlett Johansson

Gwyneth Paltrow

Sam Rockwell

Mickey Rourke

Samuel L. Jackson

Paul Bettany (voice)

Storyline:

Billionaire Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends, as well as new enemies due to his superhero alter ego Iron Man.

Critics Grade:

B-

(It isn't quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot)

My Grade:

B

The first real blockbuster of the summer is finally here! A couple of years ago the first Iron Man movie took be by surprise and I absolutely loved it! It had a cool story and a great lead performance and mainly some fantastic action sequences throughout the film. It was what a summer movie is all about! Iron Man 2 is sure to be the biggest money maker of the summer if not somewhere in the top 3...you never know what may surprise. The question is...is it worthy of being the summer blockbuster? Is it a viable sequel to a great superhero movie? I'd say yes...for the most part.

Not often to sequels live up to the original film. I don't think Iron Man 2 lives up to it's predecessor, but it certainly comes fairly close. The movie lacks the punch and pizazz of the first film, it lacks the charisma. We don't get our first real action scene until about mid way through the film and then it dies down again after that. We don't get any consistent action until the last 30 minutes of the movie. That's all fine and dandy, I don't mind the story build up but it didn't feel like a summer action flick. At least not totally. It didn't stand out and wasn't 100% memorable. But here's the thing, it had enough action sequences to still be quite good, because when there was action, it was pretty damn cool. It had awesome visual effects and the action was at times pretty tense.

There is a lot more story in this film, which I found to be great. A lot of people just want things blowing up and to shy away from story. Not me. I liked the first half of the film that showcased all the problems that Tony Stark was having in his personal life and the fact that he's slowy dying. I liked it...but didn't love it. The story wasn't all that profound, and honestly it was a bit cliched and at times boring. Don't tell me you can't expect good stories from these movies. At this point we've had enough solid super hero movies that have had great stories (The Dark Knight anyone?). This didn't have bad writing at all...it just didn't brighten up the screen or the characters all that much. It was solid, just not awesome. It didn't balance out the action, at times it wasn't worth sitting through all the story stuff to get to the action.

What this movie definitley has is good performances, which is not very common for the super hero genre film. Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr. stole the show again of course. That guy is growing as one of my favorite actors working today. He just has this awesome stage presence that dominates the screen. He IS Tony Stark. Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (Sin City, The Wrestler) plays a pretty cool villian. He doesn't have a ton of speaking lines, but his actions are so nonchalant that it is at times scary. He fit the role so perfectly and his Russian accent was pretty good. Those electric whip things he used as a weapon looked awesome! I'm a big fan of Sam Rockwell (Snow Angels, Moon) and once again he does not dissapoint. He plays a creepy greedy guy who wants to take down Tony Stark and he pulls it off well. This guy needs some Oscar attention one day!! Scarlett Johansson was a nice addition to the cast and she had a pretty kick ass action scene towards the end that was pretty darn enjoyable to watch.

This movie has a lot of good things about it, for sure. This movie is entertaining for the most part, it has some cool action, great effects, and some solid performances from the rather large main cast. I think it's main downfall is a fairly weak story and the whole thing is just so predictable which took away from any real excitement. I got kind of restless wondering when the summer blockbuster action and excitment was about to happen and it just seemed to happen so far and few between that it was a BIT of letdown. But not to much, because there is definitely some action here. I totally recommend this movie especially if you love the first movie. This IS a good flick, don't misread this review. This has a lot of good things working for it, it only has a few things that mark it down. This is a good sequel that just doesn't quite live up to the original..but that's OK...because Iron Man 2 is still a fun, good movie.