Iron Man 2 Review- MerrillBarr.com

Iron Man 2 Review

Posted by Merrill Barr on May 7th, 2010 | View Comments

(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Iron Man 2 is the definition of the summer blockbuster and is the perfect way to kick the season off. Action, explosions, charm, humor; all of these things are present. Iron man 2 took everything we loved about the first film and magnified it. The problem is that some of these things should have just been left alone (besides Terrence Howard).

Iron Man 2 takes place 6 months after the events of Iron Man. Tony Stark has been on a one man crusade to keep America at peace, and so far it’s working. The problem is that the U.S. government is starting to take notice at his blatant disregard for responsibility. That coupled with the fact that rival countries are continually trying to copy Stark’s designs, leads the U.S. Congress, as well as the military to force Stark to hand over the Iron Man “weapon.”

The first thing anyone is going to wonder about this film compared to the first is the status of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The answer is that he hasn’t changed, for the most part. He is still a philandering playboy with billions of dollars. The difference now is that he has something to lose. His girl, his life, his sanity, they are all at risk now. They are all at risk because he has blurred the line in his head between himself and Iron Man. This is where Downey’s years of method acting come into play. He plays it off without a hitch and remains watchable throughout the film.

Something that is missing for the worse is the lovely banter that goes on between Tony, his automated butler Jarvis, and the robots in his lab. There is only a minor hint of that when we first see Tony in his lab and, the character of JARVIS is reduced to 5 lines of dialogue in the entire film. These things were crucial to show how Tony is more comfortable in a relationship with his robots than people and with their absence; the film loses some of its charm.

On the opposite end of that coin in Mickey Rourke who plays the films villain Whip Lash. Let me say first off, Rourke nails the creep factor. He also nails the psychotic genius factor as well. Except for a really laughable opening scene, he is very cool to watch. It is a shame he disappears for the majority of the second act.

Unfortunately, a lot of the side characters fall by the wayside, Pepper Potts now solely exists to torture Tony’s heart (metaphorically of course). Happy Hogan (played by the film’s director Jon Favreau) does have more of a role, but unless they are planning on ever exploring the relationship between Pepper and Happy in the comics, than he didn’t need any more screen time. The films secondary antagonist, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is probably the worst character to watch. He is nothing more than a watered down Stark, and not in a good way. Whenever he is on screen, I count the minutes till he is gone. Another problem is Scarlett Johansson. Like the rest of the film she is great to look at but, except for an awesome scene in the third act, she is pretty much useless.

Tony’s long time friend Rhoddy does serve a major role in the film, as we see the birth of War Machine, but his awesome moments are few and far between. Not to mention that the things he is capable of doing make no sense when the events of the first film are taken into consideration. We do get to see a bit more of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in this film, but not as much as we would like. He doesn’t even show up until the start of the second act and, only serves to set up the next film in Marvel’s line.

Which brings me to my next point, the entire second act of this film is really oddly paced. The problem is that Marvel is trying really hard to tie Thor, Captain America, and Fury together in this film to set up what is to come over the next 2 years. Unfortunately, by doing that, they lose sight of the Iron man story. There are very clear moments that were forced into the script. Things like a prop cameo and very cryptic location references such as New Mexico. There is also a minor problem with the pacing of the overall film that isn’t as bad as what is in act 2. It is very clear that certain moments that were in the trailer are now missing. Things key to the character relationships. Most likely, these things were cut for time but, I would have preferred if they just lost all the random Avenger cameos instead.

As for the visual of the film, it’s just like the first. Very glossy, like a new car in Tony’s lab. Favreau has a clear vision, and his executes that vision very nicely. He is still a young film maker and grows with each and every film he makes. As expected, the CGI is excellent and makes for a very shiny film. But like I said, these are to be expected from a film of this magnitude.

Over all, Iron Man 2 is not as good as Iron Man but, does hold water. While it needed work, it was very clear that film is meant to serve as set up for the rest of the Avengers. I have a feeling we will get to see a much more compelling side of Tony Stark come 2012.

7.5/10

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John-Paul Mitchell

Mr.Barr,
I don't know you, and I don't expect I ever will. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't saying this about you behind your back. You see, i greatly disagreed with your assessment of the trashing of the Oldboy remake by Spielberg being unfortunate. Actually, you said you're “a bit sad.” So, I'd like to show you what I wrote and take you task for my accusations of your lack of film appreciation.

I quoted in response the news, conveyed by your article, which was posted by one of my friends on Facebook:
Like!
“Thank God. Thank Shiva. Thank the Fires of Hades. Thank Cthulu. Thank The Flying Spaghetti Monster. I am lighting jaw sticks and making burnt offerings in thanks for this can't-be-anything-but-dog-crap piece of cinema not making it to the movie theaters. Oldboy is one-third of a truew film autuer's career centerpiece. Americanizing it cheapens it.

Merrill Barr is a poor critic. His ethno-centrism is elitist and make the rest of America seem like xenophobic buffoons. He says, “After I saw (Oldboy) my first thought… was 'Spielberg could so pull this off.'” Wrong, Merrill, Park Chan-Woo pulled it off, and there's no way in hell Spielberg could have come up the shots and general milieu that Oldboy has; let get it done in two other gore-fest masterpieces that make you think more than they make you cringe. Beauty, excitement, gravitas. When was the last time Spielberg showed any of those, let alone all three?”

So, yes, I call you a “poor critic.” And I point to your most recent review of Iron Man 2 as supporting evidence. Your points about pacing and characters appearing sporadically are well-taken if Iron Man had never had an existence outside of these two movies. But because he does, and because the movies (including the other superhero films) generally reflect a very specific aesthetic. If you had instead explained this pacing as being normal for comic books and explained how Favreau was making the movies work in very new way, it might lend some audience appreciation for the film beyond the shine of the new paint job on Stark's Audi. And if you know about Happy and Pepper, then don't you already know the angle I just elaborated on? So, it seems to me like you miss the point of some movies, like Iron Man 2 being a comic book-like film and Oldboy being an awesome South Korean suspense and gore fest that needs no remake.

Well, I'm on Facebook if you want to blast me back. And for the record, I respect that you are actually thinking about films, writing about films and posting your work for everyone to decry or applaud.

Oh, and in paragraph six, sentence one, I think you mean “fall by the wayside,” as opposed to “fall to the waist side.”
http://www.merrillbarr.com Merrill Barr

First off, thanks for teh grammar correction. And I do appreciate all forms of criticism. While I do very much disagree with calling me a “poor critic” I respect your opinion of me and my work. In responce specifically to your Old Boy comments:

I loved Old Boy very much. I thought it was a great piece of work that deserves nothing but praise. What I was saying about the Spielberg remake is that, it was a shame he didn't get a chance to put an America spin on the beloved story. Unlike many, I don't rail against the idea of remakes in any way. In fact, I in courage them. No different that the way people are for the cover of songs by certain people. Old Boy is very “Asian cinema” as to say, it does not take any cues from the American Hollywood way of making movies (which may popular foreign films try to do). But I do want to see this story from an American perspective, but that's just me. Also, based on what I know of the remake, Spielberg was going to be pulling from the manga that Woo really swayed away from. So it would be a different take on the story which only make me want to see it more. I still stand by the statement 100% that Spielberg could pull it off. That isn't to say that what Woo did isn't impressive, or that Spielberg could make the same film Woo did. But Woo, in my opinion, is not the keeper of the key on Old Boy. He is, for that particular version of Old Boy however. I do not think a Spielberg version could be anywhere near as twisted, but that would be a plus for the kind of story HE would tell.

Also, in response to your Iron Man comments, what I was saying about the pacing is that it falls flat because Marvel wants to throw all this other random junk in that could be segregated to a few more post credit scenes without an issue. I didn't need the Captain America shield cameo or the random location references that are meant to color the next 2 Marvel universe films. I get there is a certain method to the comic book film, but in certain portions of this film, they screw it up. Over all the film worked. There are just some glitches that are too big to ignore.

Thanks for the comments and I am glad to know people actually read my stuff, regardless of whether or not they agree with it.
http://www.merrillbarr.com Merrill Barr

First off, thanks for teh grammar correction. And I do appreciate all forms of criticism. While I do very much disagree with calling me a “poor critic” I respect your opinion of me and my work. In responce specifically to your Old Boy comments:

I loved Old Boy very much. I thought it was a great piece of work that deserves nothing but praise. What I was saying about the Spielberg remake is that, it was a shame he didn't get a chance to put an America spin on the beloved story. Unlike many, I don't rail against the idea of remakes in any way. In fact, I in courage them. No different that the way people are for the cover of songs by certain people. Old Boy is very “Asian cinema” as to say, it does not take any cues from the American Hollywood way of making movies (which may popular foreign films try to do). But I do want to see this story from an American perspective, but that's just me. Also, based on what I know of the remake, Spielberg was going to be pulling from the manga that Woo really swayed away from. So it would be a different take on the story which only make me want to see it more. I still stand by the statement 100% that Spielberg could pull it off. That isn't to say that what Woo did isn't impressive, or that Spielberg could make the same film Woo did. But Woo, in my opinion, is not the keeper of the key on Old Boy. He is, for that particular version of Old Boy however. I do not think a Spielberg version could be anywhere near as twisted, but that would be a plus for the kind of story HE would tell.

Also, in response to your Iron Man comments, what I was saying about the pacing is that it falls flat because Marvel wants to throw all this other random junk in that could be segregated to a few more post credit scenes without an issue. I didn't need the Captain America shield cameo or the random location references that are meant to color the next 2 Marvel universe films. I get there is a certain method to the comic book film, but in certain portions of this film, they screw it up. Over all the film worked. There are just some glitches that are too big to ignore.

Thanks for the comments and I am glad to know people actually read my stuff, regardless of whether or not they agree with it.
John-Paul Mitchell

Mr.Barr,
I don't know you, and I don't expect I ever will. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't saying this about you behind your back. You see, i greatly disagreed with your assessment of the trashing of the Oldboy remake by Spielberg being unfortunate. Actually, you said you're “a bit sad.” So, I'd like to show you what I wrote and take you task for my accusations of your lack of film appreciation.

I quoted in response the news, conveyed by your article, which was posted by one of my friends on Facebook:
Like!
“Thank God. Thank Shiva. Thank the Fires of Hades. Thank Cthulu. Thank The Flying Spaghetti Monster. I am lighting jaw sticks and making burnt offerings in thanks for this can't-be-anything-but-dog-crap piece of cinema not making it to the movie theaters. Oldboy is one-third of a truew film autuer's career centerpiece. Americanizing it cheapens it.

Merrill Barr is a poor critic. His ethno-centrism is elitist and make the rest of America seem like xenophobic buffoons. He says, “After I saw (Oldboy) my first thought… was 'Spielberg could so pull this off.'” Wrong, Merrill, Park Chan-Woo pulled it off, and there's no way in hell Spielberg could have come up the shots and general milieu that Oldboy has; let get it done in two other gore-fest masterpieces that make you think more than they make you cringe. Beauty, excitement, gravitas. When was the last time Spielberg showed any of those, let alone all three?”

So, yes, I call you a “poor critic.” And I point to your most recent review of Iron Man 2 as supporting evidence. Your points about pacing and characters appearing sporadically are well-taken if Iron Man had never had an existence outside of these two movies. But because he does, and because the movies (including the other superhero films) generally reflect a very specific aesthetic. If you had instead explained this pacing as being normal for comic books and explained how Favreau was making the movies work in very new way, it might lend some audience appreciation for the film beyond the shine of the new paint job on Stark's Audi. And if you know about Happy and Pepper, then don't you already know the angle I just elaborated on? So, it seems to me like you miss the point of some movies, like Iron Man 2 being a comic book-like film and Oldboy being an awesome South Korean suspense and gore fest that needs no remake.

Well, I'm on Facebook if you want to blast me back. And for the record, I respect that you are actually thinking about films, writing about films and posting your work for everyone to decry or applaud.

Oh, and in paragraph six, sentence one, I think you mean “fall by the wayside,” as opposed to “fall to the waist side.”
http://www.merrillbarr.com Merrill Barr

First off, thanks for the grammar correction. And I do appreciate all forms of criticism. While I do very much disagree with calling me a “poor critic” I respect your opinion of me and my work. In response specifically to your Old Boy comments:

I loved Old Boy very much. I thought it was a great piece of work that deserves nothing but praise. What I was saying about the Spielberg remake is that, it was a shame he didn't get a chance to put an America spin on the beloved story. Unlike many, I don't rail against the idea of remakes in any way. In fact, I in courage them. No different that the way people are for the cover of songs by certain people. Old Boy is very “Asian cinema” as to say, it does not take any cues from the American Hollywood way of making movies (which may popular foreign films try to do). But I do want to see this story from an American perspective, but that's just me. Also, based on what I know of the remake, Spielberg was going to be pulling from the manga that Woo really swayed away from. So it would be a different take on the story which only make me want to see it more. I still stand by the statement 100% that Spielberg could pull it off. That isn't to say that what Woo did isn't impressive, or that Spielberg could make the same film Woo did. But Woo, in my opinion, is not the keeper of the key on Old Boy. He is, for that particular version of Old Boy however. I do not think a Spielberg version could be anywhere near as twisted, but that would be a plus for the kind of story HE would tell.

Also, in response to your Iron Man comments, what I was saying about the pacing is that it falls flat because Marvel wants to throw all this other random junk in that could be segregated to a few more post credit scenes without an issue. I didn't need the Captain America shield cameo or the random location references that are meant to color the next 2 Marvel universe films. I get there is a certain method to the comic book film, but in certain portions of this film, they screw it up. Over all the film worked. There are just some glitches that are too big to ignore.

Thanks for the comments and I am glad to know people actually read my stuff, regardless of whether or not they agree with it.

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About Me

Welcome, my name is Merrill. I invite you to check out my work that I have done. You will find everything from written articles, montages/fake trailers, and my scripted work. I consider myself a jack of all trades when it comes to production. You may notice however that my passion is in post-production. Also, I love to write. I always appreciate feedback and you will notice a comment box on every page so please feel free to share your thoughts with me.