'Iron Man 2' Review
Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.
Iron Man 2 can be generally conceded as one of the missteps for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but nonetheless is quite entertaining. Iron Man 2 picks up right where the first one left off where Tony Stark announces to the world that he is indeed Iron Man but from a different perspective introducing Ivan Vanko, the villain of the piece. It then jumps forward a few months to Tony kicking off the Stark Expo, a Stark Industries equivalent of the New York World Fair, and we soon learn that the arc reactor keeping the shrapnel out of his chest also happens to be slowly killing him. This allows for a very interesting subplot for the film that isn't really given the depth that the severity of the situation deserved and unfortunately is shoved aside for a lot of set up for Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The biggest fault of the film is the fact that it prioritizes setting up ties and connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than focus on Tony Stark and further exploring his character. While it handles the setup exceptionally well, the film suffers from the overbearing attention to the setup and overabundance of subplots. Now, that's not to say that the film doesn't have great components, which it does, but the bad does unfortunately outweigh the good for the most part. I've drawn attention to really what the film's crux weakness is several times in the preceding sentences and aside from these issues, the remaining elements work quite well. Jon Favreau carries over his directing style from the predecessor and does the best job he can to pull this film together and make it the best it can be. Unfortunately, I believe that the studio restricted Favreau's creative freedoms so that the film would fall in line with Marvel's dreams for a Cinematic Universe. Aside from this, the technical elements are exceptional. The visual effects are very well realized and make the idea of a high tech suit seem somewhat real and look authentic. The action interspersed throughout the film is all entertaining and awesome to watch. One of the key action sequences that stood out to me was the Monaco Grand Prix fight that showcased the Mark V suitcase Iron Man suit, that was very cool to see onscreen albeit the brief screen time. Other key action scenes include the skirmish between Rhodey and Tony in their respective suits, and the third act big battle where we see Iron Man fight side by side with War Machine. Aside from action, the film relies on the very talented cast assembled and the cast delivers their A-game, for the most part. There's no denying it, Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Downey brings fun, quirky charisma to the role that it's very difficult not to enjoy every moment Tony Stark is onscreen, regardless of whether he's wearing the Iron Man suit or not. Don Cheadle fills in the role of Rhodey for Terrence Howard and personally I preferred Cheadle in the role. Cheadle has some great chemistry with Downey giving a great buddy cop vibe from the two. While speaking of Don Cheadle, I feel I should discuss how they progress his character to become War Machine and I think that's one element that was handled quite well. I love the look of the War Machine suit and it's functionality in combat along with the narrative reasoning for Rhodey to don the suit. Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the role of Pepper Potts and has more of a spunky personality this time around. Her scenes with Downey are enjoyable due to the verbal tennis that they play with one another and the two definitely work well together onscreen. Scarlett Johansson is introduced as Natasha Romanov or, the name that many of you are more familiar with, Black Widow. Johansson plays the role with an air of mystery and kicks tons of butt in her action sequence to make her an interesting member of the cast, and I'd equate it to the size of Gal Gadot's role as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Other small supporting performances in the film include Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson and both S.H.I.E.L.D. members are certainly quite welcome. In regards to antagonists, Stark finds himself opposed by two villains, Sam Rockwell as a discount Tony Stark, Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke as a homicidal Russian, Ivan Vanko. Rockwell is amusing onscreen but feels like he's aiming to replicate Downey's performance as Stark but not as cool. If that's truly what Sam Rockwell was aiming to do, then he does it exceptionally well. Mickey Rourke is a serviceable villain but is quite odd at times and seems to be lacking proper motivation to make Ivan Vanko a truly compelling character. All in all, Iron Man 2 isn't the sequel that Iron Man deserved. The film certainly has it's flaws, but still amounts to be a pleasant viewing experience that establishes a solid foundation for The Avengers.
Iron Man 2 can be generally conceded as one of the missteps for the Marvel Cinematic Universe but nonetheless is quite entertaining. Iron Man 2 picks up right where the first one left off where Tony Stark announces to the world that he is indeed Iron Man but from a different perspective introducing Ivan Vanko, the villain of the piece. It then jumps forward a few months to Tony kicking off the Stark Expo, a Stark Industries equivalent of the New York World Fair, and we soon learn that the arc reactor keeping the shrapnel out of his chest also happens to be slowly killing him. This allows for a very interesting subplot for the film that isn't really given the depth that the severity of the situation deserved and unfortunately is shoved aside for a lot of set up for Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The biggest fault of the film is the fact that it prioritizes setting up ties and connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe rather than focus on Tony Stark and further exploring his character. While it handles the setup exceptionally well, the film suffers from the overbearing attention to the setup and overabundance of subplots. Now, that's not to say that the film doesn't have great components, which it does, but the bad does unfortunately outweigh the good for the most part. I've drawn attention to really what the film's crux weakness is several times in the preceding sentences and aside from these issues, the remaining elements work quite well. Jon Favreau carries over his directing style from the predecessor and does the best job he can to pull this film together and make it the best it can be. Unfortunately, I believe that the studio restricted Favreau's creative freedoms so that the film would fall in line with Marvel's dreams for a Cinematic Universe. Aside from this, the technical elements are exceptional. The visual effects are very well realized and make the idea of a high tech suit seem somewhat real and look authentic. The action interspersed throughout the film is all entertaining and awesome to watch. One of the key action sequences that stood out to me was the Monaco Grand Prix fight that showcased the Mark V suitcase Iron Man suit, that was very cool to see onscreen albeit the brief screen time. Other key action scenes include the skirmish between Rhodey and Tony in their respective suits, and the third act big battle where we see Iron Man fight side by side with War Machine. Aside from action, the film relies on the very talented cast assembled and the cast delivers their A-game, for the most part. There's no denying it, Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Downey brings fun, quirky charisma to the role that it's very difficult not to enjoy every moment Tony Stark is onscreen, regardless of whether he's wearing the Iron Man suit or not. Don Cheadle fills in the role of Rhodey for Terrence Howard and personally I preferred Cheadle in the role. Cheadle has some great chemistry with Downey giving a great buddy cop vibe from the two. While speaking of Don Cheadle, I feel I should discuss how they progress his character to become War Machine and I think that's one element that was handled quite well. I love the look of the War Machine suit and it's functionality in combat along with the narrative reasoning for Rhodey to don the suit. Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the role of Pepper Potts and has more of a spunky personality this time around. Her scenes with Downey are enjoyable due to the verbal tennis that they play with one another and the two definitely work well together onscreen. Scarlett Johansson is introduced as Natasha Romanov or, the name that many of you are more familiar with, Black Widow. Johansson plays the role with an air of mystery and kicks tons of butt in her action sequence to make her an interesting member of the cast, and I'd equate it to the size of Gal Gadot's role as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Other small supporting performances in the film include Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson and both S.H.I.E.L.D. members are certainly quite welcome. In regards to antagonists, Stark finds himself opposed by two villains, Sam Rockwell as a discount Tony Stark, Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke as a homicidal Russian, Ivan Vanko. Rockwell is amusing onscreen but feels like he's aiming to replicate Downey's performance as Stark but not as cool. If that's truly what Sam Rockwell was aiming to do, then he does it exceptionally well. Mickey Rourke is a serviceable villain but is quite odd at times and seems to be lacking proper motivation to make Ivan Vanko a truly compelling character. All in all, Iron Man 2 isn't the sequel that Iron Man deserved. The film certainly has it's flaws, but still amounts to be a pleasant viewing experience that establishes a solid foundation for The Avengers.
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