Now, people immediately ask me if this is better than the first film. I will say that it is a great follow up, and doesn't hit any 'sequel' snags too hard, and is for the most part, everything we wanted it to be. Its a heavy task, and Jon Favreau's burly arms were apparently up to the task. Like atlas himself, he hoisted this baby up and with the help of a fantastic cast, we got to be treated to yet another one of the best super-hero films put to celluloid. Iron Man 1 helped kick open the doors for Marvel, Iron Man 2 pinned you to the floor and showed you how well endowed the marvel universe is. DC, balls in your court.
I'll get the hangups out of the way. Iron Man was great, but flawed, in ways I can see now after letting my geeky titillation simmer. Iron Man 2 is as well, flawed, but hell, even The Dark Knight had big 'ol plot holes. However this time around it isn't really hurt by a weak third act, as much is it is by a saggy midsection. The film takes a darker turn as the weight of being Iron Man and his world buckling in around him. The house of Stark is (and quite literally) nearly brought down by the ramifications of Ivan Vanko's attack at the racetrack. Also, just to nitpick. A few digital shots of the armor look half finished and real obvious. But, they didn't really have nearly as much post time for effects as they did on the first chapter, so I'll let it slide.
But, where it sags there, and things start to get a little to grim, Samuel L Jackson comes to save us. No sharks in sight, so he should be safe. Anyway, the third act is the payoff you get for the longish 2nd. We get treated to a finally that has a big meaty helping of action and metal crunching badassery that makes it all worth it. People have criticized a lot of different things about the movie, but nobody can deny that the final fight scenes(yes, plural) are comic book worth stuff. Its great to finally feel the scale start to resemble the stuff we saw on the page.
So I'll get to little things I like but I won't get into too much detail, because its more fun to experience it fresh. Samuel L Jacksons little scenes are really fun for the geek in me. All the SHIELD related scenes are geek porn. Additionally, there isn't really a weak cog in the whole acting mechanism. Robert Downey Jr continues to be a revelation, his chemistry with Paltrow continues to be aces as well. In fact, my favorite pairing in the movie, were the scenes of Justin Hammer(Sam Rockwell) and Ivan Vanko(Mickey Rourke). Sam Rockwell's gotten a lot of praise for standing out among the cast's newcomers and well, everybody's right. He's great. (Can't wait to see him re-team with Favreau for Cowboys and Aliens by the way. )So here we are. One summer to rest up and get ready for more, Iron Man 2 has dropped. Not a moment too soon and it only saddens me to know we have to wait for Part 3, but luckily, we've got Thor, Captain America, and Avengers to tide us over until then. What I speak of is the Marvel Movie-Verse. Its what they hinted at in Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. With Iron Man 2 we see that world expanding. It makes a geek squeal.
In conclusion: Go see it. If you loved Iron Man, you'll love Iron Man 2. Its not PERFECT and I don't assume everyone will agree with me. (Cue flashbacks to Quantum of Solace arguments) But you have got to give it a shot. The performances are great, the action is spectacular, the direction is spot-on, and the promises of the larger Marvel Movie-verse are titillating as well. Casual viewers, ie non-comic dweebs like me, will be well served to go and read some comics to help you get the larger connected network of films their building up to. I'd recommend reading Mark Millars "Ultimates V1" and "Ultimates v2". Oh, and stay after the credits. Further nerd porn awaits.
iRate it: A
