The common problem with sequels is they seldom reach up to the original. That same is true here. While as a character building piece for Stark/Iron Man this has some merit there are several things I disliked.
If Vanko was supposed to be a tough oppenent that is the first failure right there because both times they are face to face he didn´t impress and was beaten fast. And in general the character was clichéd from top to bottom.
The Hammer guy is just a wannabe moron. Sam Rockwell does it´s best but he´s just a laughable figure that cleary can do nothing by himself. One wonders how he got where he is.
The action in this was over the top starting at the race with all those cars flying through the air and the plethora of drones that in the end don´t do much. I think in wanting to top the first movie they went overboard.
A logical issue I have - Has someone an explanation why Rhodey can get into a suit and instantly control it?
There is on thing that is saving this movie from being a 6 and that is the introduction of Black Widow
THE WACPINE OF 'IRON MAN 2'
WRITING: 6
ATMOSPHERE: 6
CHARACTERS: 7
PRODUCTION: 8
INTRIGUE: 5
NOVELTY: 5
ENJOYMENT: 6
The Good:
The story feels like a natural continuation of events, giving us more backstory, more playboy life and new and bigger threats. It also deals with the unprecedented (at the time) issue of a superhero going public with his secret persona.
The script puts more focus on Tony's personal problems, his relationships and the fallout of his past actions rather than mindless action and science fiction tropes, which is both a strength and a weakness.
The script, the production design and the directing once again greatly mirrors modern Iron Man, giving this film an authentic look and feel.
The last act utilizes new characters Black Widow and War Machine fairly well, even if the final fight is one of the least memorable in the MCU.
The leasing cast is spot on, with Robert Downey Jr in an iconic performance as Tony Stark. With Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper and Don Cheadle's Rhodey, the cast feels natural and likeable.
It's great to see Don Cheadle immediately make Rhodey his own and seamlessly incorporates the new War Machine persona into the role (originated by Terence Howard in the first film).
Mickey Rourke might be a surprising choice to portray an iconic supervillain, but he manages to make Vanko/Whiplash his own giving the character that ruffly Russian edge that it needs to feel creepy, villainous and up-to-date.
Watching this all these years later, it's e4xcitiong to catch the small snippets of material slowly building up towards The Avengers (namely, a small appearance from Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and the involvement of Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow).
The Bad:
The major focus on relationships makes Iron Man 2 a slower than usual superhero flick. It lacks momentum in several places, making it feel longer than necessary.
Much of the dialogue is rapidly fired at the audience, with characters mumbling and talking on top of each other. It gets annoying after a while and makes it difficult to follow casual conversations.
Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer feels like a comic relief goon than a real villain and doesn't allow Rockwell to utilize his acting talents properly.
This film doesn’t handle its villains well at all. Whiplash is established early on but barely used after the first confrontation with Iron Man. He is ultimately a bit of a disappointment. Hammer takes centre stage at the end but doesn’t get much done before the film reaches its conclusion.
The slow pace, the way the villains are forgotten for large chunks of the story and the pretty pointless plot mostly make this film a slog to sit through, and it largely fails to deliver on the promises made by the stellar first film.
The Ugly:
Tony Stark peeing inside his Iron Man armour. That's a sight to behold.
WACPINE RATING: 6.14 / 10 = 3 stars
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU,
I Don't Wanna Join
Your Super Secret
BOY BAND"
8/10
Great
ANOTHER GREAT ROUND WITH
ANTHONY, EVEN WITH ALL
THE BEHIND THE SCENES DRAMA
AND PROBLEMS AND FALLING
OUTS "IRON MAN 2"
STILL MANAGES TO BE EQUALLY
AS GOOD AS "IRON MAN",
ALL THOUGH ANTHONY'S
"IRON MAN 3" IS STILL THE BEST
SOLO OUTING OF RDJ's TRILOGY
PLUS IRON MAN 3 IS A HELLA
OF A CHRISTMAS MOVIE.
WITHIN THE FIRST 3
PHASE 1
MOVIES WE'VE HAD SO MUCH
SET UP,
(RED HULK, RED SHE HULK,
THE 10 RINGS
(in both Iron Man movies),
CAPTAIN AMERICA,
THOR, THE AVENGERS, SPIDER-MAN,
BLACK WIDOW, WAR MACHAIN,
THE ILLUMINATI,
THE TESSERACT
AND SO MUCH MORE,
IRON MAN 2 DID A LOT OF
HEAVY LIFTING
TO SET SO MUCH IN MOTION,
AND IT DID IT BRILLIANTLY.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THAT WE
GET TO SEE PETER PARKER
(SPIDER-MAN) AT THE
STARK EXPO- CONFIRMED BY
KEVIN FEIGE THE LITTLE BOY WHO
IRON MAN SAVED WEARING THE
IRON MAN HELMET WAS ACTUALLY
"PETER PARKER", HOW COOL IS
THAT, THIS IS WHY MARVEL
IS THE BEST THERE IS
THE BEST THERE EVER WILL BE.
SPEAKING OF THE BEST
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE PEPPER POTS
(GWYN) I RECKON HER AND
ANTHONY ARE MY FAVOURITE MCU
COUPLE, (THE MORE SCREEN TIME
FOR GWYN THE BETTER).
LOVING "DON" AS WAR MACHAIN,
MUCH BETTER CASTING CHOICE THAN
HOWARD.
AFTER THIS SECOND INSTALLMENT
I'M SO READY FOR OUTTA SPACE
AND TO SEE THE WONDERS OF
ANOTHER REALM/PLANET.
THIS MOVIE WAS MUCH MORE FUN
AND A MUCH SMOOTHER RIDE
AND EVERYONE WAS HAVING
WAY MORE FUN
IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES.
EVERYONE SEEMED MUCH
MORE SETTELLED AND RELAXED.
THE JOKES AND HUMOUR
WAS SPOT-ON
AND EVEN FUNNIER THAN
THE FIRST MOVIE BY MILES
AND ONCE AGAIN "RDJ"
KNOCKED IT CLEAN OUT THE
BALL PARK WITH HIS
PERFORMANCE,
BLACK WIDOW IS JUST
SUPER FRICKING AWESOME
AMAZING
AND STOLE EVERY SCENE.
THE BAD GUY'S WERE COOL ENOUGH
WHIPLASH WAS A STRONG
CHARACTER FOR THIS INSTALLMENT,
AND HAMMER WAS HILARIOUS,
MADE A GOOD CONTRAST TO
ANTHONY. THEY HAD TO GET
"ELON MUSK" IN THERE DIDN'T THEY,
CHUFFING HELL, ALSO JUSTIN'S SECRET
BASE IN THIS MOVIE WAS ACTUALLY
"ELON MUSK's" SPACE X FACILITY
IN REAL LIFE AND
ALL THE PEOPLE YOU SAW IN THE BACKGROUND WERE ACTUALLY PROPER
STAFF MEMBERS THAT WORK
FOR "ELON MUSK" (the second richest
man in the world).
HAD A GREAT TIME WITH THIS
MOVIE AND MY ENJOYMENT AND
RESPECT FOR THIS MOVIE HAS
GROWN SO MUCH OVER THE YEARS
AND I'M SO READY FOR MORE.
NEXT UP.......
let's see who's worthy.....
MORE THAN A FAN
#ALWAYSTHATMARVELGUY
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2018-07-17T09:10:22Z
Although the first film, despite it's quality, didn't surprise much in terms of content, the denouement did so, by letting main character Tony Stark make a public statement the few second for the end credits, that he was the man behind the iron mask. This opened the door to the sequel and it became immediately clear that Iron Man is not a superhero like Batman or Spider-Man (who take their task as a heavy burden and always try to keep their identity hidden), but someone who has peace with his unusual life and simply regards his heroic deeds as an eccentric hobby. In Iron Man 2, that vision has hardly changed, so that the narcissistic Stark does not underestimate his achievements and is ready for public appearances in the Iron Man suit.
You're almost going to wonder why all the other superheroes are having such difficulties with their identity, Starks is playing his cards and hardly seems to have any problems. Sure, those aren't that far away, where's the movie without that drama? The government is after his assets, only shedding extra attention to the guy, a certain Russian criminal decided it's target practice and Stark is a perfect candidate.
In the role of Russians convicted criminal Ivan Vanko, we recognize Mickey Rourke, who made a comeback a few years before (like his counterpart and fellow (ex-)bad boy RDJ). After that wonderful role, the presence in Iron Man 2 maybe questioned, because there's little to Rourke's acting; which is more babbling/mumbling with a Russian accent and tacitly threatingly looking around, and being physically present in his action scenes. There isn't much more there otherwise. Other newcomer is Scarlett Johansson, as a result of Tony Stark's long-winded search for a new assistant. It's obvious there's more to the character from the start, but we don't really get a glimpse of that until the third act, we get shown briefly but vigorously that she's a stunning action heroine. Whether the character was necessary in the movie, or if she was just another piece in (back then) Marvel's puzzle for a bigger scheme may be doubted.
Best newcomer of the batch eventually turns out to be Don Cheadle, who replaces Terence Howard (who tipped overboard due to an oversized salary wish), in the role of soldier James Rhodes. In at least half of his scenes, the character is thrown back and forth for his loyalty between the American government and his best friend, Tony Stark. Cheadle plays him with his usualy tormented gaze and knows how to give his character a lot more sympathy than Howard did. Skeptic fans will forget about the cast-change as soon as they see Rhodes in the War Machine suit; first to protect his drunken friend, later to join in true sidekick fashion.
Follow-up films that match or exceed their predecessor are no longer an exception under the comic book adaptations. For example, Spider-Man 2 or the Dark Knight. Mainly because those can focus on character development because the origin has already been done. This made those two suitable (and much better) successors instead of dull repetitions. Unfortunaly, Iron Man 2 doesn't go for that opportunity, as in, it's not the movie it could've been, especially within this genre. The first part had Stark's essential metamorphosis from heartless weapon manufacturer to crime-fighting world improver, but that doesn't mean his character is "finished" with that. What made Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight so great was the fact that the main characters ended up in new situations and could only bring them to a good end by finding themselves again. Even though, for Batman, that ended ina pyrrhic victory.
There are plenty of new situations in this film for Stark, but the way he deals with them offers absolutely nothing new to this film or his character. It seems theré's never a moment that asks the utmost of Stark, at the end of the film the characters hasn't changed one inch from the previous film. Iron Man 2 is therefore not immediately a bad film, but it does make the difference between a solid sequel and follow-up film that improves and goes further than the original, adding something essential.
Don't get the wrong impression, Iron Man 2 is just a nice summer blockbuster with simply the same shortcomings and compensating qualities as the first part. Robert Downey, Jr. is in top form in his delicious bickering with.. everyone. The comedy blows life into the characters and the sparse action scenes are exciting and don't repeate each other. The fact that the film is rather coquettish to fans can't even be put as a valid criticism in this genre. With the right expectations, no viewer has to be disappointed by this film.
7.3/10