Title, Year: Iron Man 2 (2010)
Director: John Favreau
I’m writing this review after my third time viewing the film. Does that mean I think it is one of the best movies of 2010 or any year? Absolutely not! That’s just who I am…I LOVE super hero movies. It’s only fair that I include that “disclosure” at the start of this review, so that you understand my bias.
Ok, now about “Iron Man 2”. It’s not as good as the first “Iron Man”. I can’t tell you exactly why, other than to say the magic is just less. It was such a kick watching the first “Iron Man”. Seeing the origin of the character and getting introduced to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Downey plays Stark as a man-child whose possibly not as cool with the ladies as he likes to think he is and he gets by on his near super-human intelligence and wit. The wit is all Downey, not really a trait that Stark exhibited in the comics, but a welcome one on-screen. And let’s face it, “Iron Man” was really hyped because moviegoers were reintroduced to the formidable personality and comedic timing of Robert Downey Jr.
“Iron Man 2” has moments of superb visual effects and action set pieces, such as the Expo showdown that sets up the finale. Oddly, it also contains some poorly conceived action, as witnessed in the near laughable attack that Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash unleashes on an Italian racetrack. I can take a lot of over the top things in movies, but someone please tell me why Whiplash would not take the opportunity to strike Tony down when he has a clear opportunity…instead allowing Stark to kick open a suitcase that explodes ever so perfectly into a form-fitting Iron Man suit??? Please!
To sum it up, Downey seems to be enjoying himself less in this film. Since the movies really rest on his shoulders, that fact is bound to translate to down to the viewer.
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