UPDATE – Listen to hear what Josh and Ron thought of Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is out in the US today, and of course you want somewhere to talk about it!
As with all most comic book movies, we'll be serving up our Special Edition Podcast on the movie just a bit later. In the meantime, you could go back and listen to our podcast on the first Iron Man film, or you could read this look back at the movie.
Or you could just try to grow stylized facial hair, and pull off Elvis glasses, but chances are you can't do it with the style that Robert Downey Jr. does. That's how Dad did it, that's how we do it, and it's worked out pretty well so far.
And of course, we should warn you, there may be spoilers in the comments below, so if you didn't see it at midnight on Thursday night, be warned!
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I’ll say this:
Remember how the first movie, while plenty exciting, was pretty heavy on Tony and Pepper bantering in a garage and not so heavy on the zoom-zoom, pow-pow?
Think hard before paying extra for the 3D. That’s all I’m saying.
Saw it twice last week (even in spite of volcano) and loved it. I’ll save further commentry for the upcoming podcast, so I can just type "I agree with Josh/Ron/Conor."
I saw last week, it was fun and funny, full of action, my only gripe it’s that in some parts it feels like just set up.
In the uk, we’ve had it for a week already. I saw it yesterday, it is most excellent. Marvel dorks will get a big kick out of it, and trust me: you WON’T want spoiled as to why (Not just the after credits scene either…)
I’m glad Happy Hogan was a bigger character. This movie was genuinely hilarious, I loved how the action scenes weren’t predictable, especially the Monaco one. AND OMG BLACK WIDOW ACTION SCENE STOLE THE FUCKING SHOW. Scarlett was perfect! Black Widow movie please?
Watching it today! So excited!
Although I have a final to take so…..gotta decide on whether I’ll see it at 4:15pm or 4:45pm. I’m sure I’ll be able to make the 4:15 one.
So, what I think: Iron Man 1 was an explosion of energy, and cockiness and awesomeness – for all intents and purposes it was a ‘club banger’ Iron Man 2 is busier, and more layered and more uncomfortable in some parts – a power ballad. Now, it’s hard to discuss the 2nd without discussing the first because if it didn’t have the legacy to live up to it would be amazing, we should all hope Green Lantern is this good. However, realistically that’s not the case and it gets compared to its bigger brother (one of the top 2 comic movies off all time no matter who you ask) and that’s where it comes up a little short. I saw it last week (thank you early Estonia release) and plan on seeing it again this weekend but it didn’t leave me charged the same way the first did.
That being said, HOLY AFTER CREDITS!
I won’t be able to watch it until Sunday so I’m not reading any spoilers until then. La la la I can’t hear you. La la la. I don’t know why I even click here. La la la.
Going by the three act structure I would say Slow/boring/Amazing (followed by post credit nerdgasm) Unlike the 1st one I found this film bad when it was trying to be funny, and getting much better towards the end when the threat/ action ramps up towards the end.
Also, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but…
*spoiler*
too much Avengers set-up?
@theOtterJosh: yes. this was an avenger set-up cameo-fest. they seemed to forget to put iron man in this movie. he only got like 4 minutes of screen time….
I really liked it. True, it is not as good as the first one, but thats okay, it would be nearly impossible to top that movie. Some of my favorite things in the movie are: great acting from just about everyone, great fight scenes (especially at the end), I was already in love with Scarlett Johansson and I am even more so now, lots of good nerdy moments and set up for the upcoming Marvel movies, and awesoem teaser after the credits, and for me, while there is a lot going on in the movie, it all seemed to work for me without being confusing (but from reading other reviews this wasn’t the case for everyone). I’m excited to see it again!
I have to disagree about the movie being a "set-up cameo-fest".
Nick Fury/SHIELD/talk of the Avengers Initiative took up, what, fifteen minutes of the movie? It didn’t exactly overwhelm the story, AND it tied in with other plotlines.
I haven’t seen the movie yet but I just want to say, it will be hilarious if it gets to a point where you need to go watch 3 other films in the Marvel Movie Universe to have cohesive story, much like the complaints some have towards the comics. Again, I haven’t seen it yet, but for me, I can’t imagine not being gitty when I hear/see references to the Avengers, Cap, Thor, SHIELD, etc., it just seems like I’d be having too much of a good time seeing this, what seems to be, broader story unfold, to complain. It would be awesome to have it all work out between the films so that we get a nice epic multi-film spanning Avengers story. Who knows though, if it sucks it sucks and if the story is weak, and feels like a forced way to incorporate the wider Universe, and ~coughmake more money cough~, I could take issue with that.
And if it does suck? We’ll always have the comics!
One of the most satisfying bits was when they addressed the (not-)Cap’s shield easter egg from the first one.
@theotherjosh Is that a bad thing??
–^_^——————–SpOiLers——————————-
————————–SpOiLers—————@_@————
————–D:———-SpOiLers——————————-
————————–SpOiLers——-O:———————-
I think I screamed when Tony used Cap’s shield to prob up his machine. It was a very good smack in the face to all of us who were obsessing over the appearance of it in the first film. I can forsee hilarity in the future if and when they get together, but I am not sure about Chris Evans. The chemistry between Cap and IM will be totally off in my eyes. I still say they should have cast Harvey Dent or Mark Valley. Someone who at least looks the part :
Also the Mjolnir……. I think I almost peed my pants-suit I was so happy. I CAN’T WAIT. The future hold exciting things. Thor, Cap, and my favorite, Deadpool.
But back to the matter at hand, Iron man 2 was better then expected. Minus the fact that I and everyone around me was mentally picturing Terrance Howard in Don Cheadle’s place, this film exceeded expectations. As a sequel, it is supposed to be the worst in the trilogy (or now a lot of films go to 4 for some stupid reason), but being a sequel in nature gave me hope for the final chapter which is supposed to be the best out of the trilogy (the third one’s always are).
I was a little sad that the trailer put fourth so many deleted scenes though. But either way, It was still awesome. The ending before the credits could have been better : but hey I’m not complaining. The movie made up for itself.
"The question I get asked most often, is ‘How do you go to the bathroom in that suit?’" Pause. Smile. "Just like that."
The scene after the credits made it all worth while. The rest of the movie was pretty good also 🙂
I enjoyed it. I had a healthy amount of optimism going in, and it pretty much met my expectations across the board. Downey brings the thunder as usual, and carries the whole thing as he did with the first one. Rockwell had me rollin most of the time, making his my second favorite performance. I was a little bummed at how little Rourke was given to do. Paltrow maintains her appeal from the first, and ScarJo does her job. Cheadle’s transition felt completely organic to me, and Rhodey’s character is even stronger in this one than he is in the first.
I would agree that I’m getting a little tired of the Avengers set up. It’s kinda starting to affect the flow of the individual films (did ya like that scene at the end where they give Downey a giant loop-hole in case he backs out of the Avengers film?), and my primary concern is the effect these set-up scenes will have on the "re-watchability" factor. It’s pretty sad that I prefer the Ultimate Fury in the books to the live-action version, considering how they’re intended to be identical. In my opinion, this was Jackson’s laziest performance yet.
My favorite scenes were definitely the party scene and the final fight. I also love how over-the-top the holo-effects were in Tony’s shop. And it was great to see Dummy and Jarvis reprise their roles. I love that damn robotic arm.
SPOILERS AHOY!
SPOILERS, I TELL YA!
"I want MY bird." Face it, Mickey Rourke stole the show. He was a fearsome villain, something the first IM movie really lacked. His character may be a far cry from the original Whiplash, but he’s way more terrifying.
When it comes to villains, though, Rockwell’s Justin Hammer is a BIG disappointment. He seems more like a dork than the guy who hijacked Tony’s armor and made him "murder" somebody in Devil in a Bottle. Justin Hammer deserved to be a villain in Iron Man 3, not a sidekick to Whiplash.
And what about that ending? "We found it." Make mine Avengers!
(For the first time EVER, it paid off living as a fanboy in Brazil. We got to see the movie one week in advance… And no, I can’t draw anything right, even if my life depended on it. 😉 )
A good example of the Avengers set-up getting in the way of things is the scene at the end of Incredible Hulk. If, at the end of Iron Man 2, Stark is not recommended for Avenger status, and politely refuses to stay on as a consultant, then why is he approaching Thunderbolt with an offer to join the Initiative? We’re two years away from the Avengers film, and already they’re tripping themselves up. The fanboy in me loves all this sneak-peek stuff as much as the next guy, but when we look back 10 years from now, are all the inconsistencies going to be worth a few moments of excitement?
Love it, but the new Inception trailer was even better. Chris Nolan is God.
MINI SPOILERS AHEAD!
To me, I really feel this could be the best comic book film ever made. I can’t fully say that because The Dark Knight and Watchmen has raised the bar. But this film comes so close, it’s like a tiny, atom fraction to being the best.
Everything about this film was 110% perfectly done. From the casting, to the writing, to the acting, to the effects….Basically everything was amazing!
-Sam Rockwell totally took over this film and I want to see more of Justin Hammer. His speech to Whiplash in his private airport was great. So was him showcasing the army his weapons for the War Machine.
-They handled everything about Iron Man down to the T. The Armor Wars, Demon in a Bottle, Whiplash in general; all done and mixed brilliantly. Hell I was so worried about Mickey Rourke cause he looked so out of place. But the CGI department made him a force of nature. His final suit to fight Tony and Rhodes was gorgeous looking.
-How about War Machine? That whole battle at the very end is basically worth the $10 I paid. All the battles were done significantly better then the first. This final battle though, really showcases how to do an Iron Man fight. They took the time to make War Machine’s mounted mini-gun to twirl around and fire at the enemies in the background. Great attention to detail.
I just….I loved this film so much. You cap it off with a jaw dropping final scene at the end of the credits and…..My god, if there is one thing Marvel is doing perfectly right it’s their films. Bring on Thor, Captain America, and the Avengers. Cause I believe there is nothing this company can’t do to make amazing films.
Saw it about a week ago here in the UK and loved almost every minute of it. I didn’t much see Scarlett Johansson’s purpose in being there except for being pretty to look at, but she did an ok job of her role. Don Cheadle played Rhodey better than I think Terrence Howard would have (especially with a lot of the angry/badass lines that he has in this movie).
I also feel like there was a lot more funny in this movie (either that or I just noticed it more this time around). My only major gripe is that Mickey Rourke kinda went out like a chump in this one, which kinda saddens me. All in all, though, I loved the movie.
I don’t even like Garry Shandling! But he was hilarious in this!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one, but I was VERY happy wioth this film. IMO IM2 is the best Marvel film to date.
It was funny, it had some great character moments (ulike the first one, which got praised for character development, but didnt actually have that much).
I also thought that, considering they are tieing these films into an Avengers film, that the main sequence in this film did a very good job of contributing to the Iron Man 2 film. The second sequence at the end of the film was alright too and as it served as an eppilogue to the film, rather than being part of the main film narrative, it didnt matter that it was explicit to the Avengers tie in. And the Cap Easter Egg was just a bit of fun.
And the action climax was rewarding, although I would have preferred a long Whiplash battle.
At the end of the day Iron Man 2 is an excellent example of how having an A-Grade cast can really elevate a film beyond the sum of the parts.
The first one was like "who is Tony stark/Iron Man?".
This one is "who is Tony Stark/Iron Man to the Marvel Universe."
It was unfair that Whiplash fought both WM and IM. The way the two demolished the drones, though, very very cool.
I really love the first Iron Man film. The comic was updated to make it topical, Robert Downey Jr. had an incredible performance ranging from perfect comic timing to emotional depth. The scene in which he realizes that his entire life’s work has been the cause of needless violence and war is powerful and embodies an overzealous American ideal/fault and he overcomes that by becoming a super hero to set things right. “There is nothing else. There is only the next mission.” This exchange between Tony and Pepper is very emotional and was topical at the time and is just as much so today. In Iron Man, Pepper is the dutiful assistant to Tony Stark, but instead of being subservient, she proves her value throughout the film and starts the first scene by turning the tables on the overly confident Brown reporter when Pepper responds to her snide remarks and notes that, “She does all of the tasks that Mr. Stark requires, including, sometimes, taking out the trash,” as she leads the trash to the door. Perfect character moment, sharply funny, fresh, and one of the many great moments in the film. Her back and forth with Tony is very much back and forth and many times she manages to put even Tony in his place. Obadiah Stane has a very personal relationship with the Starks and Stark industries, the opening montage in the film chronicles his rise after Howards Starks death and then his return obsolescence when the prodigal son returns. Jeff Bridges plays the part perfectly with just the right changes needed in attitude when being revealed as the villain. His motivations are clear, yet complex. He’s jealous of Tony Stark’s power, lifestyle, youth, and technical prowess, he is greedy for power and money and wants to reestablish his presence in the field that Tony Stark has dominated for himself. He does this by using his position in the Stark Company and at first tries to go about removing Tony from Stark Industries through legal processes, but is caught, and resorts to making a suit to battle Tony mono y mono and of course fails. (Sort of, I still don’t know how Iron Man survives the explosion of the Arc Reactor from the first, but hell the rest of it is good enough.)
Now on to Iron Man 2. It’s fairly irrelevant as far as topicality. The largest threat in the story is not the overcoming of a flawed ideology, but simply that Tony needs to figure out some tech before his current tech kills him. Big whoop. In fact, he can’t even figure it out himself, he needs guidance from Nick Fury. The emotions Tony displays in the film are slim to none, he never seems to get too upset by his circumstance and confronts his problems by ignoring them and mocking them by being even more self-destructive. But does he realize the errors of his ways? No. Instead, he is led to a technological solution by someone else which picks him up from his own destruction and he learns nothing. Pepper, instead of being likable and strong in the first film is shown to not be able to run the company only because Tony keeps messing things up, and she resigns as CEO and submits to Tony’s desire. Everything we come to admire about her in the first is thrown completely out the window. Pepper and Tony’s banter in this film is not clever and witty as it was in the first, it’s just them arguing and talking over each other, and it really has no value or appeal for the characters or the film. There are far more failed attempts at humor in the second film. Mrs. Reporter from Brown is again slammed by Pepper’s wit when she points out that she did “a big spread on Tony last year.” Great line, she puts it perfectly, but then Tony ruins it by pointing out the obvious joke, “She also wrote a story about me.” Yes. We get it. No need to point this out. The comic timing of the first joke is lost, instead the moment is taken to hand feed the audience the joke. It’s a real shame. Nick Fury, with his patch looks at Tony and says," I’ll be keeping my eye on you." This is obvious enough for any idiot, so the moment is held as if it’s necessary to let the audience laugh. It ended up being an uncomfortable moment in the theatre. Quite literally, Iron Man 2 uses two villains to cover that ground that one villain did in the first. Still even together they never threaten anything but Tony Stark and we know how that is going to end. When Obadiah in the first film says to the temporarily paralyzed Tony, “I wish you hadn’t brought Pepper into this, I really would’ve preferred she lived.” The moment becomes so much more powerful to the audience and to Tony who now really feels something at stake. The two villans are also simply treading the same issues that Obadiah does in the first, except without the betrayal. Weak Sauce.
I think this has been enough reasoning as to why the first Iron Man puts its sequel to shame. I need not point out the miscasting of the brilliant Sam Rockwell as Hammer, the utterly unnecessary bird gag, the portrayal of Rhodes as a humorless tightwad by Cheadle, instead of Terrance Howard who actually seemed like he might be a friend of playboy Tony Stark, the plot hole involving a last minute decision by Tony Stark to race at Monoco and falling right into the hands of Whiplash, who planned to get in as an employee on the track, Whiplashe’s seemingly magical power over the keyboard, or Tony Stark’s now ludicrous technology he creates and has on hand at any time,(despite his lack of a saw horse, which only happened to exploit a once subtle nerd nuance involving Captain America’s shield,) which borders on self parody more than the simple stretching of the possibilities as the first one did.
There are worse movies than Iron Man 2, and despite my endless gripes, I was entertained by the film. The action was awesome, filmed incredibly, the special effects were seamless, and it was nice to revisit these characters. It just doesn’t even compare to the quality of the first film, and is a HUGE disappointment and sometimes that’s much worse than simply sitting through a bad movie.
It was good.
still drooling over the black wiidow fight scene.
Saw it last night and it was good (enjoyed kick-ass more) but suffers very very slightly from sequel syndrome in that it tries to cram to much into the 2nd in order to one up the 1st. Case in point: waaaaay too much Jon Favreau!
But to go on a tangent, heres what I’m really annoyed with, why do the people who make these superhero movies feel it nessecary to insert little kids into USELESS and ARBITRARY scenes. The Dark Knight had the little kids pretending to fire guns during the scene where batman was chasing the joker on his motorcycle. X3 (yeah bad movie but still) had the kids in the car looking at magneto when he tore up the golden gate bridge. And this movie had the stupid fucking kid in the ironman mask holding up his hand to the hammer drone. These scene serve no purpose NONE AT ALL, kids will still relate to the movie even if they arent literally represented in them, FUCK! Kids want be the superheroes in these movies not themselves!
/end rant
OMG this movie was the perfect sequel. It did not get too wrapped up into Demon in a bottle but still pulled it off nicely. And the first Whiplash fight during the prix was just the right amount of time just enough for us to keep salivating til the end but still got a good whipping (excuse the pun) of an Iron Man fight. Now what I want to know is (SPOILER) with the new element that Tony created, what is it? Is it the early stage of Extremis? Or is it something comepletely original that the screen writers took liberty in crafting? Or is it from some vague reference in a comic issue from olden times? Or is it just an upgrade? Idk still this was sooooo worth the wait. I haven’t felt this satisfied from a sequel since Dark Knight & Spidey 2. And that last scene after the credits…OMG 2011 can not come soon enough they better have a teaser up and running by San Diego Comic Con!!!
SPOILERS Do I even need to clarify that in this thread? Well, just in case.
Two movies in a row with a severly anti-climactic main villain show-down. I suppose all the drone fighting counts as the ‘big fight’ but that’s not where the story is. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the movie, Rouke, and all the rest. But that fight was even more of a let down than the first one. Again, which I still really liked. They used a lot of different stories from Iron Man books over the years and blended them all together very nicely. I really enjoyed it.
I assumed that the element he created was Vibranium. I could be way off, but that was my guess.
I really liked the footage of the Hulk’s university rampage on Fury’s moniter at the end – very nice.
And of course the after the credit sequence was fantastic, or should I say mighty? Unless you weren’t aware of what you were seeing. Heard a lot of people complaining that they had no idea what they just saw.
so if you know me i think you may realise that i can come down hard on things. However, with this movie, i think it was ok, not bad, not great but ok.
It was entertaining, there were things on the screen for 2 hours, for some reason Tony have a portector thingy with pretty lights and things blew up. It looked expensive. the production design was awesome
Scarlett Johansson was totally unsuited to her roll and instead of a intimidating strong woman, we had gags about people wanting to see her naked, whatever, she looks awesome. Black Widow has been fucked up now though
the manence that Nick Fury should have was destroyed but Samual L. Jackson doing his yackster hip guy bit… that was disappointing.
Micky Roucke was fucking awesome. The dude is over the top in real life so his over the top villian seems to be toally acceptable.
Robert Downey is pretty awesome. A great entertaining guy.
What the fuck was the subplot about Tony’s father and the new element all about? Jesus christ, that was nonscience.
I thought this was just awful. Almost no redeaming qualities at all. I mean…jeez. First of all, one of the biggest problems I had with the first film was that the big bad guy amounted to be a jealous partner of iron man’s father who fights him in (get this) a crudly made, but BIGGER iron man suit. So, for the sequal, we’ll have (get THIS) the son, of a jealous partner of iron man’s father who fights him in (get this) a crudly made, but BIGGER iron man suit. Despite this, Sam Rockwell seemed to be doing the best he could, and scarlett is still pretty.
Oh, and also, Jonny boy put himself in the movie just a leeetle too much for my liking….
@TNC: Do you want me to rip apart your theory about this being the best comic movie ever made or do you just want to wait until you have calmed down and re-thought your ridiculous statements?
@Gabe: rouke’s suit was fucking bad-ass
AND it’s kind of funny that they made Howard Stark out to be a very similar character to Walt Disney all thing consider at this point in time.
Also, does anyone else think that the Thor hammer looks like a prop from the 99cent store?
I like it. I didn’t like the first movie for the same reasons I didn’t like Spiderman 1 or 3, the big bads seemed very contrived.
Only my opiniion. One thing that always, always amazes me is how the degree of acclaim I have for a film is so dependent on the degree of my expectations.
@ iFanboy: just cut to the chase: Did Ron’s dad like it?
Anyone know who is helming the Avengers movie?
Goddamn it’s late.
@UncleBob: where have you been,dude? Joss whedon is directing the avengers movie so it’ll have a lot of quicky cute bullshit dialogue
@unclebob: Joss Whedon got the gig.
IM2 was pretty good. I didn’t like it as much as the first, but I think part of that is that I had expectations of this movie where I didn’t of the first. Also, Jeff Bridges’ Obi Stane was a much better performance than Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer – Rockwell tried way too hard. Finally, Scarlett Johanssen is great to look at, and the fight scene was a very good showcase of how bad ass Black Widow is, but I kind of felt that she phoned in every line of dialogue until near the end. Past that, Don Cheadle was more forceful than Terrence Howard and Mickey Rourke was scary. Don’t avoid this, but maybe tamp down expectations.
@theGirl, Name one part 3 (besides Return of the King) that was better than the previous two? Not trying to pick a fight, I’m just really curious because I think most part 3’s are awful and a lot of 2’s are better than the first, especially Spiderman 2.
Iron Man 2, I have to agree for with most people is good fun.
"Now what I want to know is with the new element that Tony created, what is it?"
@SpiderTitan: I dunno, but it tastes like coconut.
a good but not great film it failed to capitalise on the promise of the first. When it comes to Superhero movies usually the sequel is better eg Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Blade. Not in this case tho which is dissapointing
@Nate: i totally agree. it’s the empre strikes back rule. i didn’t want to bring it up because TNC say something much more nonsensical but theGirl makes a pretty aidless and unfounded point too
@ Nate
Revenge of the Sith.
(And Return of the Jedi as well, frankly, but this is a bit more debatable.)
@WheelHands I thought he said that it tasted like coconut I was wondering what he said for the longest time & it sounded like that but I wasn’t really sure til now.
@DarthDuck yeah I think it could be vibranium then b/c it is an element in the Marvel U & Extremis was not considered an element it was a technological virus, right? Idk I didn’t read Warren Ellis’ run on Iron Man but Matt Fraction’s run on Invincible Iron Man is so awesome!
And also Idk why people are complaining about Sam Rockwell’s portrayal of Justin Hammer I think that it was a very smart decision to make him the less competent more jealous villain of the film instead of having him be so intimidating & crafty like in the comics b/c then it would be too many villains trying to act all threatening & bad ass. We already got that with Mickey Rourke’s portrayal of Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (which btw was so great Mickey really pulled off an intimidating Whiplash which I never thought I would see b/c he is not so intimidating in the comics, they also did a good job on Whiplash with the Iron Man Armored Adventures show actually making him kind of scary) so why would we need two villains that were trying to be over the top in tension & threat level. I think that Justin Hammer provided a nice balance to the movie. I also think that Don Cheadle really won me over once he was in an Iron Man suit. From that point on I could not picture Terrence Howard as War Machine & thought that Don Cheadle was a perfect choice to replace him.
@edward: Dude, either accept that it’s OPINION or just move on with it.
I was totally fine with your opinion on it being an OKAY film until you had the gall to fucking attack me, as usual. I don’t care if it just boosts your damn ego, get over what opinion is and move on.
It’s about Iron Man 2, not ‘Attacking what other’s felt about Iron Man 2’.
This film was great the first time I saw it. The second time, not as much. Will this film stand up to multiple viewings? I’m not so sure. Although I still think it’s a really fun film to watch.
Gall? Doesn’t that word suggest you’re in a position above reproach? Just saying…
I thought the movie was pretty damn good. There have been some complaints that it was going in too many directions, but I thought the sub-plots were woven in just fine. I think Scarlett’s part could’ve been handled a little bit better, but honestly that’s a minor complaint. All in all I’d give it an A-/B+.
As far as best comic movie ever made, I would have to humbly disagree. I enjoyed the shit out of Dark Knight, Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, and Watchmen. This movie would be close under these, but would never eclipse all of them.
@TNC: dude, a couple of things
in a month’s time you’re going to realize what a silly thing that was to say and i hope on that day you are man enough to tell me i’m right (that’s a joke, just relax.) You really need some critical distance to make definative statements like that.
second, i re-read your post and realized that you actually didn’t say it was the best comic movie. Sorry about that, that was of fault, your statement was worded a little strangley though
Last, Toughen up, my friend, if you’re going to make declarations about something except criticism
@TNC: I think you just lost the title of "Most controversial poster on ifanboy" to Edward.
HAMMER!!!!!!
also- a couple folks thought Favreau put himself in the movie too much. have you read any early Iron Man? Happy SHOULD be a big part of the movie.
@BirdseysView Yeah I’ve noticed that too how people were bothered by so much Favreau I was at first but then I realized that Favreau is Happy Hogan & anyone with a sense of Iron Man history should know that Happy is a bit of a major character in Iron Man so he should have a good amount of screen time. Plus he was great in the fight scene with Black Widow, the boxing training, & the raceway car crash where he just keeps hitting Vanko with the car was absolutely HILARIOUS!!!!
Didn’t walk out as enthusiastically from this one as I did with the first. I think they could’ve used some real streamlining. Or some more balance to the threat. Whiplash and Hammer don’t feel like credible enemies because they’re neutered early on. But not so early that they get enough of a chance to rebound and feel like the vengeful opponents they need to be. It would’ve helped if there were some other set piece, some other showdown between the race track and the final event at the expo. Something to leave Tony frightened of the impact of the drones or Whiplash. Because Tony’s comeback from the poisoning and the ego trip wasn’t enough, in my opinion.
I couldn’t help but think that Fraction’s "nightmares" theme from the first arc of Invincible Iron Man would’ve served well here. The world is afraid that the other groups will reproduce the Iron Man suit for their own purposes, but Tony isn’t. It’s clear in the end that he should be afraid, but he stamps Hammer down too quickly, too easily, and too late in the game. It would’ve been nice to see him sweat, think maybe he was wrong about the threat of the technology and escalation.
I think I feel about this one roughly the same as I do Incredible Hulk. I probably prefer this one, but it’s a matter of liking parts of it and not liking it as a movie. Whereas I loved the first Iron Man as a movie despite disliking certain elements. If that makes sense.
That said, Walt Disney John Slattery, the briefcase, and Happy Hogan rocked my world.
My wife and I both really enjoyed the movie. The action sequences were good and the story was more complicated and interesting than the first IM. Rourke’s conversation with Tony about God was the high point of his character. Overall, I found this to be better than Kick-Ass but not as good as Spider-Man 2.
Iron Man 2 has gotten a Cinemascore of "A" from audiences, so even though a lot of whiney fanboy dweebs are nitpicking it to death, at least the mainstream audience enjoys it and will keep pumping money into Marvel Studios.
Just saw it. I thought it was great. Classic Hollywood sequel.
@fnord – I think there’s a few more levels of distinction between "mainstream audiences" and "whiney fanboy dweebs."
It was good. Flabbier then Iron Man 1, but the climax was more satisfying the 2nd time around. Massive letdown averted.
@Paul: You know at the end credits, Matt Fraction (along with a lot of other writers/artists associated with Iron Man) was thanked for their contribution.
So maybe he did have a bit of a say? Or the writers looked at the recent run of the character to get some ideas. Who knows?….Maybe we should ask Fraction on twitter.
No, I’m aware Fraction was involved and consulted. The film has themes in common with that first story arc. What I’m saying is that, having recently re-read that storyline, the movie would have been wise to borrow a little more from it, especially with regard to Tony’s attitude toward escalation. Tony has his share of concerns in the movie, but the villain isn’t really one of them. And that made the Hammer and Whiplash feel a bit superfluous or unthreatening for me.
Oh, also, two quick comments
1. The whole "his dad invented an atom" is one of the stupidist deus ex machina’s I have ever seen in any medium
2. "Because, tony, my greatest creation….is you" Fucking really?
you know, for some reason i found the shot of the test pilot in hammer’s suit twisting himself in half to be very distrubing.
@Paul: I can see that a bit. I mean Hammer, as awesome as he was (thanks to Mr. Rockwell)….he was a bit of a goof. Whiplash was the real problem of the whole film. Even then though, Stark only fights him twice in the film and very brief.
To me, the problem with Stark in the film was his personal demons. He was dying, his tech was started to get replicated by rivals, and his relationship with his friends were on the rocks. All of that was then weighted even more with Whiplash emerging in his life. I think that’s the problem with this film, if you call it a problem. For a comic book film, it dealt a bit more with drama then it did with physical threats.
Oh, and also, how the fuck did Rhodes get in the suit? How the fuck did Rhodes get away in the suit? How the fuck did Rhodes get out of the suit? I mean, seriously?
Also, shall there be an SEP by any chance?
@Gabe: there was line about how Tony didn’t disable the rhodey’s suit’s security thingy. So chillax, dude.
I agree about Tony’s dad and the element plot line though
Okay, so else thinks that War Machine will be in the Avengers first class, then Iron Man suits up for aid in the 3rd act of the Avengers film? I kinda want this, partly because I want a shift in expectations.
@edward: You come off really harsh in your criticism of TNC — which makes it a bit funnier that you wrote "except criticism" instead of "accept criticism" 😀
Anyways, I’m with TNC. I think it was pretty awesome.
I love it when criticism comes down to grammatical errors. It’s a comment board. Not a fucking thesis.
I think ultimately IM2 was hurt by all the fan service. Just gonna throw that out there.
@Edward uh, why would tony do that? Acknoledging a problem is not the same as fixing it…
Loved the movie. Looking forward to the episode of "The Office" where, as part of his community service, Justin Hammer is sent to give a training seminar at Dunder-Mifflin.
Seriously, "supervillain as the world’s worst boss" was a great concept and I love Sam Rockwell.
The fact that I’m talking about this and not Tony Stark, considering how much I love Tony Stark, is a testament to the concentrated awesome of Sam Rockwell.
When it comes down to it, IM2 is not as good as IM, for me, simply because it divided it’s focus of villainy to result in a short-changing of a solid villain (Whiplash) and too much screen-time on a non-threat (Justin Hammer). Anything regarding SHIELD was a hit with me. The Tony/Pepper dynamic and the Tony/Rhodes relationship really worked. The Natasha/Happy hallway fight was really good, but Natasha felt inconsequential.
Spider-Man, X-Men and Batman had their first sequels surpass the original. Superman and Hellboy had comparable first sequels. Iron Man doesn’t fall into those categories for me.
I enjoyed this film about as much as I liked the first “Iron Man” film. A lot of critics say there’s too much going on in this movie, but I disagree. The screenwriter knew or learned his continuity, and employed a lot of it in this film in a pretty seamless fashion. Surprisingly, a lot of the story was adapted from a Busiek storyline in which the Iron Man armor is poisoning Stark. The biggest pleasant surprise? The Black Widow! I agree with a lot of other posters that her action scene was amazing. And Scarlett Johansson looked the part better than I had expected. Loved the line from Tony that Natalie seems “like an old soul.” Of course! Comic fans know that she’s probably about 80 years old, but aging slowly because of a serum she was given. If Marvel wants a hit film starring a female hero, the Black Widow may be the character for that movie.
@gabe it was set up. he was dying and giving away all his stuff; He chose Pepper tp run his company and he chose Rhodey as his successor to Iron man
@cyberauron Uh…when?
@gabe it was implied in his talk with Fury. "your giving away all your stuff"
@Gabe Howard Stark built the thing that powers to iron suit, so it goes to the idea that he knew what could power the suit but like he said couldn’t make it because the technology wasn’t there. Tony being 30 years in the future could
@edward The Black widow is a fem fatale spy. She always used her sexualness to lure men in and than kill them. (hence her name) Plus the gags about seeing her naked, this is Tony Stark who has slept with half the females in the mArvel Universe, BTW it is possible to create new elements
"But to go on a tangent, heres what I’m really annoyed with, why do the people who make these superhero movies feel it nessecary to insert little kids into USELESS and ARBITRARY scenes… And this movie had the stupid fucking kid in the ironman mask holding up his hand to the hammer drone. These scene serve no purpose NONE AT ALL, kids will still relate to the movie even if they arent literally represented in them, FUCK! Kids want be the superheroes in these movies not themselves!"
@Gramercy
To remind us all of the kids we all are/were, playing such games, pretending to be these characters ourselves? I liked the kid in this movie a lot actually. It was totally hamfisted, but it was the Tiananmen man… as a kid facing a killer robot. Also, the kids in X3 were there to represent the danger the humans on the bridge faced. Now go grow an inner child please, some of us are having fun and would like you to join us.
I loved this movie. The IM/WM shooting the shit out of everymotherfucking thing on screen (complete with rotating shoulder turret and a rocket uppercut!)… I came.
@cyberauron: i agree the black widow is all of those things but Scarlett Johansson is none of them – there’s the problem, mate.
@captbastard: you’re right about the child thing. i love it when they acknowledge that kids uncondisitionally love these superheroes. i know i did as a kid. I want to see a superhero do the whole roll model thing. it makes me happy – believe it or not
and did anyone think Scarlett Johansson looked rediculious in that wig?
I liked the scene with the kid facing the drone. It’s one pure moment of Tony being a hero. Spidey did it. Supes did it. After seeing this film a second time, I can recognize why some don’t like it, but I love it.
Like most people are saying this wasnt IM2 this was a prequel/set up movie to the Avengers which frankly I am perfectly happy with.
** Spoilers **
I understand Nick Fury knowing everyone cause of the SHEILD and crap but really? I like the ARC of the suit killing Tony but I dont think it was totally needed to complete the story. Again another great performance from mickie rouke don cheadle played rhoades very well all in all i still would of like to see howard only cause i have a pet peave of changing actors but they played him very well into it. the captain amercia sheild to leave the machine was a laugh for me. I kind of hated that he only use the suit case armor 1 time. and the mark 6/ extremis armor it kind of made my inner fanboy cry but still nice yet again will get retired come IM3 ( if it not an avengers movie )
all in all its worth a second veiwing and will get the full feature ultra deluxe ( whatever they will call it ) blu ray disc when it hits stores.
my 2 cents
-=demented=-
Scarlet Johansson in a wig looks better than Jake Gyllenhaal in a wig or Garry Shandling’s shiny, tight mug. (Love all of them, by the way.)
as good as part 1? not quite but I still thought it was great. not really understanding most of the criticisms but that’s life people like to focus on the negative I suppose.
I think Paul hit the nail on the head with everything I disliked and liked about the movie. Felt very anti climatic and was having a hard time not comparing it to the first one which I loved.
Still Walt Disney Howard Stark and Iron Man and Nick Fury in the Donut shop were super fun.
Also, why was their one exterior set of Russia that looked like it coast 12 dollars?
Anybody else notice that Ivan Vanko’s fake passport has the name Boris Turgenev, the second Crimson Dynamo in the comics? It’s also the name on his overalls at the racetrack. I didn’t notice until my second viewing, but seems a nice little nod.
Apologies if this has already been pointed out.
The song during the credits, I believe for the old Stark Expo, made me think of the ‘Carousel of Progress’…..and now I got that song stuck in my head.
‘It’s a great big, beautiful tomorrow….’
This movie was a whole lot of fun. Big tub o Popcorn, Big Coke and a comfy seat = great time.
Yeah there were a couple of miniature plot holes. no biggie. I agree with some others. The bad guys weren’t a big enough deal. It would have been cool to see Iron Man take on an entire army or something…excuse for an incredibly epic battle sequence. They were too easy for Iron Man to defeat.
Didn’t mind too much about the Avenger stuff. The after credits reveal was kind of disappointing.
I was also super intrigued by the trailer for the new J.J. Abrams film.
One of my friends told me there was a scene where you can see a news report in the background covering the "breaking story" of the Incredible Hulk, setting the two movies at the same time. Did anyone else see this?
Did any of you guys ever think that maybe Justin Hammer wasn’t SUPPOSED to be a villain? He was obviously being set up as a villain for the next film. Also, some of you guys are taking this movie too seriously, it was loads of fun like the first one. Don’t expect shakespeare from a summer big budget action movie. I loved it a much as the first and I’ll go see it again
I heard a rumour that Joss Whedon is really a front or a pen name for Danielle Steele.
I have to say- it makes a little sense.
Bravo Danielle Steele. Savvy move.
Hey. It’s a mainstream Super Hero movie.
If they put out one of these a month, I would plunk down my however many dollars to see each and every one, and I would be glad they are out there.
Super Hero(es)? Check!
Action? Check!
Mustache twirling villains? Check!
Hot chicks in full leather, and business suits? Check!
Open ended storylines that lead to even more Super Hero movies? Check!
Samuel Jackson? Check… Motherfucker!
I mean it is what it is, and whatever it is, I am buying it.
Did anyone else scan the world map in the background of the Nick Fury debrief scene? All of the highlighted points on the map seemed to be teases. I noticed them in LA – Iron Man, New Mexico – Thor, New York – Hulk or Cap, the North Atlantic/Iceland – Thor or Cap, Sweden – Thor, but more interestingly I noted ones in the eastern, mid-Atlantic and central Africa, hinting at Namor and Black Panther.
Oh, and who thinks that the "new element" Tony created wouldn’t have been named as Adamantium if Fox didn’t have rights to it?
I think Paul’s points are good. There was a lot going on here but I’m not sure what Tony really learned in the course of the movie. Not that every story needs hugging and crying, but most of the stakes were based on his health problem, and once that was fixed — and it was fixed via work on his part, but not any real conflict — there wasn’t a whole lot left. If the rest of the movie had been about him repairing his relationships, that would be one thing, but it really wasn’t. The reconciliation with Pepper didn’t feel earned.
I still liked the movie a lot but his personal journey doesn’t feel finished, which makes me hope there’s another movie for his character, whether it’s Avengers or Iron Man 3 or the Cap movie or whatever, where some of this gets resolved.
@Harper: i thought the element was going to be vibranium
I’ll throw my hat in, just for the sake of it.
Iron Man 2 was a decent flick, and those that are nitpicking over ‘too much Avengers setup’ are kinda off base. One, you are a part of the audience that stuff is speaking to. If anything, it should get you excited. Two, being a comic reader, that stuff should come second nature for you to absorb. I thought it was handled elegantly enough, and tied in with the main story.
I really thought everything was solid about this movie. I actually thought Sam Rockwell’s character was perfect for the part.
Anyone else notice Sam ultra orange hands? I’d like to think that was a character choice suggesting he rub tans himself and of course that leads into his character being more about flash than substance. I enjoyed his stuff.
But from moment one, I knew Rourke would steal this show. That scene where he’s talking to Tony about making God bleed, and the look in his eyes, brought back memories of Pope of Greenwich Village. Ah.
Anywho, anyone complaining about these tiny things should pack it in. It’s everything a summer movie should be, smart, loud, sexy, and just plain fun.
i kept tryippin’ over the plotholes while watching it -seriously, why did rourke not even have as much as a limp after happy hit him again and again with the car?
why did noone shoot him after he blew up the first few cars?
the whole senate hearing scene was just over top stupid and infantile, not the witty remarks of stark in IM 1.
to top things off: toilet humor? really? iron man pees in his suit? aw, c’mon!
One thing I noticed but haven’t seen mentioned.. in Monaco, along with all sorts of real world sponsors on the cars was the Roxxon logo. I thought that was a nice subtle touch.
Personally, I loved this movie. I plan on seeing it again in the theaters and can’t wait to have a Bluray of this one. I was quite happy with how things played out and would agree that Hammer was being setup as a big bad in the next movie.
To all the people complaining about how a pattern is emerging in IM villiains in IM1 and IM2. Most of the villains Stark fights are just variations of himself. There are plenty that aren’t, but for a general audience, IM fighting against another guy in a big suit/suits is far more compelling than something more subtle. IMHO
Also, haven’t seen this commented on yet, but I have to believe that Black Widow is the one that fed Vanko his information at the start of the movie. This was made clear (at least to me) when Pepper asked her if she knew anything about Tony racing ahead of time. Clearly someone knew. He had a firesuit and helmet ready. That had to be setup.
@edward I think you are correct, since according to canon, Adamantium is an alloy, not an element. It would also give them a good reason to tie Wakanda into an Avengers movie. Let’s just hope the script is a littel better than the Ultimate Avengers 2 animated film.
Loved the first film. I’m sure it’s all been said above. I loved that Mickey Rourke turned out to be the real threat. Didn’t quite know how that was going to go. Hammer was gumming up the works so I didn’t know where we were going. My biggest beef was that all of the "wow" moments in the film we had already seen in previews and movie stills. Why did they spend so much on hype for this film?? It was always going to be a runaway hit. RDJR was as always great. The only issue I had was that they didn’t hammer home enough that Tony was dying. It might’ve made his behavior a bit more understandable. Great movie though and will be in the seat for the Avengers.
@Harper: yup. it’s a little strange that they didn’t include that as an easter egg
I just listened to the podcast and I have to disagree with josh and Ron. I loved the movie. I do think Robert Downey jr was a little over the top in this one, but in the context of an already eccentric billionaire who thinks he is dying, I dont see his behavior as being that hard to believe.
Scarlet Johanson as Black widow, I liked that she more or less blended into the background. She was a secret agent doing recon, so her job was to blend in.
And the party scene where Tony was sceet shooting with chapagne bottles, ok that was stupid.
Where the hell did the blonde get the watermelon?????
Since Ron and I had different points of view, that might be difficult.
so that means he actually agreed with one of you. You should be happy about that, josh
Are you guys going to cover Matt Fraction’s & Salvador Larroca’s Invincible Iron Man on the Iron Man Video Podcast? Even with your disliking of Larroca’s art stlye/technique?
I like Sam Rockwell, and I liked that his character was kind of a pathetic wannabe as opposed to a to a straight forward aggressor like Jeff Bridge’s character in IM1. That said, I don’t think his perfo
rmance was all that and a bag of chips.
Also, I was a little confused as to what they were implying at the end. The conversation with Fury and Tony about not needing him so much as Iron Man. Maybe I missed some crucial dialogue. Could anybody clear that up for me who might have a better understanding of what was being established?
It means RDJ isn’t going to be Iron Man in the Avengers movies. Maybe someone else will.
I am very disappointed at the prospect of RDJ not being Iron Man in the Avengers movie. I was looking forward to his unique and entertaining brand of banter in a group setting.
@anyone I’m assuming that would mean that someone else would be playing Tony Stark, or does anyone think that it will be another character entirely?
The movie intimated that Iron Man wouldn’t be Tony Stark, but he’d be a consultant. So RDJ will probably do a cameo.
I don’t know that it’s an absolute declaration that RDJ won’t be involved. Maybe it’s just part of the conflict of assembling the Avengers. Then Tony reluctantly joins the team by the climax of the Avengers movie. Wishful thinking I guess because why would you need to set that up in advance like that. It’s too convoluted.
Honestly though, if they don’t have Tony and Iron Man in that movie, it’s all kind of a wash.
Yeah, I can see Stark as Iron Man swooping in at the eleventh hour to help save the day in the Avengers movie and then that setting the character up for whatever big bad they have coming at Stark in Iron Man 3.
I read it as Shield is just like the Senate Committee. They want the Iron Man suit for "the greater good" and want to cut Tony out of the mix. It could set up a conflict of Shield trying to take the suit and tech from Tony somehow and then Tony coming back to save the day earning his stripes and place in the Avengers.
I just don’t see the Studio wanting to cause supreme brand confusion by allowing another actor to wear an Iron Man suit, esp with Iron Man 3 on the horizon. Movies are different from comics in that you can’t have someone else swoop in to play a character and expect your audience to stick around to see the story arc play out.
i’d give Iron Man 1 an A, but sadly this one a C-. best part was his finding & building the element–dramatic, wildly interesting, crucial to the story, and nicely executed–which was given about 10 minutes, if that; the (painful) party scenes were longer… way longer. kindof sums it up for me, i’m afraid.
I thought the movie was good… The first one was so great because it was the first time we get to see Iron Man in his full glory on the big screen played very well by a good actor. I think if it wasn’t a sequel I would of liked it a lot more because there is nothing like your first experience with something new.
I love Black SuperHeroes! Luke Cage movie? War Machine movie? Come on Blade was so successful.
MINOR SPOILERS
I will say that the movie was a GREAT SEQUEL, but as far as the pacing in the story, I would liked part 1 better, essentially the equation for the plot was the same in part 1 Stark suffers something, needs to invent something new to fix it, bad guy who wants power, creates a bigger machine, big battle at end.
But many of the dialogue scenes with Pepper and Stark were good but tended to weigh down the story a bit. But this is a nit picky note from a person who has been an Iron Man Fan since Iron Man # 179 (which was the first issue I ever bought) and I’m STOKED to see ol Shellhead on the screen.
It’s worth it just for the action at the end.
Yea, I think you might be jumping the gun a bit, Josh. They’re obviously cutting him out from being a team member atm, but that doesn’t amount necessarily to RDJ’s part (wether he’s suited up or not) in The Avengers being reduced to a cameo or a marginal role.
I’m not holding my breath, but it sure doesn’t make much sense for Marvel to spearhead this Avengers deal through the Iron Man franchise just to marginalize that franchise’s star in the end.
I *loved* this movie. All of it. Everything I was afraid of not working actually worked. So far, the criticisms I’ve heard of the movie have been mostly nitpicky.
Was I the only one horrified and a little bit scared that Tony might hurt or kill someone when he was drunk in the armor?
@Diabhol Yeah when he shot out that window at the party everyone in my theater got really really uncomfortable
Saw it twice and loved it both times. I can’t help but wonder what iron man will do in the avengers.
A few things:
I think Josh is jumping the gun a little bit, but I think its possible Rhodey will be Iron Man in Avengers, or just have War Machine as the Iron Man fill in. Ultimately Iron Man swooping in later is probabaly the most likely. I like when Stark says something like "You can’t afford me".
Also Whedon is only rumored, he has in no way been confirmed
nevermind guess it was confirmed
PS- I liked the movie
@ invasionforce : too bad Scarlett is a horrible actress. pretty to look at but horribly not compelling, her action sequence was nice but i would have loved to see emily blunt playing the role the way she was supposed to. aside from the slight things that bothered me, i enjoyed the movie for what it was.
I didn’t read thru every single post so I am sorry if someone has already pointed this out or talked about it.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Towards the end of the movie when Black Widow finally makes it to the room and is able to reboot the War Machine armor to give Rhodey back control…
She is at the main control panel that Whiplash was using to control the Hammer Drones. Why not just…I dunno…shut them off. That kind of stuck out to me.
Other than that, I enjoyed the movie. I can’t exactly tell you all the reasons why…but I still feel the first one is better (if we have to compare).
Another thought on Iron Man in the Avengers: It would build dramatic tension not to have Iron Man offially an Avenger until the end of the movie. The movie should be about the team coming together and not truly "Assembling" until the end.
I am probably going to become a lifelong member of the Red Lantern Corp for this but the movie SUCKED ! I have’nt been that bored since Master and Commander . Gone was the charm the charm of the first one , in its place was a really , really predictable story . Mickey Rourke was wasted and so was Sam Rockwell . The only high point of the movie was the scene where Tony tries to get Pepper to kiss him before he lands at the Expo …and it was cut from the final film .
Oh this is, this is perhaps…this is a dangerous forum to decry the wonder that is Master & Commander.
😉
I even read the books!
"The lesser of 2 weevils!" Get it?!
Savages.