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Iron Man 2

I'm really shocked I'm the first reviewer for this. Anyways, I really wanted to love this, but I only liked it. When IM2 is good, it's really good, as good as the first one. Unfortunately the middle drags, Rockwell's Hammer got annoying, and Johannsen's Black Widow was reserved to eye candy alone. Oh and NOT ENOUGH ACTION. This movie was supposed to be bigger and better in every way and instead we just got a movie that felt longer and only sometimes matched its predecessor.

That being said, I didn't dislike it (as 3 1/2 stars will attest). Downey is his usual awesome, Favs gets more screentime as funny bodyguard Happy, Cheadle makes you forget that someone else played Rhodey, and I really liked Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash. Plus, when War Machine gets his due (Rhodey in the Iron man suit) it's badass. The story holds together well enough, but again, not enough action, too talky. So to sum up, while I was disappointed that this didn't surpass the original, I did enjoy myself and will most likely see it again. (5/11/2010)

Positives: Downey, comic relief, Rourke, action scenes, diner scene with Nick Fury (Sam Jackson), after-credits scene (don't stay for it unless you're a comic nerd like myself)

Negatives: Black Widow, Hammer for stretches, dragging middle

Spoiler (highlight to read): Seemed like too short of a final fight, and IM and war machine never seemed that threatened. (end)

The first Iron Man film from Favs & folks was so good, I had valid reasoning for lowering my expectations for the sequel. Also, I had no clue what character Scarlett would be playing (but I did know that she would sound like a man) so I was afraid the film would have three villains, a surefire way to bring down a comic book movie. Thankfully, the movie wasn't over-villainized and we were treated to another great outing. Downey shined again as "Anthony" Stark as he battles his own internal demons (you could argue Tony Stark is the third villain in the movie) as well as weapons contractor Justin Hammer (a superb Sam Rockwell) and a vengeful Ivan Vanko (subtle and extremely strong Mickey Rourke). The rest of Tony's crew (Paltrow's Pepper Potts & Fav's Happy) returns and brings back the same high quality chemistry we saw in IM1. The biggest change is swapping Don Cheadle for Terrance Howard. I miss Howard's chemistry with RDJ but Cheadle's presence as a military man was far more believable than Howard's. The story crafted by new writer Justin Theroux had a great opening act and a fun conclusion that bookended an odd middle (see below). (5/17/2010)

Positives: There's not a single Iron Man suit special effect that I don't love. All in all, this was a movie full of amazing effects (except for one - the backdrop of cars exploding behind Whiplash). LOVED the Senate hearing scene. Great on all fronts.

Negatives: I love the concept of a complete integration of the new crop of Marvel films, but I worry about the execution. The Nick Fury scenes felt very unnatural. They weren't helped by an overexposed Sam Jackson.

Spoiler (highlight to read): I was disappointed Tony's personal issues revolved more around the palladium poisoning than his alcoholism. That could have been a more powerful statement. (end)

Not quite on par with the first one, but I wasn't disappointed either. There were some slow parts, but the action was good. If you enjoyed the first one, you'll be satisfied with this one too. (6/8/2010)

Positives: Not that Terrance Howard was bad in the first one, but I liked the swap to bring in one of the best actors in Don Cheadle. I felt like him and Downey Jr had better chemistry. Whiplash was a good villain, but did they actually ever call him whiplash? If I didn't read his name on some little kids shirt as I was coming out of the theater I don't think I would have known his name. Decent storyline overall.

Negatives: Still can't stand Gwenyth Paltrow. Scarlet Johanssen was pretty worthless. And I know they're trying to lead up to the avengers movie, but all the Shield/Nick Fury scenes felt out of place. David Hasslehoff makes a way better Nick fury than Sam Jackson. Makes a better lifeguard too.

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