Iron Man 2

There really isn't that much to say on this one. 


It's as good as the first Iron Man, however with a greater focus on spectacle; not in the sense that a greater portion of the movie is all about action, flashing lights and explosions, but in the sense that the set-pieces are a lot larger. The character development is just as good as Iron Man 1 (it was very good, for those who have seen neither film). 


There are multiple storylines in this film that run in parallel with each other (incidentally much darker storylines than the original film), which actually works pretty well, although it does give the film a bit of an uneven pacing. After about the first 40 minutes, which is jam-packed with action, things come to a halt; from then on until the final act it's all about plot progression, hilarious puns and lots of charm. And that's what's good about Iron Man; it actually has charm, and doesn't solely rely on special effects (cough cough, Revenge of the Fallen). 


Downey Jr. as usual delivers as Tony Stark, which was just about a given. Mickey Rourke manages to send tingles down one's spine as the film's villain Ivan Vanko/Whiplash -- seriously, that is one formidable opponent right there; however, I have a source who tells me his Russian is really bad. Either way, it's a pity that he didn't get more screen time while donning the Whiplash suit. Moving on, most of the old cast returns, Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Rhodey (and later War Machine), and does pretty well in the role actually; he's not as dynamic as Howard was, but he and Downey work well together. Samuel Jackson is loud and stuff as Nick Fury; Scarlett Johansson is utter hotness as Black Widow, while Paltrow brings some boldness to the table in her reprisal of Pepper Potts. However, Sam Rockwell... I think he's the surprise star of this film. Playing Justin Hammer, an arms dealing competitor of Stark, Hammer serves as a semi-villain as well as a large source of comic-relief; and he does it really, really well. Props to him.


Additionally, I was happy to see that the whole mostly AC/DC soundtrack thing didn't work against the film -- it's never overdone. Ever.


Iron Man 2 delivers like a sequel; it just feels like a movie that's in the middle of a trilogy and it knows it's not done with. It knows that it's good, and it's not afraid to parade it around. It also knows that it's leading up to the Avengers film, and it's not afraid to put plenty of hints out there about it; in fact, the film almost sacrifices coherence to advertise the Avengers. True, IM2 is immensely commercialised, but that level of commercialism is pushing it. 


Overall though, Iron Man 2 shoots to thrill; good film, lots of fun. 4/5 stars, recommended watch.


-Dilan