Iron Man 2 (Single-Disc Edition)
Robert Downey Jr. returns as billionaire Tony Stark in this thrilling sequel to the worldwide blockbuster. Now that his superhero secret has been revealed, Tony’s life is more intense than ever. Everyone wants in on the Iron Man technology, whether for power or profit…but for Ivan Vanko (“Whiplash”), it’s revenge! Tony must once again suit up and face his most dangerous enemy yet, but not without a few new allies of his own. Co-starring Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle,
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(out of 82 reviews)
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Review by Rocky Raccoon for Iron Man 2 (Single-Disc Edition)
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The best asset of a superhero franchise is when any installment lacks hubris: either from its hero or from those who design it. When a superhero is thrust in such peril that the outcome is in question, and the usual assumption that the good guy always wins has to be drawn back to consciousness, you know the creators have assembled a great movie.
All the parts are intact: The trajectory is fun; the enemy is menacing; the dialog is witty and clever; and the story is cogent and clear–easy enough to understand, but detailed enough to be stimulating without overloading our efforts to suspend disbelief.
This time Iron Man [aka Tony Stark] (Downey Jr.) faces off with a Congressional committeeman, headed by Senator Stern (Chandling) who challenges his personal armored technology as dangerous and capable of escalating the arms race when brought to the wrong hands. Stark’s snappy answers win the day, but his lack of concessions bring a headlong, prideful fall that sends him unraveling.
The Senator’s witness, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell)[another arms' dealer] doesn’t take his defeat in stride. While showing off his prowess at auto race in Monaco, Stark faces his biggest challenge when an equally disgruntled Russian nemesis, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) unveils his electrifying half-man, half-human hybrid imitation. From there Hammer builds an alliance with Vanko that makes inroads into the U.S. military, including with Stark’s closest ally, Lt. Col James Rhodey (Cheadle).
Of course the trajectory of the movie doesn’t work without the fun. A celebrated Iron Man must be chastened by all his handlers, including Pwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, his still wise-cracking assistant. New to the fray is Scarlett Johansson in a refreshing, make-over role as the attractive and lethal duo identity Natalie/Natasha. And while Stark’s adolescent tendencies are not towed in line by both leading femme fatales, Cheadle and Jackson give able support.
This adventure does go to the edge of danger, but not enough to fully pay dirt. In some ways this isn’t a five-star film for what I first thought were intangibles. My first inclination was to dock the movie for its overlong half-time exposition, but that’s not really fair. An adventure movie that takes time out to think shouldn’t be diminished, particularly when it delivers on the intelligence. It also helps that Iron Man has some health/toxicity issues, thickening the plot, even if it is a dropped opportunity to provide more tension.
The freshness and fun are just as apparent; it just comes down to the one factor I started out with at the beginning: Do you have to stop and wonder (while you’re clinging to someone’s hand [or your chair] and sitting at the edge of your seat) how this guy is going to get out of all the mess? What this sequel has going for it will propel it to at least two more sequels, but to have the cliffhanger feel of a sequel, like, say, ‘Spider Man 2′ is a bit of a stretch.
Review by Renfield for Iron Man 2 (Single-Disc Edition)
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I will admit that I was a tad worried about Iron Man 2, because, well let’s face it, the first movie was so fantastic that it was almost untouchable. I mean, with the first movie, you had the extraordinary talents of Downey, Howard, Paltrow, Bridges and plenty more anchoring what was an incredible must-see summer slam of a movie. However, seeing the trailers for the second movie made me think “Uh oh, Spider Man 3 all over again.” Sequels, especially superhero ones, seem to think that since they bring tons of random crap and characters into the frame, that they are always better, and as excited as I was for this movie, I felt it was going to be another one of those movies. So upon going into the theater, I kept those worries in mind.
Well, I can now officially say that those worries didn’t prevent me from loving the movie.
Remember when Michael Bay tried to accomplish something epic with Transformers 2 with all these new characters and stuff? Well, Jon Faverau has managed to accomplish what Michael Bay never did- make a near-perfect sequel that manages to be just as great as the first. Now like the first, there’s not a ton of action, but those scenes where action is absent, Faverau manages to make the most out of them. Complete with great action, laughs and characters, Iron Man 2 is the first big summer movie, and a must see on the big screen for sure, especially if you see it in digital!
***SPOILERS***
Iron Man 2 picks up half a year from when the first movie left off. The Stark Expo has just begun in Flushing, New York, and is to last all year. Tony, in a televised hearing, privatizes world peace. Life seems to be great, except for the fact that the reactor keeping him alive is killing him. This doesn’t stop him from being Iron Man though- he continues to go on as Iron Man for the moment. He even considers replacing Pepper Potts with Natalie Rushman, appointing Potts a CEO to Stark Industries. However, in Russia, Ivan Vanko, the son of physicist Anton Vanko, having just lost his father and jealous of Stark’s success, creates his own arc reactor, and becomes Whiplash, a badass villain with two electrified whips that can split anything in half with enough force.
His first appearance is at a race in Monaco, and after a brief (and failed) attempt to kill Tony, he meets up with Justin Hammer, Stark’s rival, and they both collaborate to build a new technology that will hopefully overthrow Tony. However, with a stint at Tony’s house appointing James Rhodes as War Machine, and several other plots, Tony Stark, suffering through personal problems, doesn’t know if he really can be Iron Man and resolve all this.
Now the plot may not sound that great, but when you see it in the movie, you will be impressed with how complex it is. To not spoil too much, I left some stuff out, because the movie is that great. Aside from the plot, everything else is great. The acting here is fantastic! Robert Downey Jr. has his usual charm here, playing the lovable jerk that is Tony Stark. Replacing Terrence Howard is Don Cheadle, and he does it well! I can’t believe I am saying this but I actually preferred him to Howard. Howard was great but wooden in places, whereas Cheadle was great the whole way. And Scarlett Johannson… whoa. When is she NEVER eye candy? As for her performance- this movie proves she is not just another pretty face. Her fight scene is just… mind blowingly amazing! Mickey Rourke gives a a fantastic performance as well, and manages to shine as the villain,
Of course, halfway through, the movie takes a break from the action and focuses on some character development- I was worried about it at first hearing but as I was watching the movie, I realized that sometimes, in superhero movies, character development does more than whiz-bang action. Don’t worry guys, the scenes where action is absent are just as great as the scenes with action. But the action scenes are INCREDIBLE!!!! People are exaggerating the lack of action- the last 20 minutes alone has more action than the first, and is certainly more thrilling than the first too. The climax certainly is a thrill, and I gotta say I had a blast seeing it on the big screen.
So in short, Iron Man 2 is a success. I had tons of fun seeing it on the big screen. A great sequel and a great standalone movie, Iron Man 2 is a sequel that truly kicks ass. Whatever worries you may have, I recommend you cast them aside, because you’re in for a 2 hour fun ride. So if you wanna see a sequel that truly kicks ass, this movie is it!
Review by Travis Fish for Iron Man 2 (Single-Disc Edition)
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Iron Man 2 is very entertaining, whether its the hilarious badass comedy or the superhero antics, it does not disappoint. The movie is a great film to watch with a friend, spouse, or family. It entertains almost anyone and is well worth watching. Getting a blu-ray version is the way to go.
Review by Steven Carrier for Iron Man 2 (Single-Disc Edition)
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“Iron Man 2″ is certainly a step up from “Iron Man”. Where this sequel succeeds is in it’s story. While “Iron Man” was a lot of fun, it was essentially 2 hrs of Tony Stark building three different suits and Robert Downey Jr. being witty. While it’s not a terrible film by any means it’s scope was rather small. With “Iron Man 2″ we really get to open this world up and get to see who these characters are. We get a fully developed story with a couple different points of views. This is a great example of a sequel that can give the audience more of what made the first film work (in terms of action, effects, humor) and can also balance it out with bigger characterization, drama and more surprises. I thought that writer Justin Theroux handled it all very nicely in his clever script and director Jon Favreau (returning to the helm), does wonders with his fantastic cast. It’s in that ensemble cast (that includes Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson) where the film really connects. These are all extremely talented and charming actors working in top form. The acting does not need to be good for sci-fi films like this (which baffles me) but here the director and his cast are handed a script that breathes life into it’s players and makes the proceedings all the more fun. Where “Iron Man” was a character study first and an action movie second, “Iron Man 2″ puts both of those aspects front and center, making it mentally engaging and a hell of a lot of fun. “Iron Man 2″ is better than “Iron Man” and certainly one of the more graceful sequels to cross the silver screen since “The Dark Knight”.
Review by S. Allan for Iron Man 2 (Single-Disc Edition)
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I’m not a big fan of movies, but this is one of my favorites. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was as sequels are rarely as good as the first, but I think this movie was better than the first Iron Man. Totally worth going to.