EDITORIALS
New Guest Review from Australia of Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2
by Alex Billington
May 2, 2010
Last year during the release of Star Trek, our good friend from Australia, Rivée Dylan Tao, wrote up a quick reaction/review from the world premiere at the Sydney Opera House, delivering one of the first reviews of a movie that would come to rule the summer. Now he's back with another review, this time for Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2, which is already playing in theaters in most of the world except the US. So let's get to it! Iron Man 2 arrived in Melbourne to all the usual pomp and ceremony. Packed cinemas, addresses from PR and confiscated phones, really get the excitement flowing. So it's a pity the main event was a bit of a let down.
If you liked Iron Man, chances are the sequel will leave you feeling a bit disappointed, which isn't to say it's bad, it just doesn't quite scale the heights of the first movie. It is a thousand times better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but only half as good as Spider-Man 2. Writer Justin Theroux obviously took his cues from the studio with regards to characters and plot lines, because no writer in his right mind would try to pack this much stuff into the one screenplay. Unfortunately there is so much going on, that the characters' relationships and the plot lines are often under developed. If more attention was paid to the narrative than setting up the inevitable The Avengers movie with endless references, Iron Man 2 might have been a better film. It lacked the charm of its predecessor, which worked, in part because of its simplicity.
As with the first film, the dialogue is snappy and Robert Downey Jr. plays for laughs and the set pieces are handled nicely enough, even though the best ones are all featured in the trailer. Favreau also enlisted an impressive supporting cast, including the always brilliant Sam Rockwell (as Justin Hammer) and Mickey Rourke (as Whiplash), but neither of their respective characters were developed well enough to take advantage. Scarlett Johansson stuffed into the Black Widow get-up is enough to make your eyes water, while Samuel L. Jackson (as Nick Fury), Don Cheadle (as War Machine) and Gwyneth Paltrow (as Pepper Potts) all walk through their roles.
There is a nice homage to RoboCop to look out for and Stan Lee's cameo is one of his best so far. There is also the obligatory post-credits post-script, which should get at least a few comic book fans excited. The effects are slick and pretty seamless for the most part. The scene at the Monaco race track (which most of you will recognise from the trailer) is first class, but the final action sequence looked like a cut scene from Halo. There is also a truly inexplicable scene, which involves Tony Stark in full Iron Man gear getting drunk at his birthday and dancing to "Another One Bites The Dust," before getting involved in a dust up himself.
As with the first film, there is plenty of unintelligible techno babble, witty one-liners and enough action to keep Iron Man 2 engaging, and in the finish it's an entertaining ride. But ultimately, there's never enough at stake and as a result, it's hard to invest in the characters or their fate. While the film is marginally ahead of the curve when it comes to the proliferation of comic book movies clogging up cinemas these days, it's pretty forgettable and dishes up more of the same. With Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, Green Lantern, so on and so forth, all on the horizon, you have to wonder how much more we can take.
59 Comments
1
Interesting.
germs on May 2, 2010
2
Cool. Wait did it say there is something after the credits?
Daniel Felts on May 2, 2010
3
hope its thor after credits, new pic this week, should be a perfect opportunity to get us hyped for either that or captain america. possibly an edward norton cameo? who knows....no seriously....who knows? lol
Dustin Fuston on May 2, 2010
4
I'm hopin for the avengers cameo in the end
Daniel Felts on May 2, 2010
5
Ok. i already saw iron man 2, and.. well.. there's not much to say, i knew kick ass was gonna be better than iron man 2, way better!! The first movie was way better, and this movie its to slow and its another one that the main bad guy is killed super quickly!! it left much to offer.. this one is real slow, need it more action sequences. Was kind as the hulk the first one, they focus on tony stark as an bruce banner, with all his emotional problem, pepper's issues, dad's issues, the world on his shoulders bla bla bla. I'm sad to say i didnt liket at all so a lot of people that already saw the movie. stay after the credits theres a very cool scene of thor, and ruing the movie your gonna see a reference of capt. america very cool and funny.
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
6
sorry.. during the movie your gonna see something of capt. america very cool and funny.
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
7
The film is amazing, by far unforgettable and the story line is brilliant, as well as the special effects. Stan Lee's cameo was by far disappointing and pointless. Spiderman 2 was alright but no-where near on the same level as Iron Man 2. This film really did completely surpass itself however, the only issue I found to be irritating was Rhodes' character replacement. I'd at least give this film a 9.3/10.
Kayleigh Passmore on May 2, 2010
8
if anybody wants to know whats afeter the credits but exactly whats the scene.. you ask =) i dont wanna spoiled the scene.
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
9
I have a feeling aaron bEE ambriz liked the 'after credits' scene?
Kayleigh Passmore on May 2, 2010
10
An amazing movie and by unforgettable and a brilliant story line is dark knight!! ok?? and the special effects are the same nothing new. in my opinion didn't surpass nothing. its cool for a book or a very large vol. on a comic book thats for sure. And i am a big fan of iron man and still i have the guts to tell it doesnt rock as everybody thinks or is hoping, dont go to far!! there's the main post of Rivée Dylan Tao.
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
11
hahahaha yeah i did!!
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
12
13
@#8 - Might as well tell it all, since you've already told everything else, dumbass. There is a thing called *SPOILER ALERT*, ya clown.
No1UNo on May 2, 2010
14
dont care =) the main post review a lot of the movie so it doesnt make exactly a lot of difference =)
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
15
holy crap i must have blinked but i totally missed the stan lee cameo, welp guess ill go see it again my thoughts? the movie wasnt bad it just left me wanting more
Antoni05 on May 2, 2010
16
All you need to know is that it's a great and entertaining film.. Go see it 🙂 And the Dark Knight... it wouldn't have as much press FOR it if Heath Ledger hadn't died.. period.
Kayleigh Passmore on May 2, 2010
17
Told you, Stan Lee cameo wasn't great! 😛 Minus 1.5 seconds literally!
Kayleigh Passmore on May 2, 2010
18
BIG disappointment ;(( I love Iron Man and I think it's even better than TDK, but the sequel is just bad and script is awful 🙁 They ruined it like Bay had ruined Transformers 2...
cicool on May 2, 2010
19
"They ruined it like Bay had ruined Transformers 2…" That's a tad dramatic?. Yes Bay ruined Trannies 2 but Iron Man 2 is nowhere on par, not even in the same universal list..
Kayleigh Passmore on May 2, 2010
20
Iron Man 2 is better than Iron Man 1. To deny it is crazy talk. Watch both back to back.
Darunia on May 2, 2010
21
Also. There's nothing, nothing inexplicable about this scene "There is also a truly inexplicable scene, which involves Tony Stark in full Iron Man gear getting drunk at his birthday and dancing to "Another One Bites The Dust," before getting involved in a dust up himself." I've seen some reviews bring up some silly points. It's like these days, movie critics can't follow a movie to save their life.
Darunia on May 2, 2010
22
i saw it yesterday, i couldnt understand why there are no "jumpy" moments.. i believe the lack of AC/DC riff are the answers. dj am playing jacko ??!!!! from Indonesia
oot on May 2, 2010
23
get over it kayleigh.. it really sucks the movie!! its a shame =(
aaron bEE ambriz on May 2, 2010
24
haha. You really didn't feel the anger tension building up when the baddy robots circled them???! I loved it 🙂
Kayleigh Passmore on May 2, 2010
25
Don't ever buy into hype, go in expecting to be let down and usually you walk out with a smile on your face. I can think of two films that were hyped up: The Dark Knight (Good movie, but its overrated) Avatar (Not that amazing) Don't follow the hype it always leads to disappointment.
Xerxex on May 2, 2010
26
i seen Iron Man 2 its a good movie but no way near as good as Iron Man 1. IM2 did lack the charm but its still a alright movie. they should of kept the same writters from Iron Man 1 instead of just having Justin Theroux in my opinion. this review is some what right expect Iron Man was dancing to "2pac california love" first he only asked DJ AM (R.I.P.) to play another tune "Another One Bites The Dust," to fight someone not going to say who. @#16 Kayleigh Passmore "And the Dark Knight… it wouldn't have as much press FOR it if Heath Ledger hadn't died.. period." The Dark Knight would of been a successful anyway if Heath was alive since he was playing the most iconic comic book villian. if you think TDK would of been less successful if Heath didnt died so how comes Michael Jackson's This Is It did not do that great at the cinema.
tazz on May 2, 2010
27
Boy, you can tell when a reviewer is not a comic fan, eh? His review reads like a person who has never read an Iron Man comic in his life, doesn't understand that EVERY Marvel comic in existence mentions events, heroes, and has cameos from other titles all the time. I think the movie will rock, but might not be as good as the first one. I'll find out soon enough, I'm seeing it for sure.
Zantorian on May 2, 2010
28
i am an Iron Man fan and although i don't profess to be an expert on all things Iron Man i did enjoy the first movie. How did the sequel fare? I went to watch it with my wife and kids and we all agree that we loved it. In my opinion it was better than the first although it was by no means perfect. I agree that the final battle scene didn't quite reach the expected climax and seemed "cut-short" but all in all it was better than the first one. References to the upcoming "Thor" and "Captain America" films were included with the "Captain America" easter egg figuring "prominently" in one of the scenes. It was something you totally cannot miss. The "Thor" egg was placed after the end credits.
Madstick on May 2, 2010
29
Huh. I've seen it twice now and thought it was every bit as good as the original.
Ragweed on May 2, 2010
30
Seriously? Do you idiots understand the term ***SPOILER ALERT*** ??????????? Did I really just see two of you absolute morons give up the references without any warning, like some giddy 5 year old who can't keep his trap shut about a surprise they're in on ? The thing is, it's only cute when it's a 5 year old. Thanks a heap, we all appreciate it. Jesus.
Mark Drennan on May 2, 2010
31
I saw it at the midnight screening in IMAX, i loved it and so did my mates.. I thought it was as good if not better than the first.. My mate even suggested it was on par with TDK, but i would go that far..
MiKa on May 2, 2010
32
Saw it and to me this one surpassed the first one. Seriously watch both back to back. Stan Lee cameo was good because if you see him any longer that would take you out of the movie.Please do not compare IM to TDK , there complete polar opposites saying otherwise is stupid and insane .
mflauri on May 2, 2010
33
Seriously, who cares what some guy from Australia thinks? America is the only opinion that matters when it comes to movies. Does Australia even have movie cinemas? I mean, seriously, WTF?!
gEORGE bUSH on May 3, 2010
34
I'm seein' it. So's everybody. Guaranteed box office will overshadow poor reviews. Opening weekend guarantees Downey's Avengers involvement and a 3rd (probably further disappointing) IM movie. Sells more toys. Keeps people employed. End of story - Thor's looking like a fresh take on superhero mythology. Commence shift of interest in new character. (Cap ... we'll see.)
Django on May 3, 2010
35
Saw it already....big disappointment. nothing happened. the two battle scenes were about 8min each if that. some of the CG was bad, the story was bland. It could have been really interesting, but yet again, Hollywood execs put in their two cents and ruined another movie. Its a real shame...and all I have to say is I am glad I'm not the one who paid for my ticket.
one on May 3, 2010
36
It's so weird that I saw it this Friday but USA hasn't got it yet 🙂 Its not an interesting film, only thing that kept me watching was RDJ (when he was not in the suit). He was still funny, the rest was sort of... unintersting... I dug the SLJ cameo more in the first one than this films "post-credits scene"
ryderup on May 3, 2010
37
thor was the best part, iron man is obviously a lame duck now and has had his day...as for the aussie comment its only right we get movies before u. we have better taste and dont smell out cinemas etc
kevin rudd on May 3, 2010
38
aaron bEE is a huge tool.
Jessguy12 on May 3, 2010
40
well... it's good, but just that. I entered the movie theater expecting a blast but it wasn't like that... indeed, there are --- SPOILEEEEEERS --- a few references to the upcoming Avengers movie, some Tony Stark humor, the second half is flooded with battles between Iron Man/War Machine and some average-killer-robots, and (oh my god!) Scarlett with those tight dresses and black spandex. Out of that, thre is pretty much nothing interesting or charming like in the first one. In my personal review, I gave Iron Man a solid 9.8, but this deserves maybe a 7 (and that is being generous).
leinergroove on May 3, 2010
41
Agree with Jessguy12 😛 IM2 is one of the best films out at the moment. How can you say the CG was bad?!
Kayleigh Passmore on May 3, 2010
42
whats the point of going in to a theatre if we cant discover somethings in the movie by ourselves .... 🙁 we see tons of trailers out there having the most intense scenes of a movie and leave us with nothing to go to the film for. and we also have spoilers 😀 why? 😀 it doesnt praise your ego or something right?? i dont think anyone should be held back from what they are intending to say, i am definetely not stating that those spoil the surprises should shut their gaps or something but maybe they can be more thoughtfull about it.. some of us may not want the surprises to be ruined for us before we lay our own eyes on it, infact, would like something left for us to find for ourselves 😀 so a little courtesy of a "Spoiler Alert Warning" shouldnt hurt you right?? not that its gonna ruin the joy i will be getting from seing some of my fav characters on screen 😀 for others it might though. Anyways.. i havent seen IM2 yet its gonna be airing on Friday here in Turkey. and i dont expect it to surpass its predecessor 😀 only handfull of sequels have done it. so its better to be realistic and come out of the theatre with a big smile if the opposite is proved 😀 but what i do expect to get is a definite two hours of fun BlackWidow on screen (yummy) a cool Whiplash in the flesh... and some... i am sure those will be delivered but the intensity of or the lack of the story and characterization will only effect me after i see the film cheers 😀
Burak "D'aequitas" on May 3, 2010
43
Nah, make mine D.C. instead. I'll hold out for Green Lantern, Batman 3, The Flash, and Nolan's Superman trilogy. I'm not wasting $10.50 on another sub-par Marvel movie... which is what Iron Man 1 was.
sean on May 3, 2010
44
Saw the movie last Friday!! its was AWESOME!! I don't give a sh*t what you haters say. Its was great. But a little more action would have made it a lot better(Final battle with whiplash).
The Ron®™ on May 3, 2010
45
I love the first movie. Iron Man 2, which I saw a few days ago, is a decent enough movie, but not even close to being as good as the first one. **Possible Spoilers** The story lacks real dramatic obstacles, most of the characters don't have any real purpose in the story aside from Marvel wanting to introduce them, and Iron Man is never really threatened by the villain. Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke are both great in it though. John Debney's soundtrack is not memorable at all and lacks the power of Ramin Djawadi's score for the first movie. Marvel clearly focused more on their overall plan and connecting their different characters than on the quality of Iron Man 2 as a movie. It makes me sad, because Rourke's Whiplash had lots of potential and with a stronger screenplay, Iron Man 2 could have been a great movie.
Andreas Climent on May 3, 2010
46
ALL the negative reviews focus on the exact same things, a weak final battle, underused characters and it's too (dear lord) complicated...now i don't think any of these are movie breaking weaknesses present in the film if weaknesses at all. If all you point out are flaws then yeah the film will fail in your eyes. I worry the negative reviewers now are just cutting and pasting eachother. Iron Man 2 is brilliant, an intricate continuation of the events in 1 and wonderfully anarchic towards usual action movie conventions. Go see and enjoy the crap out of it because it's a film clearly born of passion, smarts and fun
Mikestar on May 3, 2010
47
BIG disappointment for me, Iron Man was amazing second only to the brilliant Dark Knight. I went into the cinema with so much hope for this film after seeing all the brilliant trailers sadly the best bits of the films action sequences are just extensions of what was shown in the trailers. Agree with what others are saying about there being far too much focus on setting up the avengers movie. the MAJOR disappointment about this film is the fact that JON FAVREAU DECIDED TO GIVE HIMSELF AS MUCH IF NOT MORE SCREEN TIME THAN IRON MAN.............
r0undy on May 3, 2010
48
on another note, I really thought they were following the "Extremis" storyline for his armor. That he and his armor are technically as "one". (Triangle instead of the circle on his armor) reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremis_(comics)
The Ron®™ on May 3, 2010
49
bit more reference for my post. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Man's_armor#Iron_Man_Model_30_.28Extremis_Armor.29
The Ron®™ on May 3, 2010
50
I'd also add that it kinda sucked that almost all the action takes place at night. Everything is really dark, and while you do see what's going on, you don't get the same sense of awe that the flight scenes in the first movie created.
Andreas Climent on May 3, 2010
51
Yeah the final scene should have been done during the day so we could see better what was going on.
jake the snake on May 3, 2010
52
No offense to the reviewer but it sounds like he was NOT paying attention during the movie. Some of what he said is way off. There was hardly any talk about the Avengers, maybe 5 minutes tops. If you're going to review a movie, maybe you should actually pay attention during the film.
jake the snake on May 3, 2010
53
OK, so here's the thing. Stan Lee's Cameo was actually THE WORST so far, so I dunno what Mr Tao is on about. The movie itself was pretty decent but it wasn't fantastic. Definitely worth watching if you're a Marvel fan and also if you're wanting to follow The Avengers progression. Personally, I'd say all the Avengers references and details were the best part of the movie. The chat Stark has with Nick Fury and the time when Captain Americas shield makes an appearance are probably the two best parts of the movie. Granted, this is meant to be an Iron Man movie but really, if you just cut all the avengers stuff out, the movie still would've been about 80 minutes anyway, so you need to understand this is leading to The Avengers and for that reason it's imperative to include it all here. If The Avengers story progressed as much as it did in Iron Man 2 in Thor or Captain America, it would be too confusing for the general puclic who don't know who these characters are. Iron Man 2 was the best opportunity Marvel had because the Iron Man franchise is already established. Besides, Tony Stark is just as much a part of Shield as what Iron Man is, making him a more integral part than any other character. In terms of the story progression, things happen that might make you doubt how much of a hero Iron Man is. Some people may think the story is designed that way to get a few laughs or just to be dumb. But it's not about that. The whole story is a genuine progression of what Tony Stark goes through. Maybe too much was fit into one movie but then maybe it all needed to be shown to give you the idea of what Stark is going through and what makes him the way he is and what gives him the motivation to act how he does. In terms of the action. There probably wasn't enough of it for my liking. The final battle scene didn't go on nearly long enough. Personally, I'd say Whiplash was taken care of too easily in both battles he & Iron Man were in. I did however like the action sequence when War Machine and Iron Man team up. It had what I'd call a clever ending. One which you wouldn't see in a lot of action movies. Anyways, that's all I've got. I'm not the biggest Iron Man fan myself. I think he's a bit of a dick to be honest. But I am a huge Marvel fan. Even so, I'd still recommend everybody see this movie. It's a great ride (even if not the best one of the year). Oh, and after the credits. Just what I wanted to see 🙂
Marvel #1 Fan on May 4, 2010
54
#7 I'm sorry but Iron Man 2 is no where near as good as "Spider-man 2". Iron Man 2 is a fun movie but it does lack the original's sense of wonder. The film took a while to get going and the ending was just down right bad. The film was leading itself up to a huge fight with Iron Man, War Machine and Whiplash and it only lasted for two minutes. But even though "Iron Man 2" has it's flaws it still a good start to the summer!!
last son on May 4, 2010
55
This film was very entertaining - I liked how they mixed in a lot of comedy with the action - the comedy definitely helped kept it going. It definitely felt like it was worth it. I enjoyed seeing some references to some other comic book characters. I especially enjoyed Scarlett Johansson's scenes near the end, very awesome! p.s. My "Iron Man 2" review: http://tinyurl.com/2ey3tbk Thanks!
filmgurl on May 9, 2010
56
I agree with the review. Actually I think it was more than disappointing, it was awful! I almost fell asleep during the final fight it was so boring. My biggest beef with the film was it's treatment of female characters. Marvel has proven that it has no idea how to handle it's female super heros. Johnson is AWFUL and should never be allowed in another film. It's so sad to see such strong female characters reduced to bimbos. Just look at Marvel's track record: Storm, Invisible Woman, Elektra and now Black Widow. And Sam Rockwell was just plain awful, has he ever had an acting class? Terrible.
Craig on May 11, 2010
57
Let me just say to begin with, I'm not defending the movie, saying that I love it because I don't. I think there are much better superhero films around. But to say that it's more than disappointing can only mean that your expectations were far higher than they should have been. Whether you were personally disappointed or not has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. How good a movie is should require some level of understanding as to why a movie has been produced a certain way. I agree, the fight scene was too short lived and I can't understand why they produced it that way, therefore it's most likely a big downfall. In terms of Marvel reducing it's female characters to bimbos, again, an understanding is required. I personally don't think Black Widow was portrayed quite as badly as you suggest but it is necessary in the Iron Man saga for the female characters to come across as toys to Tony Stark because it is part of his character. Having a bunch of mediocre looking female characters that aren't portrayed in a sexy manner, yet having Stark lusting after them would just be silly. And then not having Stark lusting after them would not be telling the Iron Man story. See what I mean, an understanding of why something is done is required to appreciate a movie... Elektra and Invisible Woman I cannot defend at all. There is no reason I know of why these two characters need to be uber attractive, particularly at the cost of character development. What's funny though is you don't mention Pepper Potts, Betty Ross or Jean Grey, all female Marvel characters who were portrayed well (even though only one of them is considered a super hero)...
Somebody with actual intelligence on May 12, 2010
58
While the film is marginally ahead of the curve when it comes to the proliferation of comic book movies clogging up cinemas these days, it's pretty forgettable and dishes up more of the same.
Speak German on May 27, 2010
59
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Vincent Mikolay on May 31, 2010
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