Iron Man 2

There has been a lot of hype since the surprising success of the first Iron Man movie, and for a sequel, this did not disappoint one bit. Robert Downey Jr. plays the part perfectly with his sharp wit and I don't care attitude. He isn't necessarily the star of the show, however. The typical sequel flaw is the lack of an original storyline; An attempt to hang on to the commercial success of the first movie and just release something that resembles a day-old baby's diaper. Jon Favreau stated that the first film was such a success because of the lowered expectation and overshadowing by the Dark Knight. This may be true, but with all eyes on him during this summer blockbuster season-opening weekend, he came through the right way. With an interesting story.

The characters aren't too bad either. For my money, I would have preferred Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle, but things like that can't be avoided. Cheadle had limited screen time, and he was given some of the best lines of the film. Scarlett Johannson is a terrible actress, let's get that out of the way right now. Her character took on an eye candy role, and she did just fine. Paltrow was back as Downey's assistant/love interest, but her role expands to something more substantial. Sam Jackson is back as well as the thin line connecting all of the Marvel films together. I have to say, his attitude was entertaining back in the Pulp Fiction days, but it is just getting really old. He was given too much face time for a shadow character, but there is still the excitement of seeing him introduce flashes of future films (Captain America, Thor) through Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson, who is a very likable character.

Mickey Rourke steps into the bad guy's shoes as the Russian thug/physicist Ivan Vanko. He does a great job, but there is still a slightly unsatisfying feeling to his performance. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but after the Wrestler, I had high hopes. His role was critical to the film, but there wasn't very much action besides some great Computer Generated whip scenes, and some deep-voiced laughing with flashes of gold teeth. The Russian tattoos were a nice touch, but I didn't buy him being a brilliant scientist. Sorry Marvel.

Sam Rockwell, on the other hand, stole the show in my opinion. Playing the smarmy, bratty weapons expert who is salivating to get the Iron Man suit contract with the DOD. He plays this type of character so well, and is truly still one of the most underrated actors around.

Favreau does a great job of not taking himself too seriously. The franchise is meant to be entertaining and fun, and that is exactly what comes across. Witty dialogue, humor, geek toys, action, and hot women. Perfect combination for any comic book adaptation. Additionally, he could have easily jumped on the 3D bandwagon, but he chose not to, which is a wise choice. This film is great just the way it is, and would have succumbed to the pitfalls of sub-Avatar quality that killed Clash of the Titans. The post-production 3D trend is going to die, mark my words. Reserve 3D for Pixar and computer animated films - that is where they belong. Live action is not quite conducive to 3D right now.

The best thing about the Marvel movies is that they openly tease the audience with hints of what is coming. The SHIELD back story is beginning to come full circle, and with Thor, Captain America, Avengers, and probably more Iron Man installments, the comic book superhero universe is going strong.

This is the official beginning of the summer season, and it is kicked off with a big bang. Go see it - even better than the first one. 9/10.