Iron Man 2

"Iron Man 2" A-

The summer movie season has officially started and there seems to be a new trend every year. We get the opportunity to see a Marvel superhero in action as the summer movie kick off. Am I complaining? Not at all! Two years ago, a superhero movie was released and that was when we first heard that Robert Downey Jr. was playing Industrialist Billionaire Tony Stark AKA Iron Man. I was skeptical at first at how he would play the role, but he surprised me by bringing charisma and heroism to the role. Two years later, we get a sequel appropriately titled Iron Man 2. Director Jon Favreau returns to the director's chair and brings back most of the cast and then some. Robert Downey Jr. returns (way more cocky than he was in the first one), Don Cheadle plays Jim Rhodes AKA War Machine (replacing Terrance Howard from the first movie), Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and a couple more familiar faces. We also get many people added to the cast. Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and the predictably cast Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Basically this one starts right where the first one left off, showing once again Tony Stark's "I am Iron Man" speech. Then we get introduced immediately to Ivan Vanko. After he loses his father, he wants revenge on Tony Stark because their fathers were business partners. You see how much he wants to defeat him in a rousing action scene at the Monaco Grand Prix. Whiplash definitely is a darker villain than Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger played by Jeff Bridges in the first movie. After that scene, things get more complicated for Tony. His best friend Rhodey betrays him, the US Government is on his case about taking possession of his suits. In Iron Man, we see the Mark I, II and III. In this one, we see the Mark IV, V and VI. The suit coming out of the suitcase is pretty awesome. The movie is bigger, louder and way more action packed than the first one. That is all well and good, but the main thing this sequel lacks is the charm of the first one. Tony seems more cocky and pompous this time, although he still has some good one liners. It has a darker, more complex story. It even goes into more about his relationship with his father, Howard Stark. The climactic battle is sure to be exciting for fans, especially in IMAX. Lots of explosions, lot of drones and the awesome team up of Iron Man and War Machine. Of course, we get not only a hint at a 3rd Iron Man movie, but we are getting more and more hints of the Avengers movie. In fact, there are two teasers of the "certain weapons" of the Avengers. Be sure to stay after the end credits. You get a very nice teaser then. As for the other teaser, It will make you even more excited for the Avengers movie. Overall, this sequel has enough firepower and action to kick off the summer movie season. I was impressed and the Marvel superhero movies keep getting more and more awesome every year.