Movie Review - Iron Man 2

Wowee, zowee! Iron Man 2 opened today and I was able to see it in an IMAX theater. Robert Downey, Jr. reprised the role of Tony Stark - Iron Man taken from Marvel comics. I loved the first Iron Man and looked forward to seeing Iron Man 2. I was not disappointed. Despite a run time of 2 hours and 5 minutes, it was one of those movies that somehow suspends time. That's one of my key indicators of whether I like a film. If I get so drawn into the movie that I don't notice time passing, it gets a thumbs up from me. While I thought it was a fun action-packed movie, I will say that it didn't have the emotional "volume" of the first one. It was a good story, but not as good as the first one. Still well worth seeing.

The supporting role performances were excellent. Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson were perfect in the female roles - sexy and strong. Don Cheadle, again played Tony Stark's friend, Rhodey. Samuel L. Jackson, as Nick Fury, nailed the balance of humor and drama. Have you seen the commercial? Samuel L. Jackson has an eye patch over one eye, which is a comedy bonanza for the writers. As he walks out of one scene he tells Tony Stark, "I have my eye on you". The humor is corny, but in a movie like this it works. Jeff Bridges has a small but very funny role and gets the last laugh in the film.

Mickey Rourke is perfect as the villain. He plays the brilliant, yes, Mickey Rourke, brilliant scientist, and he is very believable. He has a revenge motive to be a bad guy, where, Sam Rockwell, as Justin Hammer, is the just-plain-jerk bad guy.

Interesting back-story, the director, Jon Favreau, also plays the role of Happy Hogan in the film. In addition to his producing/acting/directing career, Mr. Favreau graduated from the Bronx High School of Science (1984).

80% of the audience when I saw Iron Man 2 was male and they definitely enjoyed the movie. When the manager of the theater announced the movie there were actual cheers. Many of the fans stayed through the final credits to see the "Easter Egg" at the end. An "Easter Egg" is an intentional hidden message in a movie. I won't spoil it, but as an example, one of the "Easter Eggs" in the first Iron Man, hinted at the role of Nick Fury of the Avenger Initiative. So stay through past the credits, but I have to confess, a Marvel Comics enthusiast in the audience had to tell me what it meant! There are many hints of the possible storyline for Iron Man 3, which is reportedly in development for release in 2012. I can't wait! In fact, I think I'm going to add Iron Man to my Neflix queue right now!

Don't hesitate, this is a good one. It's also worth seeing it on an IMAX screen. And go early, it might be sold out!