*SPOILERS*
In 2008, "Iron Man" was released and it started what would become the MARVEL MOVIE UNIVERSE. Now, in 2010, "Iron Man 2" has continued what the first film started.
First off, this film, clearly is for the fans. I mean, it has NUMEROUS Easter eggs, including Captain America's shield, Thor's hammer (in the credits), and the scene in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. But it isn't only for the fans. Jon Favreau and the "Iron Man 2" production team have put together yet another great film. In fact, a few people I know (who aren't even comic fans) said the film was GREAT.
Now, I'll go over various aspects of the film.
1. ACTORS
- Robert Downey Jr. : RDJ does it again. He proves that he is the only one who can play Tony Stark. At the beginning, I loved how he was SO full of himself. Throughout the movie, you really got the feeling he was a man who was slowly dying (thanks to the Palladium core inside his arc reactor).
-Gwyneth Paltrow : While I am not a HUGE fan of Gwyneth, she did great. The chemistry between her and RDJ was AMAZING. Every scene they were in was great. You can tell they were having fun acting together. Her role seemed a little smaller than the last film (not by much), but that's not really a bad thing. It was unexpected when she and RDJ kissed at the end. It came really out of nowhere.
-Mickey Rourke : Wow! That's how to summarize his performance as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (note: they don't actually refer to him as Whiplash in the film). His Russian accent was excellent! I do wish that they would've used him a little more in the film. You can literally count his scenes on two hands (less than 10). But his scenes were great! I loved the Monaco race scene. When he walked onto the track, I literally got goosebumps. Also, the final fight scene was a little anticlimactic. Wish it would've been a little longer.
- Don Cheadle : I actually liked him more than Terrence Howard. Sure, Rhodey has fewer scenes than the first film, but Don Cheadle did great. I liked the scene when he interrupted Stark's party and started fighting with Tony. I was thinking to myself, "Come on guys, you're best friends. You don't need to be fighting." I've seen Cheadle in various other films, and can see that he is a great actor. He continues this in this film.
- Sam Rockwell: He played the sleazy arms dealer role PERFECTLY. He's the guy you love to hate. He brought his signature charm to the role and brought us a great villain. I kind of saw the scene where he gets mad at Vanko and sort of turns on him coming but whatever. I hope he is in "Iron Man 3," or even "The Avengers."
- Samuel L. Jackson: I know most people think that he wasn't that good in this film. I disagree. I think he did well. He felt like Nick Fury (ultimates) to me. I laughed at the scene when he said "I'm gonna have to ask you to please step out of the doughnut." He is a big fan of Marvel, and I cannot wait to see him continue his role in "Captain America" and "The Avengers."
- Scarlett Johannson : She is the perfect Black Widow (note: they don't refer to her as Black Widow in the film, if you look at her belt buckle, you can see a red hourglass, like a black widow). I do wish that her role was expanded a little more, but whatever. I think (and hope) she is going to be in the Avengers. I loved the scene when she showed up Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).
2. Special Effects
- They were even better than the first film. I get the feeling they used less practical effects (the suits) than in the first film, but you can't tell.
3. Cinematography
- I am including this because I am a film student. I feel that the cinematographer did a great job. There is the occasional camera shake, but it is for effect (and is pulled off nicely).
4. Directing
- Jon Favreau did a great job as director. I wish he was directing "The Avengers," but we can't get everything we want. I can't wait to see what he does with "Iron Man 3."
SUMMARY:
In conclusion, I feel this is a great sequel. Sure, it isn't "The Dark Knight," but that doesn't mean it was a bad movie.
All in all, I give it 4 repulsor blasts out of 5