Iron Man 2 Reviews

Robert Downey Jr. returns in this action packed sequel as our favorite ironclad hero. After having revealed his identity in the first film Tony Stark is asked to turn over the "iron man weapon" to the United States Government for study. So the Government can do the invetiable of mass producing it and giving it to Military. In the press conference Stark acts like it's a joke and tells the senate that it's uselss unless he's in it. All is not well for Stark industries either with it's new compettitor ,Hammer Advance Weapon Systems ,run by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Stark's new enemy is Ivan Vanko(a superb Mickey Rourke) who's problem with him is not all that clear. Pepper Potts(Gwyneth Paltrow) is not the only eye candy anymore ,when Natalie Rushman(Scarlett Johanson) shows up at Stark industrie's front door. Later on in the film we are introduced to Nick Fury(Samuel L. Jackson) the director of S.H.E.I.L.D. who merely stops by to tell Tony to step it up. Iron Man 2 is a good sequel with one major flaw , throughout the whole movie the actors are yelling over each other. This annoyed me and for a movie that speaks to the nation's youth it's pretty childish. One would think that director Jon Favreau would not let this bog the movie down. this stops about three quarters through the movie , just in time for a big finale. Regardless the same cast of the first film returns plus a few and minus Terence Howard. Who was the highest paid actor in the first film and when offered a lower price to do the sequel, refused it. This loss is not felt even for a moment, Don Cheadle does a good job at the subtle character, and best friend of Stark. The film is still worth a look at.

Iron Man 2 was something I couldn't wait for but was a bit worried about as well. The reasons why I was worried was because there were a lot of superhero characters involved and that there could be too many stories going on at the same time and would be too much. This kind of thing happened with X-Men III: The Last Stand and Spider-Man 3 but thankfully it didn't with Iron Man 2. The film surpassed the hype and it turned out to be something that I really enjoyed. I am not sure which of the two I liked more but I can say they are both awesome films that I enjoyed equally.


Iron Man 2 begins 6 months after the end of the first Iron Man film where Tony Stark looks like he’s having the time of his life, but secretly he’s starting to crack from the strain of a mysterious malady. Meanwhile, deranged Russian Ivan Vanko is plotting to annihilate Tony, in the guise of super-villain Whiplash. Iron Man 2 had the better cast and a wider range of characters than the first film! Robert Downey Jr. Makes another triumph return as Tony Stark/Iron Man and proves once again that Stark is his character! Stark's life goes a bit downfall not only because he's Iron Man but also his relationship with Pepper Potts as well. Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes who is a good friend of Stark and becomes like another Iron Man known as War Machine. Gwyneth Paltrow in my opinion totally miscast for both Iron Man films! Unfortunately, her acting was poor and quite soppy. We all knew after the first film that she has feelings for Stark but unfortunately Paltrow didn't show that emotion like I was expecting. Mickey Rourke was FANTASTIC as Ivan Vanko! Rourke suited that character almost perfectly because he was that evil, scheming and pretty damn cool type. One thing, though: Ivan Vanko/Whiplash wasn't involved in the film that much, really. Scarlett Johansson was good as Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow but unfortunately the character wasn't developed enough to get into. I think they could have improvised well if War Machine/James Rhodes wasn't in it but he is a major character to Iron Man. Sam Rockwell was awesome as Justin Hammer because he made Justin seem a pretty serious character but a bit of an idiot at the same time!


Jon Favreau is a director who I am really taking a strong liking to as of late because every time he has released a film, I have been totally entertained! He gave us Zathura and then most notably the first Iron Man. He returns to make a very entertaining sequel that only just managed to not turn out like Spider-Man 3 or X-Men 3: an absolutely chaotic story but with entertaining action! The script was a bit soppy in some scenes of the film but to be honest that is quite typical of a film like this.


Overall, Iron Man 2 is a very entertaining film that I really enjoyed. It may have had a better cast in the sequel than the first film but I thought that the first film had the better plot hence why I think that one is better than the sequel. Other than that, a great start to summer blockbusters 2010.

apesar da escolha estranha de quase todos os atores, a sequência é tão boa quanto o primeiro filme. E Downey Jr continua matando a pau.

"If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him. There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come."

Unquestionably one of the most highly anticipated motion pictures of the year, Iron Man 2 kicks off the 2010 summer season with a bang. With the original film (which kicked off 2008's summer season), director Jon Favreau and a quartet of screenwriters managed to pull together one of the best additions to the tired superhero genre in recent memory. Benefitting from a pungent script and Robert Downey Jr.'s terrific performance, Iron Man left fans wondering how the sequel could match or exceed its predecessor. Happily, Iron Man 2 more or less wins its battle with "sequelitis" to provide a solid, fun follow-up. It lacks both the class and the magic of the original film, and there's a bit too much content crammed into the narrative, but, considering how wildly it could have gone off the rails (consider Batman & Robin...), Iron Man 2 is a highly satisfying, enjoyable blockbuster.

The film kicks off six months after Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) revealed his Iron Man identity to the world. His superhero methods have brought about world peace, but Stark is also paying the piper for his glib declaration, as he's facing pressure to share his revolutionary technology with the military. The government fears that the country's enemies may develop such technology, leaving America unprepared and at risk. Tony confidently dismisses their fears, though; asserting that any such technological advances are at least 20 years away. However, Tony is unaware that a Russian physicist named Ivan Vanko (Rourke) is in the process of successfully engineering his own version of Stark's technology. While Vanko fails to kill Iron Man, he is able to expose weaknesses in the seemingly impenetrable armour. With the government vultures desperate for such technology, the dangerous Russian is provided with an even greater pool of resources. In other story threads, Tony's best friend Jim Rhodes (Cheadle) is torn between his duty as a soldier and his loyalty to Tony, while Stark's shapely new paralegal (Johansson) is causing friction between Tony and his assistant Pepper Potts (Paltrow).

Thankfully, character development remains top-notch in this instalment. Similar to Spider-Man 2, personal conflicts are thrown into the mix and the filmmakers chose to progress the narrative onto the next logical step, rather than just playing it safe and falling back on what worked in the original movie. As you may be able to tell by the lengthy plot summary, there's a whole lot happening in Iron Man 2 - it's overstuffed, and, with a large villain quota, Vanko in particular feels like a wasted opportunity. With that said, it's difficult not to have a sustained fangasm throughout the movie. Several clever references and obvious set-ups for the upcoming The Avengers flick will provoke butterflies in one's belly, while the action sequences will leave movie-goers giddy with delight.

As he pulled off with Iron Man, director Jon Favreau delivers a highly enjoyable ride which looks and sounds absolutely terrific. The blending of digital effects and live action is virtually seamless, and the film's look is very vivid, colourful and stylish. The key problem with Iron Man 2, though, is that the action sequences play second fiddle to the scenes of pure exposition, and, as a result of this, there are a number of poorly-paced dead spots. The film sags during the mid-section, as an inordinate amount of dialogue unfolds to set up the final conflict. While the original movie was a character drama first and an action movie second, Iron Man 2 doesn't sparkle as much in the script department. Sure, the movie is never boring per se, but there are a number of clunky moments, such as a long, arbitrary, awkward and contrived sequence at Tony's birthday party involving a battle between Rhodes and Stark. It's an essential turning point for the characters, but it's hindered by such an inept approach. Credibility is stretched to breaking point too, since Jim Rhodes is able to merely step into an Iron Man-type suit of armour without any knowledge of how to operate it, and manages to use the gadgets flawlessly.

Iron Man 2 manages to excel its predecessor in only one area: the action department. Ivan Vanko's early introductory sequence is an action highlight; flawlessly executed and thoroughly nail-biting. The utterly exhilarating climactic action sequence, meanwhile, improves upon the original film's final showdown in every respect. Favreau has further improved his directorial technique, as the action set-pieces here are of remarkable quality. Favreau's action scenes are of the type one can both follow and appreciate; freed of the desire for frenetic camerawork and rapid cutting. Instead, the screen is filled with the type of stuff one would expect to receive from a summer blockbuster, and it's coherently delivered with impressive visual flair. The digital effects, of course, border on photorealism. As with the first film, the CGI is not overwhelming - rather, the effects merely complement the live-action work in an unobtrusive manner.

Robert Downey Jr. continues to be unstoppably charismatic and likeable as Tony Stark/Iron Man. His hyper-caffeinated dialogue delivery provokes several laughs thanks to a few well-written one-liners, but, unfortunately, there are fewer funny moments this time around. Don Cheadle, who replaced the underwhelming Terrence Howard, emanates charm and is able to bring great intensity to the role of Jim Rhodes, and this casting decision benefits the entire flick. Mickey Rourke is the standout here, however. In his role as Vanko, Rourke exudes malice and espouses a believable accent. He's a top-notch villain for Stark; far surpassing Jeff Bridges' performance in the original movie. Meanwhile, the always-reliable Sam Rockwell is able to provide some much-appreciated levity to key scenes, while also generating a certain intensity at the right times. Even if Rockwell isn't a formidable villain, he brings enough gravitas to the role. Scarlett Johansson has rarely been sexier, and she's particularly good when she unleashes her character's secret identity and kicks some butt. This is one aspect of the movie which leaves you wanting more. Samuel L. Jackson is also on hand as Nick Fury, and does a commendable job, while director Favreau's bit part as "Happy" Hogan (the driver) has been considerably beefed up here.

Despite its shortcomings, and in spite of the filmmakers' inability to recapture the magic of the first instalment, Iron Man 2 is a blast. Jon Favreau is clearly capable at creating fun and entertaining summer movies that don't insult a viewer's intelligence, and the masterfully-realised action sequences here in addition to the compelling villains ensure this sequel is worth seeing. With a third instalment virtually an inevitability (it's guaranteed that the box office numbers will be kind to Iron Man 2) and the Avengers movie just a few years away, it'll be very interesting to see where the franchise will head next. Like the first film, be sure to keep watching until after the credits.

7.5/10