Ahhhh...Summer is FINALLY here, which means it's time for another season of blockbuster movies at your local movie house! One of the most anticipated movies to come out this year is none other than 'IRON MAN 2', the sequel to the 2008 box-office smash, starring Robert Downey Jr.!
Reprising his role from the original movie, Downey Jr. plays billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, who dons the classic red-and-yellow metallic suit whenever trouble is afoot and saves the day. This time around, Stark is faced with problems from the US Government, who wants to use the Iron Man technology for military purposes. However, Stark is resilient in the matter and refuses to do so, whilst publicly shaming his rival Justin Hammer in the process. Hammer (played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell), whose failures in copying the Stark technology have proven to be his lot in life, has decided to make a deal with the devil, or in this case, Ivan Vanko (played by the great Mickey Rourke), whose got a beef of his own with Tony Stark. However, Stark's problems don't stop there. This time around, he's faced with a problem in the arc reactor that sits inside of his chest as the palladium slowly but surely begins to poison his body. As Stark's world slowly downward spirals out of control, his ole pal "Rhodey" (played by newcomer Don Cheadle) confronts him about his strange and illicit behavior and makes off with the Mark II armor in the process. All is not lost for Stark though, as Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (played by Sam "Mothafuckin" Jackson) and Natasha Romanoff, whose alias is the "Black Widow" for all you non-comic book fans out there (played by the sexy Scarlett Johansson) come to his rescue. Throw in the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow as love interest Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, played by the director himself (the talented Jon Favreau) and you've got a Summer movie!
Overall, I was impressed with the follow-up to the original movie. Since Marvel Studios has opted to reboot most of their popular franchise titles a few years ago, 'Iron Man' (2008), which is also the first film of the new wave, seemed to be the best of the bunch (the Punisher reboot, anyone?). Despite all the controversy and hoopla surrounding the replacement of character actor Terrance Howard, who was a perfect choice to play Lt. Col. James Rhodes in the original film, I had no problem watching Don Cheadle don the Mark II armor and bring War Machine to life. However, I will say this...in comparison of both actors, Howard would have been the perfect choice to play the role, and it shows in Cheadle's performance on screen. Howard had presence in the original film, whereas Cheadle does not. In fact, I totally forgot all about Cheadle when I saw Johansson in her Black Widow costume...AROOOGAH! If nothing else is to be said about 'Iron Man 2', you can say alot for Johansson's performance in the film. Mickey Rourke, who's movie career has been on the upswing over the past year, plays a mean s.o.b. as Ivan Vanko, and balances out well with Sam Rockwell's nasally humor. Lest we forget about Robert Downey Jr., who was born to play this role, and does it so damn well. If you don't believe me, watch the scene at Tony Stark's birthday party when he's trashed off his ass. Good stuff!
'Iron Man 2' is not a perfect film, but it is a decent film, and a good excuse to get away from your everyday problems and watch someone elses. To be honest, I was not initially moved to see this film when it had arrived in theaters on May 7th...I happened to catch an evening show over the Memorial Day holiday to pass the time, and I'm really glad that I did!
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment