 Get the ultimate Iron Man 2 experience with this special edition loaded with bonus features that take you inside the suit, plus a digital copy of the film that you can watch anywhere, anytime! Now that Tony Stark's superhero secret is revealed to the world, he must once again suit up in order to face his most dangerous enemy yet - but not without a few new allies of his own! Robert Downey Jr. returns as billionaire Tony Stark in this thrilling sequel to the worldwide blockbuster. Now that his superhero secret has been revealed, Tony's life is more intense than ever. Everyone wants in on the Iron Man technology, whether for power or profit...but for Ivan Vanko ("Whiplash"), it's revenge! Tony must once again suit up and face his most dangerous enemy yet, but not without a few new allies of his own. Co-starring Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, Iron Man 2 is a "total blast!" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) Storyline: With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances - and confront powerful enemies. Written by Anonymous Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on September 22, 2010 -- The suit and I are one. --- Iron Man is a whole lot of movie to live up to. It might be the best Superhero movie of the past twenty or so years not featuring Gotham's favorite caped crusader in a leading role, and outside of 1978's Superman, maybe the best of the rest. Iron Man showed the world just how much energy, rhythm, humor, sincerity, and quality filmmaking and storytelling could be crammed into a Superhero movie that managed to satisfy both longtime series fans and newcomers in search not of the perfect comic book adaptation but merely a well-crafted Summer blockbuster that delivered the goods without sacrificing story. Enter the inevitable sequel hot on the heels of and only two years removed from the original; retaining the same director and many of the same primary cast members, the succinctly-titled Iron Man 2 is nearly the match of its predecessor in terms of tempo, special effects, and fun factor. It's even built around a good-old-fashioned revenge story that's supported by all the bells and whistles that define modern day, big-budget Action moviemaking. Best of all, it continues to build the legacy of its characters and further shape what's to come in the altered reality in which they exist. All said, Iron Man 2 is pretty much the perfect Summer movie. Big, noisy, and entertaining but with a strong story, exceptional direction, great acting, and seamless special effects that support rather than define the movie -- even during its most daring and heart-racing action scenes -- Director Jon Favreau's lastest is nothing short of a spectacle; it's both a feast for the senses and a surprisingly tasty treat for the brain. With Tony Stark's (Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder) announcement to the world that he is Iron Man -- a worldwide sensation and the bringer of "privatized world peace" -- comes greater exposure, more stress, and a villain with a score to settle and the technical know-how to best Stark's mechanized saint. Tony's celebrity and bank account know no bounds, but even his immeasurable fame and vast fortune can't stop the rising toxicity levels in his body. He's dying, and only by unearthing a decades-old secret can he stabilize his personal reactor and save his life. As if that weren't enough, Iron Man is called to duty when a new nemesis appears on the scene. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler) has developed a weapon that's up to the challenge of squaring off against Iron Man, and Stark barely survives their first encounter. Meanwhile, the government is pushing hard to obtain Stark's technology, but the billionaire playboy isn't going to hand over his secrets so easily. Enter Stark's competition, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, Galaxy Quest), who's more than happy to build the weapons the military needs, and he even secures the talents of one very angry Russian to help him achieve the success of which he's always dreamed. With so much going on in Tony's life -- including a scuffling friendship with his old buddy Rhodes (Don Cheadle, Brooklyn's Finest), new twists in his relationship with personal secretary Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, Se7en), and the sudden appearance of the ultra-sexy Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson, The Other Boleyn Girl) -- the superhero playboy may have finally bitten off more than he can chew considering his physical ailments, a deadly new foe, and his ever-shifting and incessantly-stressful personal and professional lives. Iron Man 2 might best be described as a picture built around consequences: the consequences of great fame and fortune, the consequences of powerful technology falling into the wrong hands, and the consequences of a man bent on avenging past wrongs. While Tony Stark is reveling in the further fame he's captured in the wake of delivering world peace through the superior firepower and advanced capabilities of his Iron Man suit, a villain secretly plots against Stark in the name of avenging his late father and for reasons that extend well beyond Tony's tenure as the head of Stark Industries, further reinforcing the notion that actions and consequences can and do exceed their original scope and, in that regard, these consequences come to define almost the whole of this picture's plot. That the picture is so concerned with consequences seems its greatest thematic strength. Here's a movie -- and a series, for that matter -- that takes its elements seriously enough to construct a working, orderly world around the action and mayhem where the destruction has repercussions, where celebrity is both a blessing and a curse, where governments seem as power-hungry and manipulative as ever, where rivalries turn into deadly clashes, and where wayward ambition trumps common sense. In other words, the world of Iron Man paralleles the world in which it exists as merely a movie, meaning that it plays within the rules set forth in the real world and only alters its landscape enough to tell its story of superheroes, villains, and radically-advanced technologies. Neither Iron Man nor its sequel pretend that they exist in a world free of the constraints of nosy government panels, personal posturing, strained friendships, and imperfect heroes. That the Iron Man movies aren't as cut-and-dry as the more generic and thoughtless of Superhero movies and that they both embrace and revel in real-world consequences are two of several primary reasons why Iron Man and its sequel work so incredibly well. It doesn't hurt, either, that beyond the picture's insistence on staying true to real-world scenarios lies a movie that's packed with the latest and greatest in special effects that help craft a series of what is nothing less than several breathtaking action scenes. Iron Man 2 smoothly integrates its action into the story and, again, makes sure it's built within the construct of its plot and not simply slapped into the movie for no real reason. The action is wholly dependent on plot structure, but the icing on the cake is certainly the prodigious, exciting, and practically seamless special effects. Iron Man 2 might not feature the most eye-catching visuals ever committed to film -- they're not as complex as something like what was seen in Star Trek -- but they're nevertheless so finely-integrated into the film and made such a part of the environment both visually and structurally that it's often hard to tell where the practical ends and the CGI begins. It really is that seamless, and it's that practically-vanished line between "real" and "imaginary" that makes Iron Man 2 such a fantastic Action movie and special effects bonanza. It was said of Superman's effects that "you'll believe a man can fly!" Iron Man 2 -- with, granted, about 30 years worth of technological advancements powering Stark's suit and all the other cool stuff on display -- will have viewers believing the same, but in conjunction with countless numbers of additional actions and a seamlessness never quite before realized to this level of excellence. Looking at Iron Man 2 from a structural perspective, it's easy to see the labor of love, sincerity in filmmaking, high regard for the source material, and desire to craft a movie that's not just fast and loud but thematically sound and driven by plot rather than sheer visual and aural excess, all of which differentiate quality Summer blockbusters like Iron Man 2 from lesser movies only concerned with sight and sound and groan-inducing humor (see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen). Iron Man 2 is a textbook example of a picture that succeeds where others fail, managing to be serious, cute, funny, and action-packed all at once, with none of the supportive elements overwhelming the story but instead propping it up. It doesn't hurt that Robert Downey, Jr. -- through his portrayal of Tony Stark -- finds an outlet from whence he takes full advantage of the opportunity to spruce up and exaggerate his performance as he revels in his character's narcism and love of excess, all the while balancing things out with a serious and smart foundation that allows him to show that, yes, even brainiacs can be the life of the party, save the day, get the girl, and end the day with a swim in a vault that would put Scrooge McDuck's to shame. For all the fantastic direction, awesome special effects, and great stories, Iron Man 2 is really Downey's picture; he's the perfect Tony Stark, able to pull off both a wide array of emotional undercurrents while going with the character's flow that sees Stark as a drunken party animal one minute, an impossibly brilliant scientist the next, and later a superhero fighting to save the world. Speaking of Downey, Iron Man 2 is home to another actor who has seen his career suddenly revitalized and thrust back into the spotlight as he appears in several praiseworthy and high-gross pictures: Mickey Rourke. Rourke is excellent in Iron Man 2; his character is nowhere near as flamboyant as Downey's, and it might seem that Rourke isn't asked to do much with the stoic and scarred Ivan Vanko other than look menacing, but Rourke gives the character just the right depth behind the muscles to make him a villain that's challenging beyond the hulking façade. Also of interest to Iron Man fans was the transition from Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle in the crucial role of Stark's friend, Rhodes. Cheadle makes the transition a smooth one and seems to fit the bill better than Howard -- particularly considering the character's arc that's heavier on the action in Iron Man 2 -- while also delivering the film's best line when he's introduced for the first time, saying "It's me, I'm here, deal with it." A double entendre to be sure, Cheadle delivers the line with an obvious wink-and-a-nod that both eases him into the part and ingratiates himself with doubting fans all in one swift stroke. Sam Rockwell is also brilliant as geeky bad guy Justin Hammer. Rockwell -- as his character demands of him -- tries to channel Tony Stark's exuberance but comes off as goofy rather than eccentric and cool. The Moon actor shows off another side of his repertoire in Iron Man 2 that's sure to solidify him as a major player in the next decade. Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson both grace the screen with fine performances and good looks, while Samuel L. Jackson proves he's the perfect Nick Fury. Oh, yeah. Iron Man 2 is good, but by the looks of things, the franchise -- with its integration into the greater Marvel universe -- is only going to get better. The story, special effects, and cast are all uniformly excellent, and it would seem that Director Jon Favreau is left with little to do but yell out "action!" and make sure his camera is rolling. Of course, he brings a steady influence and other intangibles to the picture that turn it into a cohesive final product that's a rival to, but not the match of, the original. That's fine; sequels aren't usually known as the cream of the crop, but Iron Man 2 -- by following the same formula that made the first so successful -- captures a similar spirit and tone as its predecessor while matching and, in several ways, surpassing it in terms of technical proficiency and scope. Whereas the first laid the foundation for the characters, they're allowed to further flourish in the sequel, again chased by the consequences of their actions with Tony in search of an answer to his physical ailments and defending both his technologies and his own character to a demanding and intrusive government. Favreau allows his talented cast and special effects wizards to carry the movie, but he, Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, Editors Dan Lebental and Richard Pearson, and Composer John Debney all contribute to the picture's finished veeneer that cements it as an unmistakably well-crafted product that's a blast -- sometimes literally considering its explosive visuals and prodigious soundtrack -- from start to "more! more!" finish. Iron Man 2 delivers pretty much everything anyone could want out of both a sequel and a Summer blockbuster. It's loud, fast-paced, exciting, and crammed with seamless special effects, but it's also structurally sound and backed by a fairly generic but nevertheless workable plot that manages to exist within the confines of the real world, accentuated only by those elements that make the movie a fantastical escape from the daily grind. As any good sequel accomplishes, Iron Man 2 further develops its characters, delivers action scenes that are the equal of or superior to anything seen in the original, and works towards the construction of additional installments. Director Jon Favreau has both Iron Man and the Superhero genre down pat; outside of Christopher Nolan, he's probably the best the genre currently has to offer behind the camera. Paramount's three-disc Iron Man 2 Blu-ray delivers a pristine 1080p transfer, a faultless lossless soundtrack, and hours of extra content. Here's another disc that's in the running to be remembered as one of 2010's best. Very highly recommended. (Based on Comic Book) [CSW] -3.2- I think I'm over the comic book movies, or maybe the plot is just a little too weak for me. Regardless this was just an OK movie for me. I won't be adding it to my collection unless it gets so cheap that I can't resist - - which it did! Cast Notes: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes), Scarlett Johansson (Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff), Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), John Slattery (Howard Stark), Garry Shandling (Senator Stern), Paul Bettany (Jarvis [voice]), Kate Mara (U.S. Marshal), Leslie Bibb (Christine Everhart), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Christiane Amanpour (Herself). IMDb Rating (11/09/13): 7.0/10 from 309,034 users IMDb Rating (09/27/12): 7.1/10 from 207,452 users
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
