MOVIE
REVIEW: IRON
MAN 2
05/06/10
SYNOPSIS:
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present the highly anticipated sequel to the blockbuster film based on the legendary Marvel Super Hero “Iron Man,” reuniting director Jon Favreau and Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr. In “Iron Man 2,” the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.
REVIEW: Spiderman 2 was better than Spiderman 1. The Dark Knight was better than Batman Begins. Heck, even the Edward Norton Hulk was better than the Eric Bana Hulk. So, does the highly anticipated Iron Man 2 out perform Iron Man 1? I’m afraid not. The movie is good, but Iron Man 1 was better. Other than what I mentioned above and maybe a couple of others, most sequels don’t fair as well as the originals. That is the typical pattern and this sequel falls into that category. This one is funnier, the dialogue is faster, the banter is heavier, the special effects are as good if not better, and the sound, especially in relation to the special effects, is amazing. However, it seemed to lack action most probably because it spent too much time trying to over dramatize something that didn’t need to be that dramatic. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) spent too much time being Tony Stark and not enough time being Iron Man the superhero. That was a bit of a turn off. Sure, you see more of the human side of Tony Stark, but the name of the movie is Iron Man, so . . . ? In the end, it’s about survival and getting a little help from his friends.
Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes: This lone gunslinger act is unnecessary... you don't have to do this alone!
He is definitely not alone this time, starting with his best buddy Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes who is played by Don Cheadle instead of Terrence Howard. This actor change is a disappointment for some but they are both caliber actors so the transition is not that abrupt. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as always, although somewhat reluctant, stands by her boss. Even Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) the chauffeur gets into the act doing his part to help. Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) pops in on Tony here and there and helps a bit as well. There is a new character as well who could easily be considered the sexiest character in the bunch played by Scarlett Johansson. Natalie Rushman works for Stark Industries but at first it is hard to tell if she is friend or foe. As for the ones we do know are the opposition, we start with Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). When I first heard that Mickey was going to play this role I was skeptical. Well my skepticism was cleared away by his performance. Sam Rockwell plays the role of Justin Hammer, funding agent for the Iron Man opposers. Sam never lets me down. Overall as you can see, the cast is perfect and they all did a good job with their roles. The problem is that the flow of the movie gave little chance for them to develop and I really didn’t connect with any of them. In the first Iron Man, I connected with Rhodey, Pepper, even Obadiah. I felt something for them; I understood their purpose, their drive. In Part 2, I only really connected with Tony of course, and maybe Ivan and that’s about it. The storyline might have a little to do with that. The storyline concept is great but the presentation is missing some of its kick. I was happy when I found out that Jon Favreau was going to direct this film as well, knowing that he did a fabulous job with the first one. Well, he did okay but he could have done so much better with this material. The 2008 summer movie season started with a big bang, Iron Man. Last year it was Wolverine and now we have this production, arguably the weakest of the three, but still worth it. I just hope this is not an indication of how this summer’s movies are going to be.
Review
By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
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