My Iron Man 2 Review

Iron Man 2 had much of the same feel as the first movie in tone, pacing and its action/comedy/drama characteristics. Robert Downey Jr. nailed the Tony Stark character perfectly again. Don Cheadle picked up on and expanded Terrence Howard's Jim Rhodes making it his own. Gwyneth Paltrow's role was upped in confidence a level although there was one "damsel in distress scene". Mickey Rourke was brilliant as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash. To me, he was the most interesting character on the screen which does not mean the rest of the characters were not interesting, they all were.

I loved the film! I loved it a lot! The action sequences were amazing and fun to watch. The story line was solid and appears to suggest that Iron Man 3 will be the "Demon in a Bottle" story. The one bone of contention I do have is the early character development of Whiplash was slightly formulaic. I don't want to give anything away but if you've seen the first Iron Man you'll know what I mean. That said, it takes very little away from the experience, like I said, I found Whiplash to be the most interesting character on the screen. Gary Shandling was also a good source of fun and entertainment to the film.

Scarlett Johansson was fantastic as the Black Widow. She had one action sequence in the film that she pulled off perfectly. When she wasn't the Black Widow her character was played with subtle brilliance. I can't wait to see her role expanded in future films.

The scope of the film was big which had footage from California and Monaco, big sweeping shots that looked great up on the big screen. John Favreau tells the Iron Man story with great execution and fun, and with Marvel over seeing everything, you get the sense that the fans are always kept at the forefront.


There are several nods to the upcoming Avengers film which, and for a comic book fan, will be the ultimate movie experience. Make sure to stay after the credits to catch an Avengers alluding scene.

This movie had it all and did it brilliantly! In my opinion, better than the first film, obviously different than the Dark Knight but equally as good in terms of quality.

I loved this film!!

9.5/10

Saw it again last night. Just as good as the first time!