Iron Man 2 is fun to watch, with Robert Downey Jr. donning the red suit again as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The opening scene where Iron Man flew in the expo reminded of Astro Boy. It’s an action movie with a mix of light-hearted and dramatic scenes. I expected the fight scenes to be epic but I was a little bit disappointed, especially with the final battle.
The movie succeeded to incorporate a lot of subplots smoothly. I didn’t hear any member of the audience asked about what’s going on in the big screen. There’s Tony Stark’s struggle with his mortality, his relationship to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), the Avengers recruitment, Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), and the Senate inquiries.
Because it’s an Iron Man movie, some characters were given little exposure within its two hour running time. But they performed well within their allotted screen time. Mickey Rourke as Whiplash deserves a special mention and his defeat in the hands of Iron Man and War Machine (Don Cheadle) was a letdown. It’s like the writers decided to end the fight and reused a move done by the two protagonists a couple of scenes before.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury had a few scenes but every time he’s on you can sense that he means business.
Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow stole the limelight from Downey whenever she’s on the screen. There was a scene where she kicked a lot of ass. I want to see her and Hit-Girl in a Celebrity Death Match.
And don’t get me started with Gwyneth Paltrow. She gets prettier with age and her performance was superb. Her role didn’t ask her to perform any action stuff but she radiates on screen and made me remember why I had a crush on her ever since I saw her in Great Expectations. Or was it Sliding Doors?
Olivia Munn had a cameo in Iron Man 2 as a reporter, Chess Roberts. It was forgettable but it added more geek points to her resume. Other notable cameos are Stan Lee, Larry King, Christiane Amanpour, and the high-and-mighty Bill O’Reilly himself.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.): Hey Goldstein! Play a phat beat for me.
Another plus for Iron Man 2 is its soundtrack. I’m not a huge AC/DC fan but I enjoy hearing their songs in a movie. None of that Beaver stuff you hear on the radio these days. Plus DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) had a cameo. He provided Tony Stark some phat beats when Iron Man went toe to toe with War Machine. It’s good to hear DJ AM’s music after his death and this is a good tribute to him.
And now here’s what I didn’t like about it. I know some scenes were needed to develop the story but it could have been done without too much dialogue. There were some scenes in which I was bored enough that I looked at my phone to read a text message.
But overall, Iron Man 2 is entertaining from start to finish. It has all the right ingredients for a blockbuster hit. Be sure to remain until the after credits or you’ll miss Thor’s hammer.
