Thursday's Comics, due to being a double edition and me already having THIS post to prioritise, will be coming tomorrow as ONE post.
Now, let's just get right on with it. It's not too arrogant to say that I am the greatest man in the world. I also happen to be many people's go-to-guy on all this comic-esque. This review has been awaited and requested by millions of people, so I shall give you what you desire.
First, a spoiler-free summary of my thoughts. Then, I will go into detail about what I loved or loathed about the movie.
Ready? Take off!
Iron Man 2.
Spoiler-Free:
I saw this in IMAX and I recommend strongly that you do so wherever available, first off. Secondly, the movie itself; what do I think of it?
Iron Man 2 is better than Iron Man. It IS, in many ways, what I thought it would be. That being a typical Marvel sequel. It had the elements I expected: more characters, more action. It lacked what I was dreading, though. It lacked a lack of focus, and it lacked a sense of Spider-Man 3ism in that it never felt like any of the characters were unnecessary or shouldn't have been there.
Robert Downey Jr. tends to play Stark in a little more of an eccentric fashion than I'd have liked. It seems his ability to deal with the pressure of his position lead him into more comedic moments than it did serious ones, but I still deny there was or is probably anyone better suited to Stark. He's Stark to the core, and I can't take that away from him. Aside from the aforementioned eccentricity, he turns in a marvelous performance. When they DO get it right and Stark does start to show some of the more negative signs that come with his lifestyle, combined with being a superhero, he does so with competence and believability. Not just acceptable believability, either.
My biggest worry was that it would succumb to Marvel Sequel Syndrome. That being more characters, more action, worse story, worse movie. It didn't. The reason a lot of people will feel this isn't as good as the first is because it's not the first time we see Iron Man. We'll never have that first time seeing him suit up, we don't see the genesis, the tale of how Stark becomes Iron Man.
This should not be held against it, as nothing's new forever. What it does have is an additional genesis story, or stories. Stark is essentially re-learning how to live life, how to be himself and what matters now. He is faced with the fact that he can no longer be a carefree playboy, flying above his concerns and the concerns of the world. In this particular thread of plot, the movie successfully avoids being what I hoped it wouldn't.
Don Cheadle is very fine as Rhodey. I prefer him over Terrance Howard (The previous movie's Rhodey), actually. I do feel that he wasn't as spot on with Rhodey's character as R.D.J. is with Stark, but the dynamic between the two definitely hearkens back to some of their comic dynamics. I loved that. Then, of course, there's War Machine. All I'll say is that he lives up to the hype. Remember how Hollywood sold Revenge of the Fallen on Devastator? "We've got the Constructicons! They combine to form a big robot! We included a three second clip of him in the trailer!", only for his inclusion to be the worst waste of a climactic event in cinema history.
War Machine is not like that. War Machine shows up and you know they didn't falsely advertise in the trailer.
Mickey Rourke's character, Whiplash, was something contentious to me at the beginning. I didn't like how they gave him one character's name, but another's powers. When you see the movie, it all makes sense and is an acceptable and well-done/thought out departure from the comics. A stellar actor who commands more with just a glance than most actors can dream. He played his part well. I'm not entirely convinced it was a role made for him, a role that someone out there couldn't have been better in, but he was very enjoyable. They pulled a gambit similar to the one seen in The Incredible Hulk in that an origin is told throughout the opening credits. Whiplash's/Ivan Vanko's beginnings are what start off the movie.
This leads into the ball-bustingly cool first scene with Iron Man.
Sam Rockwell wasn't the Justin Hammer I originally hoped he'd be, but he still gave as good a shot at stealing the show as the rest of the cast. Truly one of the world's absolute finest actors and, again, his departure from the comics version of Hammer was necessary and ultimately well done.
Some scenes do seem like they suffer from intention. There are some moments where a more serious tone was required, but not entirely conveyed. Some cases where a serious tone was conveyed happened to be done at slightly inopportune times. I appreciate what they tried to do, though, and in many ways it did its job. The scene where Tony indulges himself a bit too much needed to be more of a downward spiral than a rising laugh moment, but the way in which he is reeled in perfectly counterbalances it.
Overall, the story is a surprisingly compelling and well-orchestrated tale of how a man is thrust into dealing with life at supersonic speed, due to his own influence, despite his desire to cruise through it at his own pace. As the characters are dragged into the world of Tony Stark, they all come together to form a purpose and are all there for a reason. The first and second acts are brilliant, but may leave some wondering when everything's going to kick off. If the criticism of the first one not having a sustainable and worthwhile third act was justified, it's roundly trounced and silenced in the sequel. One of the most pulse-quickening, fun and exciting third acts of superhero movie history.
The action scenes are not as plentiful as I'd expected, however I do NOT believe this means there wasn't enough action. What was there was brilliant and any more WOULD have been overkill.
Let me just say it: It's not The Dark Knight. It's not better, it's not worse. It just is. It's not like comparing Iron Man and Spider-Man movies. Batman is an entirely different mythos, premise and character that deserves to be left where it is. Iron Man is as excellent a franchise in its own right, and it too deserves not to be compared.
I loved this movie. I gained a maddeningly large amount of respect for Jon Favreau when watching the special features of the first movie. It was his baby, such an intense labour of love that truly does come through on screen. Iron Man 2 is absolutely no exception. There were so many little things that I could tell were done for my kind, and I appreciate that beyond words. There were things thrown in for Saturday night popcorn munchers, and I can appreciate that too.
Iron Man 2 raised the bar for the superhero genre, in my opinion, and when all was said and done? I could safely say it was my favourite superhero movie of all time.
Go see it, then see it again. Be warned, this is geared more toward fans of the first one and fans of comics/Iron Man more so. It's not a movie I think you are guaranteed to jump in and enjoy if you've either not seen and liked the first, or if you don't like comics.
Still, I can't recommend it enough.
Oh, and uh...stay after the credits...
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:
I will leave a space so you don't accidentally read them.
That should be enough.
Multiple geekgasms were had. There were points where I was almost frenzied, I kid you not. These movies are great, but you really cannot grasp how much more enjoyable they can be if you are into the comics, though.
The opening scene after the during-credits scene...it's the scene you've all seen from the trailer. He flies through the roof of the Expo Centre, lands on the platform and his armour is peeled away to reveal a tuxedo. As he lands, the chorus from Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC kicks in. It's really quite magic.
Let's move onto my gripes with the movie. Black Widow was underused as I expected she would be, she wasn't even given a name. My biggest issue with her was, as expected, no Russian accent. It's kind of unacceptable to me. Scarlett Johansson is a millionaire because her job is to act, so put on a Russian accent please. Do what you are paid to do. Not to say she wasn't good in this movie, because she was. She just wasn't...Black Widow. She wasn't the Black Widow I know and love.
In fairness, I must concede that many people may not have as big an issue with this as I did. I am a Daredevil fan of 18 years, and Black Widow is a huge part of his comics (Iron Man's, too). I recognise that I was always going to be more critical of her role and use than most, so just go in knowing that.
Maybe it's just me. Scarjo made a good point in saying that it's not very covert of a spy to show up and start talking in a Russian accent out of nowhere. In that case I accepted Natasha Romanoff (Her real name which they DID give her) using an assumed name, Natalie Rushman, and an American accent. What they SHOULD have done is had her immediately revert back to her real accent when she revealed herself to Stark in costume and Nick Fury introduced her. Tad disappointing as a reveal, really. Fury and Stark are chatting in a diner near the end and she just arrives in uniform.
She did go from pedestrian and sultry new girl to complete bad-ass toward the end. That bit was Black Widow that I know and love, and Happy Hogan's role in that scene was truly brilliant. Some would knock Jon Favreau for playing a character in his own movies, but he is such a gem.
The War Machine/Iron Man Vs Hammer Industries Drones fight was delicious. It was beautifully juxtaposed with them planning how they're gonna take these things out with strategy, only to realise they spent too long bickering and the drones had arrived. The revelation of Whiplash actually having a final form beyond that of the breathtaking racetrack scene was VERY pleasant. It added that coolness of having an opposing armoured villain, without repeating it from the first movie. If you think he looks intimidating in the racetrack scene, wait until you see the armour. This appears RIGHT at the end of the electrifying third act, and serves as the final showdown.
Samuel L. Jackson is...Sam Jackson. I'm not convinced he's Nick Fury in spirit, but he isn't in it much, so whatever. He does nail the Ultimate version, which he is supposed to be, but I never cared for that version. Perhaps that's why. Most of his scenes allude to The Avengers, especially at the end where Stark is deemed unfit to join as a member, only as a consultant (We all know that'll change).
The inclusion of Captain America's shield was cause for major geekout by me. It guest-starred in the first one for half a second, but you see Stark and Agent Coulson holding it in this one (No further details are indulged). Then...of course...came the biggest geekout, spaz-fit moment for me...
After waiting for the credits to finish, you are treated to Agent Coulson's car showing up in a New Mexican desert (Fury and Coulson previously alluded to a situation down South). He walks over to what appears to be a dig, but is actually a MASSIVE impact crater. He turns, raises his cellphone to his ear and says: "Sir? We've found it."
The camera pans down and what do we see embedded in the desert dirt? Mjolnir.
The hammer of Thor.
If you're reading this and you know me, you know my reaction. I threw my hands up and shouted out "YES!", much to the hilarious surprise of many around me.
Here's honestly hoping that his movie is as amazing as it has the potential to be, because Iron Man 2 set the standard.
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Thanks for reading this review, I know a lot of you have wanted to get your hands on it and I hope you enjoyed it.
Catch the blog tomorrow for Thursday's Comics, and come back on Sunday for the continuation of Daredevil Month!
Comment, RSS me, tell your friends and all that good stuff.
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
