Iron Man 2

At its high points - the first act and the climax - Iron Man 2 is actually better than the first film. Everything up to and including the action scene in Monaco is just great fun to watch: the action, the character interactions, and of course Robert Downey Jr's wonderful portrayal of Tony Stark. And the action scene at the end is pretty epic.

The problem is, the film just stops being so much fun in-between. In a large proportion of this time, it's either going too slowly with little happening that's exciting or even particularly interesting, or it's providing some silly moments like Iron Man lounging on a giant display donut. To be fair, there's no problem with the many subplots this movie has: they all blend together quite smoothly.

The acting in this film deserves credit: almost everybody does a great job. Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow are just as entertaining as they were in the first film, Jon Favreau gets more to do as Stark's chauffeur, Don Cheadle is actually a little better than Terrence Howard as Rhodie (again, maybe because he has a bigger role), Mickey Rourke portrays a decent but overall ordinary villain, and once Scarlett Johansson is allowed to do something substantial with her own action sequence, she's well worth watching. The only weak link is Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, who gets quite annoying after a while.

Overall, Iron Man 2's slow middle section prevents it from being better than the first film as a whole, which is a shame considering how brilliant the beginning and end segments are.

Iron Man 2 is a lot messier than its game changing predecessor as it does what too many comic book sequels do and crams too many characters into one film. There's a genuine story of addiction that has to share screen time with 2 separate villain storylines and some clunky set up for the Avengers. On top of those, there's also another plot thread involving big revelations about Tony's father and it can't all cohere but it does a really good job overall.

MCU movies almost always cast the best people in the title roles and Robert Downey Jr. In every single appearance as Tony Stark/Iron Man is the epitome of Marvel casting in full effect. Whatever issues this film has, he's never one of them as he navigates a self destructive character arc by initially pushing away those closest to him. Scarlett Johansson is equally perfect thanks to her winning combination of confidence and mystique.

Sam Rockwell is a perfect pathetic villain who absolutely should've been utilised way more in the wider cinematic universe. He nails his character's desperation to be as charismatic as Tony Stark without ever being able to come close. Don Cheadle is effortless in taking over the role of Rhodey and succeeds in making the character his own. Samuel L. Jackson instantly arrives with his trademark screen presence and Mickey Rourke does a decent job despite working with scraps.

Even though Jon Favreau's direction is understandably struggling to give every element the necessary space, the technical craft remains strong. The CGI is pretty damn good and whilst the action sequences are a little too sporadic, they definitely deliver the goods and the Monaco Grand Prix set piece has a very satisfying sense of danger and excitement. The third act battle feels slightly rushed however, it still contains plenty of thrilling moments.

Jon Favreau knew exactly what he was doing with this movie. This is a sleek, no-holds barred superhero movie, with great performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke. Let's face it, it was almost impossible to top the first one; nevertheless this a good sequel to one of the best superhero movies ever made.

Scarlett Johansson fulfilled her role as the the sexy and cunning agent Natasha Romanoff, and Gwyneth Paltrow is fine as Pepper Potts. Sam Rockwell plays Tony Stark's competitor, and does a pretty good job at it.

The only problem I have with this movie is that too many things have been fitted into 124 minutes. I understand that the movie was meant to be a roller-coaster ride, intended to thrill, but a little more character development would certainly have helped the movie. For example Samuel L. Jackson ans Johansson's characters are underused. Also, the ending was a little disoriented and predictable; something just didn't feel right about it.

All in all, Jon Favreau has made a movie that would please the fanboys and satisfy the critics. This is a movie that entertains, while still complementing the first movie, and setting up a third movie. If you liked the first movie, just go ahead and watch this movie - you won't see a masterpiece, but you'll have a fun day at the movies.

P.S.- Watch out for the after credits scene

Positives:

• Robert Downey Jr.
• The first act
• Ideas with potential

Negatives:

• Second and third acts
• Inconsistent story and pacing
• Villain(s)

At first, when a heard about a second installment, i thought, i was unsure in it, because Jon Favreau is relatively new on the director's chair, so could he pull of another classic superhero movie?The answer is simple-YES! I saw it in its opening day and the theatre was full.I went along with a few friends, and all of them loved it!Here are some things, we all agreed we liked.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:It was pretty good in this movie-making aspect, although it is an action movie, there is some quite exciting development, especially the leads.Don Cheadle made a perfect substitute of Terrence Howard, and looked pretty good in the movie.So did the Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlet Johansson's heroines.For me, Scarlet is one of the most gifted and talented and in the same time, the most beautiful actresses in the last decade and even more.And last, but not least, of course, the Iron Robert Downey Jr., making one of his unique, specifically for him, roles.He is smart, funny and in the same time, well, action hero type of guy-he adds so much to this otherwise, stereotyped role.Sam Rockwell was a little irritating, but that's what his role is supposed to be, and to those who have doubts, yes, Mickey Rourke made a decent and interesting role again.

TIMING:Almost perfect, except, maybe, the opening credits and a few over timed scenes afterwards, everything was alright and on the perfect spot.

PLOT/STORY:I finally can say it-YES, the day has come.A day, where superhero movies haven't got just CGI, put a pretty decent story, attached to the normal amount of CGI.Well, hard to say normal, a little bit over-the-top, but nonetheless fun, when you get use to the headache.The humor was perfect, brilliantly touched to the smallest line.And most importantly-it's not that predictable-i don't mean the ending, but the development, leading to it.Excecutet skilfully, when looked from this point of view.

CGI:10/10, nothing else to add.Believable Flawless.Perfect.

With no big flaws or plot holes, very funny dialogue, skillful acting and good directing, Iron Man is definitely the best movie of the year so far.The perfect blockbuster as well.I'm glad a saw it, and if the first one didn't made me a fan, this one did.I can't wait to see it again.Cheers to Iron Man Amazing! I would've given this a ten, but with some very few weaknesses, i'll lower this a little, although it did make me a bigger fan than before...

My rate: 7.5/10