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Visitors Review

yakuzaplacemat1215 2012-05-24 20:58:52

In case you think this director was a fluke, he's also the one who directed Will Ferrell in "Elf"....

After seeing this movie at a sneak preview, I gotta say I loved it!! Ihadn't heard much about it and really wasn't interested as most moviesstarring members of SNL are usually not very good! But was I everpleasantly surprised! This movie was really funny! Downey Jr. (Tony theBot)was hliarious as a man raised to believe he is a mech pilot. Hisgenuinely good heart and sweet disposition just make you smile, evenwhen hes not saying a word. To see 'tough guy' Mickey Roark in a comedywas also a bonus- he is great as a cold-hearted Russian Federationcareer man! As always, Chitwell McGregor is on hand and is justawesome- who is more funny than him? His facial expressions alonedeserve comedy awards!!! True this film is not gonna win any awards butwho cares?! It has a great supporting cast, all of whom play theirparts perfectly! Its is funny, enjoyable and a really good holidaypicture. Great for kids, adults, teenagers, whoever!! You're gonnalaugh and thats what a comedy is for!!!

2012-05-24 10:56:56

Better than expected

Being more of a romantic comedy type, I wasn't thrilled when a friend suggested we see IM2 and I sure am not a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. But I was pleasantly surprised, to make an understatement. Now this is coming from someone who hasn't seen the original IM, but I needed little to be explained to me, it was pretty action-packed (i.e. I didn't fall asleep), there was plenty of humor (bonus points from me), and I thought Ms. Paltrow was REALLY good in her role as Pepper. That surprised me quite a bit. I definitely recommend people to see IM2, especially if you've seen the first. I saw a couple people that were disappointed in the sequel, well, I don't know what you were expecting. I watched the first IM after I saw the second, and I definitely thought the second IM was better. But everyone has a right to their opinion and this is mine.

2012-05-23 06:00:45

Not worth the money!

This review is from: Iron Man 2 (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) The first Iron Man movie was the best comic book rendition ever done. The characters were right out of the comic books and the story left me wanting more (really cool). This second attempt was very disappointing and did not follow any of the iron man comic books. Revealing the real identity of Iron man painted a target on Tony Stark forever. In the first movie, Tony grows up and starts taking responsibility for his company. In the second movie Tony is less responsibile than he started out in the first movie and more after selfish glory. He turns over his responsibilities to others or they take them from him, and he pursues a life of selfish carelessness. The plot is not plausable or fun. I wouldn't know how to fix this series going forward. It is as if the writer was trying to end it here. It's really too bad because they had a great start in Iron Man 1.

Neil Welch 2012-05-22 17:46:29

Good sequel

I think I enjoyed Iron Man 2 marginally more than the first movie,albeit with some reservations.My main reason for liking it was that there was more story to it whichwas not simply origin. While one accepts that the first movie had tohave origin in it, it was good for that not to need to be addressedhere.Mickey Rourke was an excellent villain, Sam Jackson had a little moreroom to play with Nick Fury, Scarlet Johanson finally got to kick somebutt after demure décolletage and a couple of good moments through mostof the film, and Downey and Paltrow reprised their characterspleasingly enough. Cheadle was fine as Rhodes, and Garry Shandlingplayed an oily senator in what, to me, was one of the most enjoyableparts of the movie - a Congressional Hearing towards the start which isheld with the intention of forcing Stark Industries to hand over theIron Man tech to the US government.Oh, and THAT shield (not S.H.I.E.L.D.) makes another appearance.The only wrong note performance-wise was Sam Rockwell - his JustinHammer never for a second convinced me that he could be CEO of anymajor company despite the fact that it was a highly entertainingperformance.On the action side, I have three comments. One, I wasn't sure whateffect they employed during the Scarlet Johanson combat sequences, butit made them appear very jerky. Two, I felt the flying sequences werereally difficult to follow (in contrast with the first movie, where Ithought they were excellent). And, three, in common with the firstmovie, I thought the ending to the climactic action sequence was ratherperfunctory.But there was enough going on to keep me entertained without the actionsequences being critical.

Special-K88 2012-05-22 02:14:40

good sequel though not as good as its predecessor

Tony Stark is back at it again, this time adjusting to life in the fastlane after disclosing to the public that he is in fact Iron Man. Notonly is he suffering from various personal problems, he is also feelingpressure from a domineering United States government that feelsentitled to his technology, a second-rate rival who wants to usurp him(Rockwell), and a deadly rogue who has a personal score to settle(Rourke). The issue is whether Stark can get it together in time topreserve his reputation, protect those around him, and protect himselfas well. Action scenes are a blast, special effects are first-rate, andDowney is a lovable lead, but there are too many characters, too manysubplots, not many surprises, and the film as a whole is just not quiteas much fun to watch as its predecessor. Entertaining, just seems to belacking a little something. **½

omega-rob 2012-05-21 13:05:25

why the hell do some critics not give it he praise it deserves? THIS WAS OUTSTANDING!

We walked out of the cinema absolutely energized. I was amazed at howgreat a movie it was and how close it stayed to the source material. Istill had some personal problems with the movie (such as i wanted tosee more of the characters alcohol addiction to be fleshed out)but isoon thought "thats what sequels are for". I was pumped for Iron Man 2and even though it didn't go in to the alcohol abuse that much anyway,i still sat through the whole 2 hours and came out wanting to see itagain the next day. Iron Man 2 was not only a spectacular movie, but asuperior sequel, and a fantastic comic book movie all in one. That ishard to come by. The Dark Knight was a spectacular movie, a mildlysuperior sequel but in terms of being a good comic book movie.... letsjust say that Christopher Nolan seems like he's afraid of the fantasynature of the source material. This review is going to look over thoseaspects and it may contain spoilers so i suggest that you should seethe movie first before you read on. OK. The Movie opens right where thefirst film leaves off. Tony's Iron Man identity is now known to theworld. His character arc in the first film took him from being anegotistical prick to a thought provoking hero. with the theme of howhis actions have affected the world and what he is now going to do torectify it. But as the film begins, he now is egotistical from soakingup the glory of being a hero, which brings him into social conflictwith his aid Pepper Potts and close friend James Rhodes. Tony is alsofaced with having to deal with pressure to hand over his Iron Man armorto the government. If that wasn't enough, a rival industrialist namedJustin Hammer is out to get his cut and a Russian ex-con Ivan Vanko isout with a personal vendetta against tony. It is very clear in thisfilm that the stakes are far higher than they were in the first film.critics have argued that not everything in the film is tied up and theend. but that is simply not true. the film not only ties things up, butleaves possibilities open for not only future Iron Man films, but forfuture Avengers films. The Film is not a part 2, it is a continuationof the first film, and clearly continues the character arcs of TonyStark, by bringing in the realization of Futurism to the character,which is one of if not the most important aspect of the Iron Mancharacter. the film goes in to it just enough, so that it have a chancefor future films to delve into further Iron man complexities. As wellas this, the film continues to explore the social argument of howdangerous technology can be utilized. The Government wants his armor touse as a weapon of defense (of destruction) but Tony does not give itup because he is Iron Man. the suit isn't. Iron Man is the symbol ofFuturism and consequence. It is not the gun, it is the arm that is thereal hero. and whoever is behind the gun, will leave seriousconsequences (being the main thrust behind the antagonist) TheCharacter arc that tony goes through, sees him first treat the role ofIron Man as an opportunity for attention, but over the film, heunderstands that is a symbol for a greater future as his fatherintended him to be. this is shown clearly in the film through the basicprogression, as well as through the plot devises, (such as the arctechnology killing him and he replaces it with a new energy source.this serves as a metaphor for the actual progression). Very few wouldargue that tony leaves this film completely undeveloped. the onlyreason anyone would not grasp the progression, is the fact that thefilm has a slightly lighter tone than the first one. Having a darkertone makes is easier for an audience to capture intelligence andmaturity. But Iron Man 2 was able to deliver it in spades. There's noreason that you can't greatly develop a story if the tone is light.Iron Man proves it. If someone is arguing that it is stupid to have allthe plot points that establish the Avengers and then doesn't use it bythe end of the film, i say that they are hypocrites. nobody wasnit-picking at The Lord of the Rings trilogy for foreshadowing thingsin the first films and only using them in the last. Most of the film consists of very enjoyable interactions betweencharacters, much like in the first film. however this film delivers farmore than the first, with well written dialog and well writtencharacters. the film uses the witty comedy in such a natural way, thatit is easy to digest all of the light and sly moments. every singlemember of the cast puts on there absolute A game and every characterhas a powerful screen presence (even Scarlett Johanson who is sadlyunderused until the 3rd act. this is the on of the only problems thatspring to mind). the enjoyment, character interaction and developmentMakes even the scenes where Iron Man isn't blowing things up just aball the watch. But there is my segue-way in to the action. the Actiondirection is miles above the first film. far more exciting, far higherstakes and far more explosive, while still not over blowing the film. I highly recommend this to everyone. I highly recommend that you do notlisten to the mild amount of negative reviews. Go see it. go loveit!!!!!!! and stay in after the credits :)

gritfrombray-1 2012-05-20 00:20:16

Top notch Marvel

I have to laugh at the amount of obviously stupid people who ran thisfilm down and only went to it to find something wrong. I really enjoyedthe first installment and it was the best kick off Marvel film to datebut it presented an all too 'obviously going to be the bad guy' Stane.But little else to complain about. This film portrayed an unstableStark played by the masterful Downey and showed his battles with drink,technology and public life in a real watchable fashion. Pepper Pottswas wonderful and, as always Paltrow delivers a fine performance.Mickey Rourke was spine shiveringly amazing in his portrayal asWhiplash and was secretly deceptive in his intentions and abilities.Justin Hammer provides comic support too. Terrence Howard is forgottenin the blink of an eye and Cheadle is even better as Rhodie. The wholearms race and the military row over the Iron Man weapon is a greatstory and there is slow points in the middle of the film but whenwatched in full it's obvious that the entire film cannot be in fastforward. Nick Fury and Black Widow are played in superb form by Jacksonand Johansson, providing blistering support and many surprises. Theshowdown at end is as always fantastic. The dialogue and action are allin true comic book style and I for one am looking forward to many morelike this to come!

vinnie2112 2012-05-19 10:50:03

Iron Man 2 Kicks-Ass

I'll put it very simply, I think this movie was really cool. Excellentstory, visual effects, action, all of it combined masterfully to createa great film that delivers entertainment and style throughout, withoutsacrificing a good plot. It has all the right elements and the coolelements in a proper balance making it fun yet not dumb.I liked a lot Iron Man 1 and I think if you also did so, then you wouldmost likely like this one too. I really like films of this genre likeBatman Begins, The Dark Knight, Hellboy 2, Watchmen and I think bothIron Man films are up to the level. It's great to see that this sequelis as good or even better than the first one.I absolutely recommend this movie, it kicks major ass.

2012-05-17 19:34:29

Popcorn Movie

When I first settled down to watch Iron Man 2, I had some problems pretty much right off the bat. See, I couldn't quite get my head around why everyone cared so much about the Iron Man suit. Yeah, it's awesome, and I'll give you that it's way better than one un-suited person. I'm still not seeing how it's the equivalent of nuclear deterrence, though, or why North Korea and all those countries want one more than they want other, far more practical weapons, or how it could possibly insure world peace.Then again, in the movie world it's pretty damn apparent that the Iron Man suits are all that matters. After all, as a general rule of thumb, if a character isn't wearing a suit, they're absolutely worthless. The main villain doesn't get revenge by shooting Tony Stark in the face while he gives a speech, unarmored, on a public state; no, he does the far more reliable plan of developing his own suit and slugging it out face to face.While Whiplash is fighting Stark - and keep in mind that his suit is purely offensive; it has no armor - no security guards intervene in any way, despite the fact that a single bullet could've saved quite a few lives. Before Whiplash can finish Stark; he is hit with a car. Several times. This leads to the movie's most surprising moment: being repeatedly rammed by a few thousand tons of steel has no effect on this guy. In retrospect, however, it makes sense, because the car's not a high tech Iron Man suit.Even once I'd managed to force myself to accept the superiority of the suits, I still found myself siding with the movie's villains more than its heroes. Not the disturbingly maniacal Whisplash, of course, but rather the US government, who, as far as I can tell, had the safety of its citizens as its primary concern. Their argument went something like: "no weapon sufficient to make a nation a superpower should be wielded by one wholly unsupervised international mega-vigilante," and I have to say that I agree. For the first half of the movie, Stark responded by being arrogant and immature, not exactly inspiring me to change my mind.But all right, I think we all know I was watching this the wrong way. The Dark Knight and Watchmen (the comic; I still haven't seen the movie) taught me that it's okay to look for something more than "that guy just got totally owned!" in a super hero movie, but that clearly wasn't what Iron Man 2 was trying to do.Once I managed to beat the parts of my brain that kept tossing up all the reasons Stark should be thrown in jail and the government should take all his stuff, I managed to enjoy the movie, but even from an entertainment perspective, Iron Man 2 still fell short of the first movie. The main problem was that everything felt disjointed.The movie's ace in the hole throughout was Robert Downey Jr., and though I thought his character was a bit of a bastard quite often, I was with him every step of the way. The first half of the movie was based on Stark's steady slide into depression, and this part was well done, with some very funny scenes. The resolution to all of Stark's problems, however, felt artificial.The instant Stark's personal life ceased to be the focus, the movie turned to the villains. The problem with this was that the villains had, for most of the movie, been playing second fiddle. Hammer's sudden ability to compete with Stark felt like a symptom of Stark's problems, rather than a cause. As a result, having him and his psychotic developer suddenly step forward felt somewhat awkward (while still managing to be predictable), and the personal relationships never gelled with the external threat in the same way that they did in the first movie, leaving Iron Man 2 feeling like two aspects of Iron Man's life jammed together harder and harder until they fit. Sort of.Still, Iron Man 2 wasn't a bad movie. If you enjoyed the first movie, or are just a general fan of the genre, you'll probably enjoy this - just keep in mind that it's an experience you might remember more for the popcorn than for the plot.

baron_genitalstrassen 2012-05-17 12:38:03

Power Rangers and fans of Will Ferill's 'ELF' should enjoy this!

Americans will yawn or laugh this sci fi off the screen, for the mostpart, but if you dig Will Ferrell in Elf (2003) , or you're a 6 yr oldPower Ranger, you should dig this spectacle. The plot is an overlong,unengaging mess. I was'nt able to cease all brain activity, kick backand enjoy hard hitting action sequences which I do in most good actionfilms. While the special effects are not up to the Hollywood standardand far from reasonably convincing, it can be a teeny bit entertainingif you appreciate how far Hollywood has come. It used to be seen as thehome of unintentionally comical mainstream movies of interest only tofreaks and those who like to day dream about kicking some bully's a--.While that's not a fair assessment of that country's current output,it's not a totally undeserved one concerning its past. So it made arefreshing change to see that the US – along with other Canadiancountries – had begun producing stylish biopics, and energetic effortslike RAY, Walk the Line, and Oceans 12. Sadly, I don't think they'requite ready to stray off from that if they're going to introduce theirfilms to the rest of the world.The film's first big action sequence provides a weak mix of 'futuristicplot holes' and bad 'character development', all of which threaten toscupper the entire project until a potential surprise that goes for theheartstrings, which is why I gave it 4 pts. I did read somewhere thatFavreau claims an Ironman sequel was never his goal, and that he wastrying to tell a moving and emotional story. Strange mix? I'll say. Tofully enjoy it, (whispers...) make sure to turn a blind eye on thespecial effects, seriously. The visual effects by US VFX housePentamotive are hilariously awful, managing the same effectiveness asFavreau's ELF, which came out a full eight years ago. Surprisingly,Favreau's skills with CGI has not improved in 8 yrs. Neither has hisstorytelling or directing ~by baron_genitalstrassen

drew23 2012-05-13 16:55:18

Not Bad, but not good either, it's just missing something.

This was extremely mediocre in the biggest way a film can be. Thestory. It's barely there at all. Everything about the film was topnotch, the acting the special effects, the set pieces etc. However itjust goes to show that unless you have a good story & a good script,there is something missing. You never get invested in the story evenfor a second. That was what made the first film what it was, a reallyfun & engaging storyline. This had absolutely none of that whatsoever.It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't good. The word of mouth onthis will spread (badly) & I would be shocked if this makes as much asthe first film which relied on the excellent word of mouth to make itsuch a successful & very well reviewed film. It seemed like they reallyshould have made the script the most important part of the film. MickeyRourke did the best he was given, but he just wasn't aninteresting/scary bad guy at all. Especially comparing to Jeff Bridgesof the first film. I wish people would stop comparing this so much tothe first film & stop rating it so high based on that film. If youhadn't seen the first, it doesn't hold up well as a standalone film. Infact if this was the first "Iron Man" It would be doubtful we wouldhave seen a second film. On a good note Robert Downey Jr. is good to anextent, but they should have let his own personality shine through evenmore as he is the reason people love the character. Unless you're a diehard "Iron Man" fan you will find little to want to watch this morethan once.

islander7one 2012-05-13 12:29:12

BEST ADAPTATION EVER! Long live the new king!

Well, it's happened again for the armored Avenger. It's no wonder thateveryone is again praising Iron Man in some way. Iron Man 2 is the bestcomic adaptation movie ever made. The original Iron Man may havesurpassed every original installment of any superhero film to date.Now, the sequel advances as well if not better than the previous great"number 2's" in history. Spider-Man 2, X2 and TDK all took the secondfilms of the franchise to new heights. Iron Man 2 does the same andwhen you start at the remarkably high level that the first filmachieved, that's saying something. It manages to deliver everythingwith the same style and integrity of the first film but adds moreintensity and action. Again, like the original, Iron Man 2 is a filmeveryone can enjoy because it cares enough to deliver excellence onevery front. The remarkable cast more than delivers and Cheadle wascertainly an upgrade. The story itself is told in a masterful, crispmanner. It utilizes great dialogue that's witty, perfect use of humoryet again, advancement and complex characterization all the waythrough. Add the huge comic book style slugfests that were lacking fromthe first and you have what ten years from now people will be callingthe best sequel of the decade. This is truly movie-making of thehighest order and it easily deserves all the praise it has generatedfrom both fans and critics alike. Long live the new king! What makesIron Man a true rarity is that it's a fine film for kids but it's evengreater if you're an intelligent adult. How many movies can you saythat about?

chains01 2012-05-12 18:23:58

Iron Man 2

Taking place six months after the first Iron Man, Iron Man 2 finds aworld where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has successfully "privatizedworld peace," but fearing other countries getting their hands onStark's Iron Man technology the Senate seeks to have Tony hand over thetechnology to the government. Also seeking to steal Stark's technologyis Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who wants to regain a weapons contractwith the military. Complicating things further, a mysterious Russianphysicist named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) turns up to destroy TonyStark.Iron Man was a huge surprise when it came out in the early summer of2008. A 2nd tier Marvel comic book, Iron Man became one of the topgrossing movies of 2008, and even held it's own very well against thejuggernaut that was The Dark Knight despite it's much smaller fanbase.It also resurrected Robert Downey Jr.'s career, showing that he wascapable of leading a franchise despite his past mistakes, and showedthat Jon Favreau was a viable action director. Since then Downey hasfound himself nominated for two Golden Globes winning one of them, andadded yet another big action franchise to the current notch in hisbelt. Of course, all eyes are on Iron Man 2 to see if the movie willtop it's predecessor in the expectations department, so how does ithold up.In my opinion, Iron Man 2 equals it's predecessor. The secondinstallment of Iron Man is funnier than the original, and it ups theante on the action from the first movie as well. What really makes themovie though, is not the action, but the characterizations. Fleshingout Stark's narcissism as well as his inabilities to deal with hisemotions opens new doors into the character. Favreau and new writer tothe series Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunderdo a great job of handling alarge cast that would normally sink most other comic book franchises.The casting in this movie is superb even if it seems jarring to see somany actors and actresses playing characters that aren't typical forthem. Apart from The Spirit and The Island, Scarlett Johansson hasn'tplayed an outright action fueled character, but she equips herselfadmirably to play the part of a believable martial arts trainedheroine. Don Cheadle does a great job taking over the role of Rhodeyfrom Terrence Howard, and even tops his predecessor. Sam Rockwell doesa superb job as Stark's rival, and a man who tries his hardest to be asiconic as Tony Stark, but fails miserably on all counts. Mickey Rourkesteals nearly every scene he's in, though, as Russian physicist IvanVanko. I was never sure if I would be able to buy him as a Russian, butthe work he put into researching for the character definitely paid off.On the downside though, sometimes it feels as though there's too muchof a rush to get from one point to the next. Scenes feel as though theymove to the next before they're truly done playing out. Unfortunately,this is one of the issues of having such a large cast that needs tohave proper screen time to flesh out the characters. To add to that,the second half of the film is a bit derivative of other action films.While the film may do a great job of going in a different directionthan other comic book films by outing it's central character andperforming a character study on a man who thrives on his popularity inthat position, but in the last act of the movie it falls into the sametrap as other action movies with an ending that can be cliché.All in all, I highly recommend this movie, especially if you likemovies based on comic books and if you like the first Iron Man.Franchises like Iron Man, the current Batman series, and Kick-Ass set anew benchmark for comic book movies and action movies in general. Withgreat action, acting, characterization, and originality these movieshave moved beyond their genres to capture something that extends beyondit's core audience.4.5/5

2012-05-12 06:39:56

Great Movie, Lousy DVD

This review is from: Iron Man 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD) I loved this movie when it came out, and loved the first one just as much. I know there are criticisms about the film, but I have none of my own. I'm a bona fide fan. What does bother me, though, is the lack of features on the standard dvd 2-disc edition. 2 featurettes and a handful of deleted scenes. That's just wrong. I know there is the push for consumers to embrace blu-ray, but this absolutely sucks! I know, I was naive; I thought "they won't skimp on extras with this dvd, it's Iron Man." Yeah, right. In short, if you're holding out on buying a blu-ray player, never buy 2-disc standard dvds of these much touted new releases. You'll be disappointed. Stick with renting, or buying single disc standard editions. As for me, I'm a sucker, I'll be getting that blu-ray player.

shido-san 2012-05-11 13:27:13

From Screen Rant..

For me, 3.5 out of 5 translates into 7 out of 10, and no, I can't agreewith that — I'd have to give this beast a 5 out of 5. Actually, a 9 outof 10, losing 1 point because it was only incredibly entertaining andhad a plot line that held together. But, getting that 10, is hard.THERE WILL BE SPOILERS but I want to say this first! The acting was picture-perfect. Thisreminds me of Richard Donner's post-production remark, in gist: "Iguess Marlon Brando was worth the money." Perhaps I shouldn't putquotes around that, but that is what he meant. It pays to have talentand these people so earned. I agree, a half-naked Whiplash didn't seembelievable — Favreau and Rourke MADE it believable. The burningunderneath relationship between fickle Tony and over-burdened Potts wasbelievable. I really didn't believe Scarlet could pull off BlackWidow.. but, boy, oh boy, did she pull off Black Widow, leaving mewanting more. I so wish I could say that about the former Spider-Manseries! And, then there is Sam Rockwell's smarmy Stark competition,Justin Hammer.. very well played, sir. Sam is going places. We firstsaw him as the sneak in Charlie's Angels playing the victim to berevealed as the espionage snake, I saw him help beat a drug-wasted artcelebrity to near unconsciousness in Basquiat. He's clearly doingthings, be it Moon or otherwise. Very nice interplay within the cast.And Cheadle came through for us as the seamless replacement. Lesseningmy concern over the Edward Norton / Mark Ruffalo affair. DirectorFavreau, Happy, Foggy Nelson, +1, when are you going to return to yourrole in Dare Devil, I miss you (and that cast)! IT'S COMING and then there is the tiny role of Nick Fury.. actually, I amdisappointed with the one-eyed Jackson in this. Maybe he isn't beinggiven enough room to role but Marvel should have went with the originalimage.. no sense of Nick's toughness here.. I really hope he changesthis in the Nick Fury Movie, if that ever happens.THE SPOILERS but blink and that is really a very small part. I loved the timing andthe story here. IM2 supersedes 1!! And as I say this I know there areother opinions: the hard-ass action all the way folks won't agree.Fine. Look at the story: Iron Man's dad has a greater vision but hiscreative partner in the formulation of the ark reactor did too. In asense, Iron Man is Howard Stark's creation but Whiplash was hispartner's. There is the idea of connectivity and karma here: what goesaround, comes around.. sins of the fathers kind of thing.. notdeveloped enough to bring that solid 10 out of 10 but close. AndWhiplash is brilliant and not dead at the end of the flick either.Captain America's unexplained shield. And, Thor's hammer. All on atime-line preceding The Incredible Hulk.I also loved the idea that Tony was dying from essentially metalpoisoning via the battery implant (the alcoholic gig just wasn'tpalatable), that SHIELD is aware of it, and that Tony has issues withhis past relationship with his father. Nice writing there! Frankly,Batman TDK does not hold up to this cinema. The writing, the acting,the film-making is better here. I really hope this is not Marvel'shighest peak but just the start of a sustained plateau. Film-making isgetting smarter.

2012-05-11 08:18:12

IRON man 2

I don't know why people comment on this with such opinionated reviews, in my personal opinion, it was great. But now let me give a more valid description. If you watched the first one, this is a good sequel explaining the missing details in the first one, and bringing it along, enhancing the underlying plot with Samuel Jackson and the league. It can get slow at times, but when action comes in, it PACKS in. With moderate violence, and other elements, it is not necesseraly a movie for younger kids not in their teens. Although, in certain families, it might be appropriate according to the rules of the house. With the plot, it becomes both a personal vendetta, and a redeeming love for starks father. When the twist comes, and once again as in the first one, the general enemy's of stark turn against each other, it really brings up the climax, peaking with the final chase, and slowly accelerating until the final moments of the movie. Although it comes to a quick conclusion, this is a worthwhile watch, and if it's in your tastes, buy it. If not, then don't. It simply comes to that.

maverick-vishal 2012-05-10 08:02:47

Grandeur...but the class of Iron Man is missing..!!!

Iron Man 2 : Very big Expectations and most of them fulfilled.....whata grand movie...loaded with the best actors, superb visuals, thrillingsound effects, unbeatable charisma of Mr. Tony Stark(DowneyJr.).........etc.....!!!!This movie is a followup of the first part from the point at which itended.The movie starts with a bang...'Stark Expo' the one initiated byHoward Stark. Enter Mickey Rourke or Whiplash who is the son of thescientist who helped Howard Stark(Tony's Father) to develop the arcreactor technology. He is driven by vengeance(Watch the movie formore). Cut two..Enter Justin Hammer(Sam Rockwell) the man who wants totake over the popularity of Tony Stark....Cut three The US governmentdemands the Iron Man suit and Tony says..'The suit and i are one'....then Whiplash attacks Tony on a F1 circuit...Rockwell is impressed andhe hires whiplash to embed the technology in the suits built byhim...at th same time at a party Tony goes super weird and displays theprowess of his suit in a party wherein Rhody comes and takes a sparesuit to his command.......whoooaaa..i'l stop....what i wanted tosuggest over here is that the plot is too big and the characters aretoo many and so none of them was properly used......too muchcling-clang...and yes there's the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson whoseattitude spits fire throughout...!!! Paltrow is just okay as theassistant cum the new 'CEO' of Stark enterprises...!!Jon Favreau has done a good job. He knew exactly what to do to makethis movie bigger than the First part and he's pretty much successfulbut the screenplay makes the movie suffer...!!!! Also the characterswere not given space to act or to justify their charactercompletely...specially Whiplash and Nick Fury(Samuel)...And for me thebiggest disappointment was replacing Terence Howard as Rhody byDon...Although Don is good but Terence was far more better in that rolein the first part.Now the USP's...Downey Jr. is the life of this movie.....terrificperformance. You can enjoy each moment when he is on screen. The actionand the effects are realistic and mind-blowing....!!! In my take thismovie may get Oscar nominations for Visual effects, sound mixing andsound editing..!!!!As was at the end of the first part a scene of the arrival of NickFury, even this movie has a special after credits-roll scene....Dowatch it....and applaud for Robert Downey Jr.!!!! Iron Man Rocks..!!

PopcornJury 2012-05-09 22:15:20

Iron Man 2: A Few More Suits, No Additional Substance

Iron Man 2, much like the original, does a lot of things right. Thespecial effects, the charisma, the characters, and the technology areall top notch. Watching Tony Stark play around in his massive,billion-dollar man cave makes every man/boy reconsider what he's doingwith his life and why he didn't get into weaponry. So what's theproblem? All the good stuff happens in the first 60-minutes, with thefollowing 60 leaving not just a little, but a lot to be desired.This film opens up with the it's new villain, Ivan Vanko, played byMickey Rourke, a Russian physicist hell bent on not only destroyingTony Stark, but also his reputation and his enterprise. By creating adevice that sends electric volts through cable whips attached to hisback and arms, he not only gives this film a boost of fresh air, but healso creates one of the most unique villains to date. CGI aside, thisdude looks completely crazy, completely frightening, and the mostimpressive part: completely real.The rest of the story contains all the key characteristics of theoriginal Iron Man, but makes them bigger, more exciting, and more outof control. The cars, the women, the style, the suits; it's all there.It doesn't feel old, per say, but it does feel a little outdated. Mybiggest concern, lies not in the fact that the film isn't innovative,it's that the film doesn't quite innovate enough. They start with aninteresting villain, and turn him into something that's been donepreviously in Iron Man before; a man who creates another suit. Theycreate Iron Man clones that don't do anything other than die at thepush of a button or the shot of a gun. Iron Man and Tony Stark arestill pushing boundaries, but everything around them is stuck in place.Where can the series go next? That's the exciting part.There's a lot of talk in this film about the Avengers, the futureinstallment of the Marvel franchise that features Ant Man, Wasp, Thor,Iron Man, and Captain America. Now whether or not these characters makeit into the film of the same name is TBD, but it's safe to say thatIron Man is definitely going to play some part in piecing this filmtogether and it might be exactly what this franchise needs to bringback the action and the energy we once thought that it had.If you're a guy, you're going to check out Iron Man 2 no matter what Isay. To that, I say go ahead, see it for yourself. It's a high budgetaction adventure film about a man in an iron suit. It can't be that badright? Correct. It's not that bad, it's just not quite what it could befor the feature length, only about one half.Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com

homecomingguardking 2012-05-05 05:44:24

Outdone, but great entertainment

Iron Man 2, another comic book movie turned-real-life graphics whoselist started with the first Spiderman movie, is pretty good for what itis.Visual effects and the planning of the script went well with this film.In fact, it's what will keep you glued to your seats and itsconnections to other films is impeccable.This movie is a fun, action-packed film, but there's a reason why thismovie didn't get a 10 from me. The first of the movies, which, in myopinion, was comparable to The Dark Knight, both of which I gave 10'sby the way, outdid this movie in these aspects. Even given that, noneof these movies can even come close to comparing with Avatar, whichcame out less than 6 months before.Despite this, Iron Man 2 is still candy for your eyes, if not candy foryour entertainment.

jon.h.ochiai 2012-05-04 13:42:04

Fun and Legacy, Too

In the noisy gaudy opening of "Iron Man 2" billionaire bad boy TonyStark arrives at his Stark Expo in the Iron Man suit. Once removed fromhis body armor, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony admits, "It's all aboutlegacy." Amidst the fun, high energy and stupid plot line, legacy doesresonate as a poignant theme. I agree with A.O. Scott, that castingovercomes a lot in "Iron Man 2"—I think I liked the movie more than hedid. Robert Downey Jr. is awesome. And Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vankoprovides what every hero story requires: a formidable villain. DirectorJon Favreau is smart in never taking the movie too seriously, lettinghis actors morph and evolve. Favreau provides some spectacular actionand visuals. The Monte Carlo Grand Prix where Vanko attacks Stark isstunning and heroic high drama.Downey is amazing in carrying off such a wide-band character in Tony.His Tony even cops to being a text book narcissist. Downey is one ofthe gifted actors, whom we can discern what is going on in hismind—through his eyes. He brings a crisp intelligence, brashness, andsobering humanity here. We learn that the palladium core that keepsTony alive is rapidly poisoning his blood and killing him. At the sametime S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (cool Samuel L. Jackson) wantsTony to uncover his father Howard's legacy, and solve the mysteries ofhis heart—on also a more profound level. Tony confesses his estrangedrelationship with his Father—"He never told me that he loved me." Butin his research Tony watches a message from his Dad. He says proudly,"You are going to change the world… what has always been and alwayswill be my greatest creation is you, Tony…" From then on I was into themovie."Iron Man 2" may not be a good as the first, although it has a hugeupside. Scarlett Johansson is hot as S.H.I.E.L.D. "triple agent"Natasha Romanoff. She looks stunning in tight leather and performingJeff Imada designed fight choreography. Beautiful and sprite GwynethPaltrow reprises her role of Tony's worried assistant Pepper Potts—whoTony appoints as new CEO of Stark Industries. Tony and Pepper are so inlove with each other. Will they ever figure this out by the end of themovie? You have powerful actors Downey and Rourke squaring off. Rourkeis menacing and dangerous—he plays it dead on. In a subduedinterrogation scene Vanko tells Tony, "If you make God bleed, peoplewill cease to believe in him." Vanko is out to avenge his ownfather—defending his own legacy. Sam Rockwell nails the pompous andannoying Justin Hammer, Tony's industrial competitor. Gary Shandling isdead pan genius as the Senator, who demands Tony turnover Iron Man. Towhich Tony reminds, "I have successfully privatized world peace." "Iron Man 2" is visually stunning with the spectacular battle with theVanko built drones at the story arc. It is also a lot of fun as selfdestructive Tony in Iron Man suit dances to the late Adam Goldstein'smixes. "Iron Man 2" is an action packed, fun, and funny mixed bag. It'snot all that coherent. It's engrossing mainly because of Robert DowneyJr. and Mickey Rourke, and its surprising story of legacy in spite ofitself. And that works as well.