Post by Patcat on May 17, 2010 9:21:35 GMT -5
It's not the surprising fun that the first IRON MAN was, but the second IRON MAN is a thoroughly entertaining movie with some surprisingly deep reflections on the cost of fame and the guilt of fathers and sons.
The movie has two weaknesses--too many secondary characters, and too many explosions. Neither problem really takes too much away from the film, but I was surprised how I wanted some of the action sequences to end so that we could get back to Robert Downey, Jr.'s wonderful rifts as Tony Stark. There's a lot of good actors playing good characters--Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johannsen as a SHIELD agent, Sam Rockwell (in a terrific performance as a whiny, clueless incompetent rival to Stark), Mickey Rourke as the film's chief villain. Don Cheadle ably takes over the part of Stark's often exasperated friend, and Gwyneth Paltrow actually gets something to do as Stark's girl Friday and romantic interest. All of these actors are very good, but I wanted more of the battle between Stark and Rourke's character Ivan. Downey and Rourke are terrific in their scenes together, and there's not enough of them.
Like the first IRON MAN movie, this film never forgets that comic book movies should be fun, but it also has a strong spine. Tony Stark's costume/battle uniform is literally killing him, just as his fame is threatening his company and his friends. The film and Mr. Downey never forget that Tony Stark can be a bit of a jerk, or that he's also a good guy.
If you're into big explosions and special effects, IRON MAN 2 more than delivers. But I liked the characters and the sharp writing for them so much that I really wanted the action scenes to be over so we could get back to the people.
I paid full evening price for this movie and didn't feel cheated.
Patcat
The movie has two weaknesses--too many secondary characters, and too many explosions. Neither problem really takes too much away from the film, but I was surprised how I wanted some of the action sequences to end so that we could get back to Robert Downey, Jr.'s wonderful rifts as Tony Stark. There's a lot of good actors playing good characters--Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johannsen as a SHIELD agent, Sam Rockwell (in a terrific performance as a whiny, clueless incompetent rival to Stark), Mickey Rourke as the film's chief villain. Don Cheadle ably takes over the part of Stark's often exasperated friend, and Gwyneth Paltrow actually gets something to do as Stark's girl Friday and romantic interest. All of these actors are very good, but I wanted more of the battle between Stark and Rourke's character Ivan. Downey and Rourke are terrific in their scenes together, and there's not enough of them.
Like the first IRON MAN movie, this film never forgets that comic book movies should be fun, but it also has a strong spine. Tony Stark's costume/battle uniform is literally killing him, just as his fame is threatening his company and his friends. The film and Mr. Downey never forget that Tony Stark can be a bit of a jerk, or that he's also a good guy.
If you're into big explosions and special effects, IRON MAN 2 more than delivers. But I liked the characters and the sharp writing for them so much that I really wanted the action scenes to be over so we could get back to the people.
I paid full evening price for this movie and didn't feel cheated.
Patcat