The Critics review Iron Man 2

[Conebone69]

Not sure if this thread has been made yet but I thought we should have one since reviews should be coming in here pretty soon. Does anyone think it will get as good of reviews as the last one. Because the first Iron Man had great reviews with a 94% positive on the tomatoemeter over at RT!

[hatebox]

I'd guess low to mid 80s for this one. I think less reviewers will be taken in by Downey's charm this time round, even if it is a decent movie.

[thejon93]

I'm going to bet that this film will do pretty damn well for itself in terms of reviews. I personally believe that this film will reach 'Dark Knight' level reviews: around 90%, about 8.0 in the average score area. I have a feeling that a lot of critics are going to enjoy this film.

[ultimatefan]

The first few reviews should start kicking around now. It´s gonna be hard to match the first one´s 93% at RT, but who knows. But always keep in mind that the most important opinion, at the end of the day, is your own.

[Immortalfire]

MEMO:

This thread will stick only to reviews by the critics and media. In the days ahead, I will begin the Official Rate & Review Iron Man 2 thread for Hype members to share their thoughts.

'fire

:im:

[Evil Twin]

I'm guessing that there's going to be more than a few reviews that are going to be lukewarm on IM2 on the grounds of "been there, seen that". Unless the ads are really hiding something regarding the performances of Rourke, Rockwell, etc. So, I'm doubting it will match the reviews of the first one.

[Son of Coul]

I think this movie will be much better to comic fans and the GA, since while it remains in realism it's looking to go more comic-booky in the sequel with the drones and suitcase armor and stuff so the critics might think of it as more campy. Plus it looks to have more action and some critics like to associate good action with B movies (which I could see, even if it's completely absurd). I could see some of the more snooty critics complaining that the "charm" of the first movie is over-beared by big effects pieces in the sequel.

On top of that, the first movie wasn't expected to be good and was a surprise hit. This movie has the problem of actually having expectations, so some people want to be nothing short of blown away. Like someone earlier said, somewhere in the 80s on RT is likely.

Personally, if they're focusing on character as much as they say, I think it'll blow the first out of the water. Character comes first with most movies for me, especially these. I always try to avoid reviews before seeing a movie so I can form my own opinion without having what other people thought in the back of my head to throw me off.

[rashad]

Not sure if this thread has been made yet but I thought we should have one since reviews should be coming in here pretty soon. Does anyone think it will get as good of reviews as the last one. Because the first Iron Man had great reviews with a 94% positive on the tomatoemeter over at RT!

RT was 93%, but whatever. lol

Anyway I'm thinking high 70s to mid 80s. Critics tend to rate sequels on a higher scale than their successful predecessors.

[ultimatefan]

IM2 has a chance to top the first cuz, with a bigger budget, it can be more epic and have better action scenes, plus Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard. Those were some of the few complaints against the first. Scarlett Johansson may also give it more sexual tension. Performances and direction look top notch so far. The script, I think, will be the decisive factor.

[kedrell]

I think it has an excellent chance to exceed the 1st critically. I'm hoping that it can actually beat The Incredibles as the highest rated superhero film of all time on RT(Superman 2 doesn't count since it only has like 5 reviews...it's easy to stay at 100% fresh with so few reviews). I've seen nothing to make me doubt this movie so far and that's rare.

[Doctor Jones]

Nope, I don't think it will exceed it critically. Depending on how it's handled from what I see with everything going on, all the different things going on will be criticized. I see 60's or 70's.

[Naite22]

Am I the only one who thinks this movie has a very good chance of becoming way better than the first actually!??

Here's my prediction. I predict that I will think "2" is much better than the first (and I truely dig the first!). Reviews on the other hand though will say similar things like "Where the first movie had a good blend of humor and action, Iron Man 2 focuses much more on the drama. It's also a somewhat darker picture, and that makes for a less fun film", or some **** like that. Which is why it'll rank lower than the first (and 94% is a DAMN good rating for rotten!). All in all though, I really believe that IM2 will knock the first out of the park, and that's including better action, better story, and a darker movie - Not Dark Knight darker, but still, darker.

[kedrell]

Naite22, you are absolutely NOT the only one who thinks so. Plenty do as well, myself included.

[Naite22]

I think it has an excellent chance to exceed the 1st critically. I'm hoping that it can actually beat The Incredibles as the highest rated superhero film of all time on RT(Superman 2 doesn't count since it only has like 5 reviews...it's easy to stay at 100% fresh with so few reviews). I've seen nothing to make me doubt this movie so far and that's rare.

The Incredibles may be the highest rated superhero movie, but it's still a freaken animated childrens flick. As far as I'm concerned, it's not included. Number 1: critics have an easier time complimenting pixar/disney animated movies. They all rank pretty high. 2: No one is gonna tell me that The Incredibles is a better movie than say Dark Knight!??? Haha. That movie is THE_KING of em all. It's beyond a superhero flick. Now, take that one out of the equation, than Up pops Iron Man. It's, in the end, the most solid real SUPER-hero flick. (personally, I think Spidey 2 is up there with it, but that's another story)

[kedrell]

Well, I'm someone who'd say The Incredibles is better than The Dark Knight. Of course, I'd say there are several superhero movies that are. Not that many, but more than a couple.

[Ace of Knaves]

The Incredibles is THE best superhero movie IMO. It isn't just a "animated childrens flick". It's a great story about families coming together under pressure and being the best that can you can be against the odds, amongst other things. Mixed with some great adult and satirical humour and epic action scenes.

And it doesn't reek of self importance. *cough*TDK*cough*

As for this movie? I'm not sure. I think it looks to be Iron Man x10000000. Everything amped up from the first one.

But will the high brow critics like that?

[kedrell]

Well for my money, Iron Man 1 still reigns supreme but we'll see how it goes in 2 & 1/2 weeks.

[Ace of Knaves]

Well for my money, Iron Man 1 still reigns supreme but we'll see how it goes in 2 & 1/2 weeks.

Yea Iron Man is easily in my top five comic book/superhero films. Recently joined by Kick Ass! :awesome:

[kedrell]

I had KA at #6, just below TDK. Glad we are getting better comic book movies this year(assuming IM2 does what I think it will). 2009 was kinda dead for good adaptions. Watchmen was the only one that wasn't crap and even then it was just ok.

[Shivsguy616]

Yea Iron Man is easily in my top five comic book/superhero films. Recently joined by Kick Ass! :awesome:

Ditto!

[Raiden]

I think Iron Man 2 has a good chance to match or even surpass IM1's # of great reviews. I think it helps the fact that both Favearu and RDJ didn't want IM2 to use the same old formula, and instead tried to go into uncharted terroritories with a superhero who unmasked publicly, and now has to deal not only with the government but also with other competitors, as both Stark and IM. Sure, Fantastic Four may have this "no secret identity" storyline also, but IM2 doesn't treat it as lightly as F4 did. And not to mention the addition of Black Widow and War Machine, as well. I hope the reviews will match it closely to what TDK received.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I personally think the critics wont like it as much as the first one but the fans will, 75-85% on RT I reckon.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

It's way to early to tell. It could pull a TDK and Spider-Man 2 and get better reviews or it couldn't. Right now I just can't pinpoint what I think.

On another note I had a dream that the movie sucked...I certainly hope that doesn't come to pass because it's the movie I'm most looking forward to. I'm going to be totally depressed if IM2 pulls a Spider-Man 3 or Hellboy 2.

[StarkTheProdigy]

i had a dream that the movie was awesome, and i loved every minute of it, and let me tell you, i think its a sixth sense.

last year, i was excited for wolverine (letdown of course), but around last march or april, i had a dream i was watching X-Men Origins Wolverine, and throughout the dream i was like, "when is this going to get good?" and that's kinda the same reaction i had for the movie itself.

The Iron Man 2 dream, i was stoked, and even loved the first minute of it, so, lets hope my dreams true!

[S.A.A.D.]

46%-63% on RT. I think the fans will love it,but the critics? not so much.

[S.A.A.D.]

It's way to early to tell. It could pull a TDK and Spider-Man 2 and get better reviews or it couldn't. Right now I just can't pinpoint what I think.

On another note I had a dream that the movie sucked...I certainly hope that doesn't come to pass because it's the movie I'm most looking forward to. I'm going to be totally depressed if IM2 pulls a Spider-Man 3 or Hellboy 2.

:barf: Did you have to compare it to Spiderman 3 in such a negative light?

Hellboy 2>Spiderman 3 by x 10000000000000000

[Doctor Jones]

Dude, Hellboy 2 wasn't that good. Del Toro pulled a Burton and got too much creative control (yes there is such thing)

[Son of Coul]

46%-63% on RT. I think the fans will love it,but the critics? not so much.
That's... bizarrely specific...

[S.A.A.D.]

Dude, Hellboy 2 wasn't that good. Del Toro pulled a Burton and got too much creative control (yes there is such thing)

But the thing is that I don't care for the Hellboy comic books,so it makes no difference to me.

[batman11]

On another note I had a dream that the movie sucked...I certainly hope that doesn't come to pass because it's the movie I'm most looking forward to.

Did your dream happen to involve talking snakes that cracked cheesy jokes and then pushed Tony's house off the cliff? Because if so, please get out of my head.

i had a dream that the movie was awesome, and i loved every minute of it, and let me tell you, i think its a sixth sense.

last year, i was excited for wolverine (letdown of course), but around last march or april, i had a dream i was watching X-Men Origins Wolverine, and throughout the dream i was like, "when is this going to get good?" and that's kinda the same reaction i had for the movie itself.

You sure you didn't just see the leaked version? :awesome:

[S.A.A.D.]

That's... bizarrely specific...

And I think Kick-Ass will be responsible for stealing it's thunder.

[Figs]

It's way to early to tell. It could pull a TDK and Spider-Man 2 and get better reviews or it couldn't. Right now I just can't pinpoint what I think.

On another note I had a dream that the movie sucked...I certainly hope that doesn't come to pass because it's the movie I'm most looking forward to. I'm going to be totally depressed if IM2 pulls a Spider-Man 3 or Hellboy 2.

Same here. I do have faith in it but the first film was so much fun that this might only surpass it action wise, which won't necessarily make it better.

There are so many things taken straight from the comics again that i'll definitely be getting a fangasm or two. :woot:

[Conebone69]

46%-63% on RT. I think the fans will love it,but the critics? not so much.

Why so low? Why dont you have any confidence in the movie?

[S.A.A.D.]

Why so low? Why dont you have any confidence in the movie?

I'm not sure if I even know anymore really. But it's all I know that I don't have much confidence in this movie,hopefully it will be better in the aftermath once it's out.

[Superhero 101]

I think that this movie won't be liked by critics but will be loved by the fans hopefully i am wrong and the critics do like it

[hatebox]

The Incredibles is THE best superhero movie IMO. It isn't just a "animated childrens flick". It's a great story about families coming together under pressure and being the best that can you can be against the odds, amongst other things. Mixed with some great adult and satirical humour and epic action scenes.




The Incredibles starts off brilliantly but then loses its nerve and becomes boring and generic in the second half, which I thought that was a real shame. I even know a lot of Pixar fanatics who don't especially rate it.

While I'm looking forward to IM2 a lot, there's nothing I've read or seen so far that really suggests we're getting something new. And if that's the case then a lot of critics will be annoyed at the same old stuff. For better or worse TDK has a set a benchmark for them in terms of sequels being genuinely different from their predecessors.

[J.Howlett]

My only fear is that the thematics and character arc of Tony Stark are hampered by the fact that Marvel is assembling the Avengers in two years.

I keep coming back to this question with Iron Man 2; if Marvel wasn't setting up this Avengers film, would Jon Favereau and company be telling this particular Stark story?

[TheScarecrow]

I'm predicting about 75% (I want to say 76% but don't want to be that specific).

Why? The performances in this movie do look good. This movie has a brilliant cast, and they all seem to be giving great performances - obviously a big plus. The bad part is that the movie appears to be doing "nothing new". Iron Man 2 appears to be exactly that. This is not a good thing with critics.

"Nothing new" doesn't necessarily represent a bad thing, particularly for the fans - but for movie critics who routinely rate movies on originality and creativity...it's going to hurt it.

[TheScarecrow]

I'm predicting about 75% (I want to say 76% but don't want to be that specific).

Why? The performances in this movie do look good. This movie has a brilliant cast, and they all seem to be giving great performances - obviously a big plus. The bad part is that the movie appears to be doing "nothing new". Iron Man 2 appears to be exactly that. This is not a good thing with critics.

"Nothing new" doesn't necessarily represent a bad thing, particularly for the fans - but for movie critics who routinely rate movies on originality and creativity...it's going to hurt it.

[J.Howlett]

I wouldn't say it doesn't look like there's anything new in it. It's just because of our knowledge of the Avengers film that's soon to come, we have a pretty good idea of where Tony Stark has to be at the end of the film and that sort of hurts this film.

While it's cool leading up to that film, I just personally feel it hampers the individual projects.

[hugekent]

I'm not anticipating the critics loving it. As someone said before most of the praise towards the film was directed at RDJ and his Tony Stark plus the unexpected nature of it. The movie kind of came from no where (to non comic book fans) and was so well done and cool that you couldn't help but like it. The second one could be too over the top. I haven't given up on it at all but high critical praise would pleasantly surprise me.

[Doctor Jones]

Indeed. Critics will be expecting more. Either they will want something new or are hoping to keep the formula of the original while having a fresh feeling to it.

But the one thing I love about this is that this sequel doesn't look darker than the first. Usually comic book sequels do, but this look like it's still sticking to the fun of the original which is fine by me. I'm glad they didn't do a straight up Demon in a Bottle story.

[S.A.A.D.]

I think Fav needs to stop being such a worrier about blowing the reality he created,Ironman has always fought different kinds of villains. Him and the reality talks makes me feel glad now that he isn't directing The Avengers.

[Ace of Knaves]

I don't think Favs is like Chris Nolan. We have already had a lot of over the top stuff, and i'm sure we'll get more.

Favs isn't the kind of guy to sacrifice fun over realism a la Nolan.

And as for nothing new? Err... how many superhero films have the hero being world famous and having no secret identity?

Wait sorry, let me rephrase. How many superhero films have the hero being world famous and having no secret identity and taking it seriously? Showing a real story about the problems that could lead to?

Yea that's right... none.

[hatebox]

I don't think Favs is like Chris Nolan. We have already had a lot of over the top stuff, and i'm sure we'll get more.

Favs isn't the kind of guy to sacrifice fun over realism a la Nolan.



I thought both the Joker and the truck flip were the most outrageously fun things I've ever seen in a superhero movie.

But yes, Iron Man 2 would do well to retain the sense of fun the first one had. If anything I think there needs to be more scenes of Stark actually enjoying the powers of his suit.

[Figs]

I don't think Favs is like Chris Nolan. We have already had a lot of over the top stuff, and i'm sure we'll get more.

Favs isn't the kind of guy to sacrifice fun over realism a la Nolan.

And as for nothing new? Err... how many superhero films have the hero being world famous and having no secret identity?

Wait sorry, let me rephrase. How many superhero films have the hero being world famous and having no secret identity and taking it seriously? Showing a real story about the problems that could lead to?

Yea that's right... none.

Being a big fan of the comics and not just the movie for Iron Man, I also like that they decided to ditch the whole bodyguard thing and have him reveal his identity. Not only is it different but it's sort of in line with the story in Civil War which can be considered another nod to the comics.

I love how in the last scene of the first film when agent Coulson(sp?) is telling him to read the cards for the press junket, Stark starts talking to Pepper about how he should have this secret identity to protect the woman he loves and whatnot. I love how that was a jokingly jab towards most other superheroes like Spider-Man who keep their secret identity for that reason. I wonder if that was RDJ who threw that in their since he did a lot of improv or if it was Favreau's idea.

[Ace of Knaves]

The truck flip was awesome, most definitely.

But it is no where near the level of what we'll see in Iron Man 2.

The most outrageously fun thing i've seen in a superhero movie was an 11 year old girl calling a bunch of drug dealers c**** then slicing them all up to the theme of the Banana Splits.

[hatebox]

That line was great fun, but actually Hit Girl was an instance where I thought the sense of 'fun' betrayed the opening sentiment of the movie. Where the viewers were drawn in to Kick-Ass's plight, and the realities of trying to be a powerless hero, suddenly a superhuman girl comes along and it all becomes ridiculous. Fun, but emotionally redundant. I guess in relation to Iron Man, Fav should (and probably will) tread that line carefully. You can't have it both ways if you push too hard in one tonal direction.

[redfirebird2008]

But it is no where near the level of what we'll see in Iron Man 2.



I'm with hatebox on this one. The Joker was one of the most outrageously fun things I've seen in any superhero movie. No offense to Rourke or anyone else in Iron Man 2 but I will be very surprised if they can match the Joker.

[Shivsguy616]

The truck flip was awesome, most definitely.

But it is no where near the level of what we'll see in Iron Man 2.

The most outrageously fun thing i've seen in a superhero movie was an 11 year old girl calling a bunch of drug dealers c**** then slicing them all up to the theme of the Banana Splits.

Great scene. :yay:

[kedrell]

I'm with hatebox on this one. The Joker was one of the most outrageously fun things I've seen in any superhero movie. No offense to Rourke or anyone else in Iron Man 2 but I will be very surprised if they can match the Joker.

Roarke has a lot to live up to on that count, I agree. But I don't expect Whiplash to be fun. He's not a lunatic, HA-HA kind of villain like Joker or the Green Goblin are. I expect him to fall more in line with Bardem's Anton Chigurh or Montalban's Khan. Actually, I think he'll kind of be a mix of those two. Just a total badass who shows you why he is one and is on a vendetta.

[redfirebird2008]

Roarke has a lot to live up to on that count, I agree. But I don't expect Whiplash to be fun. He's not a lunatic, HA-HA kind of villain like Joker or the Green Goblin are. I expect him to fall more in line with Bardem's Anton Chigurh or Montalban's Khan. Actually, I think he'll kind of be a mix of those two. Just a total badass who shows you why he is one and is on a vendetta.

Ledger's Joker is kind of a mixture though. He's not really the traditional "haha" Joker, but I did find myself laughing quite a bit at his behavior and dialogue -- probably because I have a dark sense of humor. That being said, his actions are pretty badass. He basically becomes omniscient/omnipresent/whatever you wanna call it. He owns Gotham in short order. :hehe:

[kedrell]

Ledger's Joker is kind of a mixture though. He's not really the traditional "haha" Joker, but I did find myself laughing quite a bit at his behavior and dialogue -- probably because I have a dark sense of humor. That being said, his actions are pretty badass. He basically becomes omniscient/omnipresent/whatever you wanna call it. He owns Gotham in short order. :hehe:

Yeah, that's one of the big problems I had with that movie. Joker as Deus Ex Machina.

I hope Whiplash actually has some limits.

[Juha]

I think the performances alone will guarantee this movie a 'fresh' certification from RT.
75%-85% sounds plausible imo.

Is the sequel able to pack the dramatic punch of the original?
Is the flow between scenes and acts as effortless as it was in the first movie?

I'm confident that the sequel is going to be good. But as good as the original? Or even better? I kinda find it hard to believe but I guess time will tell.

At the moment there are some things I'm not completely happy with.

1)The chemistry between Downey jr. and Howard was superb imo. Are Downey jr. and Cheadle able to re-create that chemistry?


2) The drones. Sigh. I think they have "boring" written all over them.

3) The diminished(?) running time combined with the pressure of making a more action-packed movie. This could prove to be problematic. I hope IM2 doesn't degenerate into your typical soulless run-of-the-mill wham-bam-action-extravaganza. I mean the movie would probably still be rather entertaining but it would be a huge step down after the perfectly balanced IM1.

[Majin...]

rourke's presence in the movie has ruined the pleasure of watching iron man 2 for me

[redfirebird2008]

Yeah, that's one of the big problems I had with that movie. Joker as Deus Ex Machina.

I hope Whiplash actually has some limits.


That element is exactly why it's one of the more outrageously fun things I've seen in a superhero movie. It was pretty cool to see him portrayed as a force of nature in a somewhat grounded setting. Chigurh is portrayed in a pretty similar way with a supernatural presence. The only time they try to take that away from him is the shotgun wound in the leg, but they sort of throw that out the window when he does surgery on himself and is right back into action soon after.

[Juha]

rourke's presence in the movie has ruined the pleasure of watching iron man 2 for me

Who would've you preferred?

I'm not a part of that "omg rourke's comeback is the best thing since sliced bread" movement.
But it looks like he has the role of Vanko down to-a-t. At least in my opinion.

[Mr. Earle]

Yeah, that's one of the big problems I had with that movie. Joker as Deus Ex Machina.

I hope Whiplash actually has some limits.Limits? The guy can telepathetically communicate with sharks! :hehe::cwink:
1)The chemistry between Downey jr. and Howard was superb imo. Are Downey jr. and Cheadle able to re-create that chemistry? They are both great actors so i think they can.

2) The drones. Sigh. I think they have "boring" written all over them.
I agree with this. There are rumors that Whippy wont even be in the final fight and that just leaves the boring faceless drones that get blown up with one repulsor blast. Great.... :csad:

[Majin...]

Who would've you preferred?

I'm not a part of that "omg rourke's comeback is the best thing since sliced bread" movement.
But it looks like he has the role of Vanko down to-a-t. At least in my opinion.

i don't know dude..somebody other than him.i've just watched the trailer and bam! i freaked out

[hatebox]

Yeah, that's one of the big problems I had with that movie. Joker as Deus Ex Machina.

I hope Whiplash actually has some limits.


At his best the Joker is a metaphor though, a symbol of the never ending, impossible to overcome chaos Batman struggles against. It's not a coincidence we never discover his identity.

Anyway, erm.. Iron Man 2. Yes.

[Mr. Earle]

Rourke seems to have really worked on his character, and that's commendable if you remember that he is playing a ridiculous comic book villain with whips. And his accent is really awesome if you ask me.

[griffolyon12]

I think fans will more than likely be split. Some will be disappointed, and others will adore it. As for the general audience, I think your average joe movie-goer will love it, but the critics, in particular the Roger Ebert's out there will most likely hate it. Probably somewhere in the 40s or 50s on rottentomatoes. Maybe the trailers are just amping up the action too much, but I really believe, from all I've seen in the trailers that critics wont be as swept away by it as much as with the first one.

[protocida]

I agree with this. There are rumors that Whippy wont even be in the final fight and that just leaves the boring faceless drones that get blown up with one repulsor blast. Great.... :csad:
Whiplash will definetily be present in the final battle. :cwink:

And check out the Teaser Trailer again. Two Drones get hit by repulsor blasts and get back up. Those things are tough. :woot:

[Avengers-Report]

Have reviews started to come out yet? I havn't even seen one review and we have only 2 more weeks until the movie!

[bubbadoom]

I think IM2 will be just fine, but if they do lean one way or the other, I would rather they feature the action more. I do not want to see this turn into Spider-Man where, but the third film, he is hardly in it!

[Juha]

Have reviews started to come out yet? I havn't even seen one review and we have only 2 more weeks until the movie!

The world premiere is on Monday so I assume that the reviews will start rolling in after that.

At least AICN is going to post a review right after the world premiere.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44727

[Spidey 2007]

Are you guys kidding? I'm not blindly loving IM2 here, but its going to be a great movie. Look at the talent and the director in the chair. When the same creative team helms the first sequel(especially with the love and drive these guys have) then its 95% of the time better, Especially as of late.

Its NOT going to get a 40-50% on rotten tomatoes or whatever. The lowest aspects of the film are sure to have some catch to them. Like the boring drones and whatnot. Even the most simple subject matter can and has been made into the best entertainment around if done well. There are some bold choices goin down in this picture that Im positive will pay off.

[sammall]

Are you guys kidding? I'm not blindly loving IM2 here, but its going to be a great movie. Look at the talent and the director in the chair. When the same creative team helms the first sequel(especially with the love and drive these guys have) then its 95% of the time better, Especially as of late.

Its NOT going to get a 40-50% on rotten tomatoes or whatever. The lowest aspects of the film are sure to have some catch to them. Like the boring drones and whatnot. Even the most simple subject matter can and has been made into the best entertainment around if done well. There are some bold choices goin down in this picture that Im positive will pay off.

here's hoping .. :word:

i loved the first one .. i was presently surprised that it was that good .. i didn't really have any expectations though ..

[Avengers-Report]

I would have to guess around a 60 - 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sure great talent and everything, but the film seems to lack that unique feature the first film had. Of course, it is impossible to gauge an accurate estimate of RT rating without seeing the movie, but I just have a feeling it will be something around there =)

[J.Howlett]

60% at Rottentomatoes.com is very low. Considering the director and star of this film, it's pretty much guaranteed to get at least 80% at the site. The talent's too good for anything lower than 80%.

[Ace of Knaves]

Well look at the talent involved with Wolverine.

On paper that film should of been one of the greats.

It obviously wasn't.

But this film is guaranteed to be better than that.

[Mr. Earle]

Whiplash will definetily be present in the final battle. :cwink:Thank god!

And check out the Teaser Trailer again. Two Drones get hit by repulsor blasts and get back up. Those things are tough. :woot:
Yeah i know, but in the kid and drone tv spot IM blows that drone with just one shot. Maybe its a concentrated shot to end it quickly before the kid gets hurt.

[Naite22]

rourke's presence in the movie has ruined the pleasure of watching iron man 2 for me
Huh..?.. Rourke seems like a cool, mean, vengeful villain... whereas that ****ing Sam L. Jackson irritates the HELL out of me ! ! ! ! ! ! Never really liked him, he seems so dumb to me. And that eye-patch doesn't help anything! (he was completely wrong for Mace Windu as well, but that's another story)

[hugekent]

60% at Rottentomatoes.com is very low. Considering the director and star of this film, it's pretty much guaranteed to get at least 80% at the site. The talent's too good for anything lower than 80%.
I agree it won't be as low as 60% but that's ridiculous logic. No movie filled with talent and promise has ever been bad?

[Mr. Earle]

Watch "Snakes on a plane" and then come back to me about Sam Jackson. He should have gotten an Oscar of it! :awesome:


But seriously now, Sam is awesome!

[Naite22]

Watch "Snakes on a plane" and then come back to me about Sam Jackson. He should have gotten an Oscar of it! :awesome:


But seriously now, Sam is awesome!

I did.. and even though I get the sarcasm and humor/style of that flick, I truely find Sam irritating. But I know he's loved by many though.

[Mr. Earle]

I was joking. Whenever someone says something bad about some actor, others respond with "watch ____ and get back to me. He/she is great in it". Example: Diss Chris Evans and you'll be told to watch "Sunshine".

So i was jokingly suggesting that you watch one of the worst movies ever made. :awesome:


But seriously, i love Sam mother****ing Jackson.

[FlawlessVictory]

I think the performances alone will guarantee this movie a 'fresh' certification from RT.
75%-85% sounds plausible imo.

Is the sequel able to pack the dramatic punch of the original?
Is the flow between scenes and acts as effortless as it was in the first movie?

I'm confident that the sequel is going to be good. But as good as the original? Or even better? I kinda find it hard to believe but I guess time will tell.

At the moment there are some things I'm not completely happy with.

1)The chemistry between Downey jr. and Howard was superb imo. Are Downey jr. and Cheadle able to re-create that chemistry?


2) The drones. Sigh. I think they have "boring" written all over them.

3) The diminished(?) running time combined with the pressure of making a more action-packed movie. This could prove to be problematic. I hope IM2 doesn't degenerate into your typical soulless run-of-the-mill wham-bam-action-extravaganza. I mean the movie would probably still be rather entertaining but it would be a huge step down after the perfectly balanced IM1.

Pretty much agree with everything, especially the drones part.

[UnkillableMick]

I was joking. Whenever someone says something bad about some actor, others respond with "watch ____ and get back to me. He/she is great in it". Example: Diss Chris Evans and you'll be told to watch "Sunshine".

So i was jokingly suggesting that you watch one of the worst movies ever made. :awesome:


But seriously, i love Sam mother****ing Jackson.

Whut? SoaP is awesome, don't even go there!

[Mr. Earle]

Its so bad that its good! And of course there is that famous line towards the end that was an internet phenomenon before the movie was even released.

[kedrell]

Thank god!
Yeah i know, but in the kid and drone tv spot IM blows that drone with just one shot. Maybe its a concentrated shot to end it quickly before the kid gets hurt.

We don't know it was destroyed. It was just knocked offscreen for all we know.

[Mr. Earle]

Dude, IM blew off half its chest and all of its right shoulder! Here, watch it again:
sfCG8fMy9Sw&playnext_from=TL&videos=Wx4w69s3fZw

[kedrell]

Yes, I realize that but it still doesn't mean it's out of commission. These have no one inside and could still be combat effective even with large amounts of damage. Just a guess on my part.

[S.A.A.D.]

I think Hammer is going to come off as a very weak baddy,and that Whiplash when he isn't fighting is going to suck being a cookie cutter baddie just like Hammer for the most part,lastly I sense that Hammer is going to be more of the butt end of a joke rather than a true foe pulling strings. I sort of want this movie to fail critically given how I've been feeling different about this movie a lot for weeks,it's just that one part of me that thinks it deserves to fail with how the direction seems mainly,while on the other hand the fanboy side...yeah. I find it very surprising and kind of strange that I'm more optimistic about Green Lantern than this movie even though it's still filming and even though I'm not a very big fan of his actually. The only story element out of Iron Man 2 that I'm feeling as something new,is the arc reactor problem,other than that everything sounds yawn inducing to me.



Copied someone's thing-In Iron Man Stane Obediah copied Stark's Ironman mark despite being different
Two bad guys working together-It's been done before in Iron Man,Raza and Stane Obediah worked together
I want your tech-In Iron Man,Raza and Stane wanted Stark's tech
Iron Man as a celeb-The celeb thing happened in Watchmen even though it was Ozy,the idea sucked then and the idea sucks now
Love triangle with Stark etc.-Yawn,like that's original
Stark being sober while having beef with James-Sounds boring

Those storylines are completely unacceptable for an IRON MAN sequel,it's like they thought they didn't have much Iron Man comics to work with,so they offered up generic storylines that pretty much anyone could have thought of. I don't want Robert's friend Justin to ever write a comic book movie again. Hell with Whiplash and Justin being baddies,the movie could have had them going against Stark but fighting among themselves and arguing about a good approach to go up against Stark,have different opinions,but no.

[ashleyej21]

someone posted this on the IMDb board.

http://www0.epinions.com/review/Iron_Man_2/content_508878950020

[hatebox]

^ Interesting, though I never trust reviews from fans this early, there's always a sense of satisfaction at having seen it first that clouds judgement. Better than it being negative though!

[kedrell]

That's a pretty damn positive review, if it's legit.

[redfirebird2008]

Not sure what to think. Looking at his other reviews, he is a pretty lenient grader. Alice in Wonderland a 4 out of 5? Bleh.

[Figs]

Those storylines are completely unacceptable for an IRON MAN sequel,it's like they thought they didn't have much Iron Man comics to work with,so they offered up generic storylines that pretty much anyone could have thought of. I don't want Robert's friend Justin to ever write a comic book movie again. Hell with Whiplash and Justin being baddies,the movie could have had them going against Stark but fighting among themselves and arguing about a good approach to go up against Stark,have different opinions,but no.

Well we haven't seen the movie yet so they may turn out better than you think.

Also, to what's in bold, a huge amount of this film is taking story elements from Demon In a Bottle, Armor Wars and even some classic stories/story elements from the real early stuff in Tales of Suspense. I don't want to get too hyped for this like I did for Spider-Man 3 and X3 but so far it's looking pretty damn good.

[S.A.A.D.]

Well we haven't seen the movie yet so they may turn out better than you think.

Also, to what's in bold, a huge amount of this film is taking story elements from Demon In a Bottle, Armor Wars and even some classic stories/story elements from the real early stuff in Tales of Suspense. I don't want to get too hyped for this like I did for Spider-Man 3 and X3 but so far it's looking pretty damn good.

Eh,like they will do away enough with that good stuff in the movie. I think too much is being saved for Iron Man 3,if it happens,it may become Spiderman 3 ish if Iron Man 2 isn't Spiderman 3 bad. Hammer sounds like wasted potential,the crap storylines I mentioned sound very predictable,Stark is just going to keep drinking without being wasted going in Iron Man mode,and of course the Mandarin will have a weak-ass presence as well with no build up for him to be in the third movie. I want to see Stark drunk as hell because of all his problems fighting as Ironman,it would make for great drama.

[topdog1]

I sort of want this movie to fail critically given how I've been feeling different about this movie a lot for weeks,it's just that one part of me that thinks it deserves to fail with how the direction seems mainly,while on the other hand the fanboy side...yeah.

What I wonder is how many fans and critics are going to go in to the film with an open mind? A lot of people seem to have leanings that will unintentionally alter how they view the movie. SAAD's above posts are the perfect example of that from a fan's standpoint. While not going with the express intention to nitpick, this is the next best thing. Also, critics always tend to hate the big dog. Massive tent pole films always face tougher critiques because (even subconsciously) critics like to praise smaller films and bash the studio monsters. There are exceptions but that's the general trend. Iron Man had the underdog label in 2008 but it the big dog now. Jaded critics will not cut it any slack.

[Crowdome]

"Angered over how Stark's weapons from his pre-Iron Man days leveled his homeland, Vanko works on developing technology similar to Stark's Iron Man suit. After a successful test - with aid from Hammer and his company - Whiplash comes into play as an antagonist to Iron Man."
Wasn't it already confirmed that Vanko hates Stark over his father, Howard Stark, steals Vanko's father's Arc Reactor Tech from him and brands it as his own? This might prove the review to be a false...

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Okay I'm going to be optimistic and give it a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 1% higher than the first.

BTW, I liked the first one alot but I've always felt that it was an overpraised movie so I really won't be killing myself if the sequel is slightly worse.

[Ace of Knaves]

Eh,like they will do away enough with that good stuff in the movie. I think too much is being saved for Iron Man 3,if it happens,it may become Spiderman 3 ish if Iron Man 2 isn't Spiderman 3 bad. Hammer sounds like wasted potential,the crap storylines I mentioned sound very predictable,Stark is just going to keep drinking without being wasted going in Iron Man mode,and of course the Mandarin will have a weak-ass presence as well with no build up for him to be in the third movie. I want to see Stark drunk as hell because of all his problems fighting as Ironman,it would make for great drama.

What is your problem with the direction of the movie? It's taking the logical steps forward in the story of Stark.

He has revealed himself to be Iron Man. He has become a global superstar. And people are coming out of the woodwork to get a piece of him. That is the RIGHT direction to go, undeniable.

You've got the rival weapons manufacturer wanting Stark out of the way and wanting his tech (Hammer)

You got the villain who feels personally wrong by the Stark family. A villain who sees himself as the good guy and the good guy as the bad guy.(Vanko)

Then you have the US government breathing down Starks neck about turning his tech over to them.

And also Stark's growing ego getting out of control.

All these things pose different problems to Tony. Could provide him with different inner conflicts.

Is keeping his tech all to himself the right thing to do? Should he turn it over to the "people"?

Is Vanko right? Is he the good guy?

Then you have to consider Rhodey's story. Loyalty to his best friend or loyalty to the military?

I mean, if you don't like the sound of that then what in gods name did you expect?

The only problem i can forsee being a possibility is it being overstuffed. But that shouldn't be a problem as long as the film is at least 2 hours long, which it will be.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Great points Ace. I agree.

[S.A.A.D.]

What is your problem with the direction of the movie? It's taking the logical steps forward in the story of Stark.

He has revealed himself to be Iron Man. He has become a global superstar. And people are coming out of the woodwork to get a piece of him. That is the RIGHT direction to go, undeniable.

You've got the rival weapons manufacturer wanting Stark out of the way and wanting his tech (Hammer)
Stane and Raza wanted his tech in Ironman.

You got the villain who feels personally wrong by the Stark family. A villain who sees himself as the good guy and the good guy as the bad guy.(Vanko)

Then you have the US government breathing down Starks neck about turning his tech over to them.
Stane and Raza wanted his tech from Ironman.

And also Stark's growing ego getting out of control.
How original.

All these things pose different problems to Tony. Could provide him with different inner conflicts.

Is keeping his tech all to himself the right thing to do? Should he turn it over to the "people"?

Is Vanko right? Is he the good guy?

Then you have to consider Rhodey's story. Loyalty to his best friend or loyalty to the military?
Oh like we haven't seen a loyalty issue before between two pals.

I mean, if you don't like the sound of that then what in gods name did you expect?

The only problem i can forsee being a possibility is it being overstuffed. But that shouldn't be a problem as long as the film is at least 2 hours long, which it will be.

Plots that aren't only dramatic,but exciting as well,not tired and old that we have seen countless times in movies and on tv. This is treading too much into funless and familiar territory. A year was almost spent on making this movie to keep stuff in perspective,and of course that celeb plot had to be done because of how Ironman ended.

[Raiden]

Plots that aren't only dramatic,but exciting as well,not tired and old that we have seen countless times in movies and on tv. This is treading too much into funless and familiar territory. A year was almost spent on making this movie to keep stuff in perspective,and of course that celeb plot had to be done because of how Ironman ended.

I don't think the plots in IM2 are things that we have seen "countless times" before; those plots are just natural development stemmed from what happened at the end of IM1. Stark confessed his secret identity and now must contend with not just the government but also Hammer, who wanted to steal his tech; Stark went over his head and became too indulged on alcohol and it gave him more problems; Stark must deal with individuals who'd target him sans armor like Valko because they have personal vandetta against him. We also get storylines of Stark's friend Rhodey, who must choose between his loyalty of his old friend or the military; Stark's growing feelings for Pepper, who will have a new femme fatale in Natasha/Black Widow to complicate his personal life, and so forth. Maybe some of those stories were used in other movies or TV shows, but then again you can make that argument against any movies, even TDK. IM2 has solid stories and I don't see the validity of your criticisms against it.

[S.A.A.D.]

I don't think the plots in IM2 are things that we have seen "countless times" before; those plots are just natural development stemmed from what happened at the end of IM1. Stark confessed his secret identity and now must contend with not just the government but also Hammer, who wanted to steal his tech; Stark went over his head and became too indulged on alcohol and it gave him more problems; Stark must deal with individuals who'd target him sans armor like Valko because they have personal vandetta against him. We also get storylines of Stark's friend Rhodey, who must choose between his loyalty of his old friend or the military; Stark's growing feelings for Pepper, who will have a new femme fatale in Natasha/Black Widow to complicate his personal life, and so forth. Maybe some of those stories were used in other movies or TV shows, but then again you can make that argument against any movies, even TDK. IM2 has solid stories and I don't see the validity of your criticisms against it.

Love triangle,that's so been to death,it was done in Spiderman 3. THERE ARE BETTER STORIES. I don't want another comic book movie that is as boring and redundant as Superman Returns and Hulk minus the good action.

[Ace of Knaves]

You need to realize, hollywood is built on cliche story lines. There is very few totally original story lines.

It all depends on the execution.

And all the things i listed, whilst some of them are not original, are natural progressions to the Tony Stark story.

What, do you want his character changed just because it is unoriginal? You want the character of Rhodey changed just because it is unoriginal?

Tony Stark has had enemies coming after his tech for his entire comic history. But no that's unoriginal so let's just change that right? Throw all that history out of the window yea?

Rhodey being split between his loyalty for Tony and the military is a MAJOR part of his character. It is how he became War Machine. But no that's unoriginal! Let's fundamentally change the characters origin!

Seriously, you chatting ****.

Tell us what you would expect of Iron Man 2 then.

[DarkSovereignty]

^ dude it looks like you're just taking any plot point from iron man 2 and saying its been done to death... can you name five other instances in which those plot points have been used?

[paulogonza]

hi,here in brazil the movie starts april 30, and when i saw the movie i will post my review, why in the USthe movie comes back?

[S.A.A.D.]

You need to realize, hollywood is built on cliche story lines. There is very few totally original story lines.

It all depends on the execution.

And all the things i listed, whilst some of them are not original, are natural progressions to the Tony Stark story.

What, do you want his character changed just because it is unoriginal? You want the character of Rhodey changed just because it is unoriginal?

Tony Stark has had enemies coming after his tech for his entire comic history. But no that's unoriginal so let's just change that right? Throw all that history out of the window yea?

Rhodey being split between his loyalty for Tony and the military is a MAJOR part of his character. It is how he became War Machine. But no that's unoriginal! Let's fundamentally change the characters origin!

Seriously, you chatting ****.

Tell us what you would expect of Iron Man 2 then.

Yeah that is right,but it doesn't mean someone has to like it,it's not the origins that I have a problem with,and I doubt there will be any twists attached to the plots that I deemed stale and generic. Not everything should be thrown away,trust me,I don't feel that way. This may sound odd,but I wouldn't be bothered by some of the plotlines I nagged on if this movie had three of Mandarin's rings show up in some type of humanoid form,Ice Blast,Black Light,and Mento-Intensifier. It would be an even better way to set up the Mandarin's official arrival. :awesome:

[UnkillableMick]

99% of films these days use plots that have been seen before.

I mean, come on, Avatar was just Aliens meets Dances With Wolves.

[J.Howlett]

My worry about the film is that it won't really be Iron Man 2, the continuing story of Tony Stark. That'll be apart of it. My worry is that when it's all said and done, you could easily call this film The Avengers Begins; the Prequel to the Avengers.

Here's my fear; What if Thor and Captain America are at best mediocre like the Incredible Hulk (in all fairness, I've learned to like it more) and when time comes for the Avenger flick, audiences won't really care about three out of the four people who make up the group. All they care about is Tony story's.

We'll know in two weeks but based on the trailers, you really know what you're going to get with this film. There's really no surprise.

[Ace of Knaves]

Thor will be epic, I'm 100% confident of that.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

My worry about the film is that it won't really be Iron Man 2, the continuing story of Tony Stark. That'll be apart of it. My worry is that when it's all said and done, you could easily call this film The Avengers Begins; the Prequel to the Avengers.

Here's my fear; What if Thor and Captain America are at best mediocre like the Incredible Hulk (in all fairness, I've learned to like it more) and when time comes for the Avenger flick, audiences won't really care about three out of the four people who make up the group. All they care about is Tony story's.

We'll know in two weeks but based on the trailers, you really know what you're going to get with this film. There's really no surprise.

Yeah, this is pretty much my worry about the movie, as you said I cant see any surprises happening in the movie, i feel like i've seen the movie already through the trailers, and that isnt a good thing. I hope to be proved wrong.

[StarkTheProdigy]

The trailers showed us some awesome stuff, but i'm confident that there is a lot more that they haven't shown us, i mean, look at the first iron man trailer, it had cool sequences, but there were still awesome scenes in the movie

[Naite22]

This had better be a movie that hides it all for the theater!.. cause what is shown in the trailers isn't much... cool, but it isn't much. What i'm really saying is this. I have NO DOUBT that they ARE indeed saving it all for the theater experience. Iron Man 2 will kick major butt (if not only in the action department. But I'm betting that it will in many other areas too!)

[S.A.A.D.]

Thor will be epic, I'm 100% confident of that.

I agree,but as for The First Avenger:Captain America,I don't think the teens,tweens,and little kids are going go eat it up if it's not action oriented enough or whatever.

[protocida]

Comic Book Movies' contribuitor Brent Sprecher alredy saw the movie and posted a review at CBM, but it was taken out by Paramount because it had Spoilers. However, his overview of it is still there and is highly positive. :yay:

Here's what he had to say:

When you set the bar as high as director Jon Favreau and title star Robert Downey, Jr. did with the original Iron Man, it seems almost impossible for a sequel to live up to the expectations of the moviegoing audience, not to mention the avid (rabid?) comic book fans. Well, I fit into the second category and, as a comic book reader, collector and creator for several years, I was entranced, enthralled—hell, I was practically ensorcelled by Iron Man 2. Favreau recently said that the best way to up the ante in the sequel was to double your pleasure; two Iron Men for the price of one. But, Iron Man 2 does so much more than that.

Also, Roberto Sadovski, a well-know brazilian movie critic who also saw the film and gave it a 4/5 rating.

Things are looking good. :woot:

[S.A.A.D.]

Did you get a chance to read the spoilered filled review before Paramount had it taken down?

[ChickenScratch]

It's not as if they are protecting stuff that's not out there already. I read the novelization on Tuesday and if anyone else wants to it's out there cheap.

[hatebox]

I'm still taking pre-release reviews from fanboys with a massive grain of salt. Is the world preimere still on Monay since it was canceled in London?

[Chewy]

So called ‘tentpole’ movies like Iron Man 2 tend to be critic proof; but there is relief to report that unlike other sequels for sequels sake, “Iron Man 2” delivers on several fronts including another charming performance from Robert Downey Jr. There is no doubt that “IM2” will be the first flat out smash of 2010, and with good reason, the film is well worth the price of admission. Director Jon Favreau has done it again, with great flair. Plot details are never especially important, but the film kicks off with a great sequence set in at the Grand Prix in Monaco. Tony Stark, jumps into a Formula One racer and all is going well, until a new villain appears; a surprisingly coherent Mickey Rourke.
There is an especially sexy and believable turn by Scarlette Johansson as Tony’s new assistant, and Don Cheadle takes over successfully for Terrance Howard. Garry Shandling is a new add as a politico who does not like Tony and this appears mostly like Garry was a friend of someone involved in the production. Bill O’Reilly and Christiane Amanpour have fairly extensive cameos.
“IM2” has the same spirit and humor of the original. There is perhaps even more focus on relationships. It is one of those rare tentpole movies that I think will really have something for everyone.
Tonight’s first screening on the Paramount lot in Hollywood with a strict “no guest,” policy. This did not prevent CBS head Les Moonves from showing up with wife Julie Chen, and leaving the screening in a brand new SRS McLaren version of the Mercedes convertible. The car was extraordinary. This weekend brings the opening of Moonves’ CBS Films second release, “The Back Up Plan,” with Jennifer Lopez. By comparison, I suspect “IM2” will make more in it’s first day of release times ten than “Back Up Plan,” will make over the life of its’ entire run. Makes you wonder what Paramount head Brad Grey is driving.
SOURCE (http://blogs.ktla.com/samrubin/2010/04/here-comes-summer-first-review-of-iron-man-2-a-smash-hit.html)

[Juha]

Harry liked the movie a lot.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44803

[hatebox]

Harry liked the movie a lot.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44803


Where's the review? It just says he's going to a screening.

Edit - nvm, I see he says it 'kicks ass'.

[FaT_tONle]

Bill O’Reilly and Christiane Amanpour??? Nice. Loved the scene with the stocks guy in IM, what's his name? Helps you keep the plausibility factor when you get these journalists/news casters involved.

[topdog1]

SOURCE (http://blogs.ktla.com/samrubin/2010/04/here-comes-summer-first-review-of-iron-man-2-a-smash-hit.html)

"Director Jon Favreau has done it again, with great flair."

I had no doubts at all! :woot:

Bill O’Reilly and Christiane Amanpour??? Nice. Loved the scene with the stocks guy in IM, what's his name? Helps you keep the plausibility factor when you get these journalists/news casters involved.

Jim Cramer was his name and yeah, I love the fact that Bill O’Reilly and Christiane Amanpour will be involved. Plus, his show The Factor is #1 on cable and will be some great free pub!!!!!

[J.Howlett]

What doesn't Harry like? This is one of those times you can't take Harry at his word.

[Ace of Knaves]

This might be a stretch, but maybe, just maybe, the film is actually good? Maybe that's why it's getting positive reviews?

[kedrell]

What doesn't Harry like? This is one of those times you can't take Harry at his word.

Oh, you're damn right about Harry. He hasn't had real cred in years. The KTLA guy is 'slightly' more credible but I'm waiting to see how Kirk Honeycutt reviews it. He's the most in-sync-with-me critic that I've found thus far(and I still only agree with him maybe only 3/4 of the time).

[kedrell]

The review embargo is lifted tomorrow right? We'll start getting reviews very soon then.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I'm probably not going to even read reviews for it.

[kedrell]

I'll read them if they aren't spoilerish.

[Juha]

I'll just browse through the RT headlines(or RT quotes or whatever you want to call them) as the reviews start to pile up.
When it comes to big Hollywood movies, I usually agree with Peter Travers so I'm looking forward to his rating.

[Mr. Para-Normal]

Eh,like they will do away enough with that good stuff in the movie. I think too much is being saved for Iron Man 3,if it happens,it may become Spiderman 3 ish if Iron Man 2 isn't Spiderman 3 bad. Hammer sounds like wasted potential,the crap storylines I mentioned sound very predictable,Stark is just going to keep drinking without being wasted going in Iron Man mode,and of course the Mandarin will have a weak-ass presence as well with no build up for him to be in the third movie. I want to see Stark drunk as hell because of all his problems fighting as Ironman,it would make for great drama.

Yea I agree with you somewhat. But what made the first movie such a huge hit was because of RDJ's performance and the light tone of the movie that was just light hearted fun. The casual movie goer's ate it up! Making an Iron-man movie with a dark tone and an alocholic superhero would probably turn some off from it. Its a tad bit over done with studios trying to make super hero movies all dark and edgy like Dark knight you know? I say keep the Iron-man movies like they are!

[hatebox]

The reviews so far (well, 3 that I've seen, assuming they're legit) have a Spiderman 2 vibe: more of the same but bigger and better.

[kedrell]

I've yet to see a superhero sequel that isn't more of the same yet just amped up beyond it's predecessor. So that won't bother me at all.

[hatebox]

I've yet to see a superhero sequel that isn't more of the same yet just amped up beyond it's predecessor. So that won't bother me at all.

I wouldn't say TDK and BB were particularly similar at all, but we'd just go off topic arguing about it. Either way, my previous post wasn't negatively implied.

[jmc]

Yea I agree with you somewhat. But what made the first movie such a huge hit was because of RDJ's performance and the light tone of the movie that was just light hearted fun. The casual movie goer's ate it up! Making an Iron-man movie with a dark tone and an alocholic superhero would probably turn some off from it. Its a tad bit over done with studios trying to make super hero movies all dark and edgy like Dark knight you know? I say keep the Iron-man movies like they are!

Would be interesting though if a Superhero film did tackle a subject matter like that.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The trailers showed us some awesome stuff, but i'm confident that there is a lot more that they haven't shown us, i mean, look at the first iron man trailer, it had cool sequences, but there were still awesome scenes in the movie

The trailers for IM pretty much showed ALL the best action sequences of the movie, hope it isnt the case this time.

[topdog1]

The trailers for IM pretty much showed ALL the best action sequences of the movie, hope it isnt the case this time.

They saved some great moments for the first film and I was so happy that they left them out of the trailers. When Iron Man lands and then punches the terrorist off the roof and then mows down everyone else. That was not in any trailers or promos.

[Conebone69]

The trailers for IM pretty much showed ALL the best action sequences of the movie, hope it isnt the case this time.

I think they saved some, because there isnt alot of money shots in the IM2 trailers

[Kevin Roegele]

I think Iron Man 2 is going to be so packed with great characters, action and plotlines that it will be ridiculously entertaining. That said, there won't be as much chance to get so indepth into Stark's character with so many others requiring screentime. Justin Hammer, Whiplash, the Black Widow, Nick Fury and probably more screentime for Rhodey naturally means less Tony Stark. It also means the straight blueprint of the first movie - moreorless standard superhero origin movie plot and pacing - will change to be a bevy of subplots being juggled, all leading to a big action climax.

I'm expecting IM2 to be possibly even more enjoyable than the original, but possibly not as good a film in terms of storytelling and characterisation.

[Keyser Soze]

Funnily enough, one of the things I'm most looking forward to hearing from the incoming reviews is opinions on Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. I'm a big fan of Rockwell, and despite the fact that he's had little fanfare in the marketing, I'm secretly hoping he steals the movie.

[batman11]

Funnily enough, one of the things I'm most looking forward to hearing from the incoming reviews is opinions on Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. I'm a big fan of Rockwell, and despite the fact that he's had little fanfare in the marketing, I'm secretly hoping he steals the movie.

Same sentiments here man. I like Rockwell a lot, and even though we've only seen/heard a little bit about his role, it all sounds fun to me. I hope he has the chance to shine.

[Ipodman]

All the actors are good.... I think the chat between Whiplash and hammer will be fun...

are we getting off topic? This is supposed to be the review thread!

[topdog1]

I think Iron Man 2 is going to be so packed with great characters, action and plotlines that it will be ridiculously entertaining. That said, there won't be as much chance to get so indepth into Stark's character with so many others requiring screentime. Justin Hammer, Whiplash, the Black Widow, Nick Fury and probably more screentime for Rhodey naturally means less Tony Stark. It also means the straight blueprint of the first movie - moreorless standard superhero origin movie plot and pacing - will change to be a bevy of subplots being juggled, all leading to a big action climax.

I'm expecting IM2 to be possibly even more enjoyable than the original, but possibly not as good a film in terms of storytelling and characterisation.

This story would say otherwise. It sounds like Stark is fleshed out bigtime...

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/stark_naked_2pFfNmWfKsi3kNyCZ6eMoO

[Ironfan72]

This story would say otherwise. It sounds like Stark is fleshed out bigtime...

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/stark_naked_2pFfNmWfKsi3kNyCZ6eMoO

Very enjoyable article, thank you for sharing :im:

[jondoe]

What i would like to know if the after end credits scene reveals...

Cap. America and Thor.

As reported by SHH awhile back if its indeed true.

[hatebox]

It opens in 3 days in the UK. Where are the reviews? Even if there were an embargo it would surely be lifted by now..

[Chewy]

It should be lifted later today

[jadejaws]

So should we technically see reviews today?

[Chewy]

Yes

[JKKS085]

The first french reviews are very good.
Probably better than the first movie, especially the one from "Le Nouvel Observateur", a french newsmagazine wich, usually, litteraly butchers that kind of film.

[Chewy]

The first french reviews are very good.
Probably better than the first movie, especially the one from "Le Nouvel Observateur", a french newsmagazine wich, usually, litteraly butchers that kind of film.
Here's the link to that review. (http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/culture/20100426.FAP9724/iron-man-2-homme-de-fer-et-de-principes.html)

And here's the text, run through Google Translate:
PARIS (AP) - "I privatized world peace," he trumpets. Iron Man is a man of iron and principles: no question of yielding to U.S. government secrets to the weapon that makes him invincible and can hold in check all the wicked of the world. However, the trouble will accumulate for him in "Iron Man 2" (Wednesday on French screens).

Two years after the first episode, director Jon Favreau Robert Downey Jr. again in the role of Tony Stark, billionaire playboy and a megalomaniac who has publicly revealed he was "Iron Man", a character with magic armor and implant palladium in the chest. Ex-arms manufacturer, heir to an industrial empire inherited from his father disappeared 20 years ago, Tony Stark has seen the horrors of war before being stored now in the peace camp.

So when he goes before the Senate Committee of Defense, which seeks to extricate him the secret of his armor, he replied: "Armor and I are one". Egocentric, glib, narcissistic womanizer, an alcoholic at times when he has no armor on the back between Robocop and Terminator, between Superman and Batman, Tony Stark would never suspect a thing and sees itself as the main benefactor and protector-of-humanity, half-Steve Jobs, mid-Bernard Tapie.

But when he decides to drive his own Formula-1 at the "Historic Grand Prix" in Monaco, he found someone suddenly across his path. Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who came from Siberia to the challenge and avenge his father, an engineer like him and who was, perhaps, the co-inventor of the famous armor. The man burst onto the runway in an outfit with an implant palladium external blew some cars, fights with a whip with electric Tony Stark / Iron Man, before being overpowered and arrested. "You lost, Stark!" He sneers before being taken away by police.

This incident will upset the fair insurance billionaire. "This man can continue to protect us?" Wonder loop televisions worldwide. The army redoubled zeal to get the secret of his armor. Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a manufacturer of weapons without faith or law, also wants to seize it. And why does escape from prison Ivan Vanko.

Faced with adversity and danger, Tony Stark can count on his friend, Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle), on his faithful secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), whom he appointed president of its industrial empire, and a new dream creature, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), come from his legal department and it made a strong impression upon first meeting. All these allies will not be too much to recharge the batteries of an Iron Man who is dying slowly: its palladium implant inserted in his chest, near the heart, her body makes every day a little more toxic .. .

The action and special effects abound, of course, in this sequel to the adaptation of a comic book of Marvel Comics of the 60s. But the director puts more emphasis here on feelings and weaknesses of the main character. Tony Stark is a glib seducer but the game sentimental cat and mouse with the two women around him shows that he feels very lonely. He also suffers from lack of love lavished by his father, too preoccupied with her business. And he fears he's invincible, death as everyone else.

Robert Downey Jr is subtle in how to express these different facets of his character. It is surrounded by an impressive cast, and among the newcomers the sexy outfits (dresses or shapers) Scarlett Johansson does not trump a Mickey Rourke at the top of his long hair, goatee, solid gold false teeth, tattooed everywhere, botox to death, but a sober yet tasteful in his role as villain in Russian accent you could cut with a knife. AP

[Ace of Knaves]

That hurt my head reading that. But i got the jist, old boy. :up:

[hatebox]

That's one of those annoying reviews that is 80% synopsis but hey, at least it's positive.

[Keyser Soze]

Though yes, Google translater garbles it a little bit, what I like about that review is the sense that, despite the larger cast and grander scope, this is still very much Tony Stark's story and, if anything, Robert Downey Jr shines even more this time round than he did in the last film.

[ultimatefan]

I can make sense enough of the review, in spite of the translation problems. It´s good to see once again the spectacle delivers, but doesn´t take center stage from Tony´s character development.

[kedrell]

Wow, that was tough to read. Thanks tho.

[AnorexicBatman]

There was supposed to be a scene in the movie where Stark is drunk out of his mind and vomits into a toilet bowl with his suit still on. Is it still there?

[kedrell]

I remember the production designer talking about making that toilet on NPR. Damn, that had to have been a year ago or more.

[Ace of Knaves]

He has a drunken fight with Rhodey as well doesn't he?

[Ahura Mazda]

Read that in French. Quite surprising for that critic to come with a positive review of a comic book film.

[Tony Stark]

He has a drunken fight with Rhodey as well doesn't he?

That one's gotta still be in as I've seen a clip of part of it. He pretty much kicks Rhodey's ass in the WM armor. The clip sees Rhode on the floor, and the face plate opens up and he says "you can have your armor back".

I think Tony is pissed, because Rhode works with Black Widow to get the government to steal the IM technology, and then is given to Hammer to create his robot drone army, but Rhode goes and helps Stark destroy all the drones.

I'm just speculating, but from what I've seen of the clips and judging from my knowledge of the armor wars series, it seems like the government steals the IM armor, but it's the Mark II, which Tony scrapped because of all the flaws. They must not have the Repulsor technology either, which is why War Machine is mainly munitions based armor.

[TheVileOne]

I saw the movie last Thursday night and I'll have my review posted once I get the greenlight.

[Chewy]

That one's gotta still be in as I've seen a clip of part of it. He pretty much kicks Rhodey's ass in the WM armor. The clip sees Rhode on the floor, and the face plate opens up and he says "you can have your armor back".
That is footage from two different scenes edited together for a TV spot. The fight is between Tony in the Mark IV and Rhodey in the Mark II, Rhodey on his back in the WM armor saying that line is from later in the movie.

[topdog1]

I saw the movie last Thursday night and I'll have my review posted once I get the greenlight.

Really? How did you do that? I don't doubt you but I'm curious. Also, in basic terms, thumbs up or down???

[TheVileOne]

topdog1, I'm on lockdown. I saw the movie in Los Angeles last Thursday at a media screening. That's all I can really say.

[Kent]

You can't even say if you liked it or not? Sounds odd to me, but okay.

[Tony Stark]

That is footage from two different scenes edited together for a TV spot. The fight is between Tony in the Mark IV and Rhodey in the Mark II, Rhodey on his back in the WM armor saying that line is from later in the movie.

OK, like I say I'm speculating from what I know of the armor wars story line and what I've seen in the clips/trailers, and how they might have interpreted the story for this movie.

I always thought from the first film when Rhode looks at the Mark II and says, "not yet" or something like that, that they were going to base WM on the Mark II armour.

I also saw a clip of someone (I'm assuming Rhode) Flying the Mark II over to some government base where Justin Hammer was. I also thought there was a scene of Rhode standing over the Mark II, with a bunch of gund saying something like "can you put all of that in to this." My memory is fuzzy between all the clips.

Anyway I'm assuming, WM is basically a revamped Mark II, meaning it will have the limitations of the Mark II from the first film.

[Chewy]

A non-embargoed British screening just got out

Iron Man 2 review, if you liked the last one then you'll like this one, if you didn't you won't. Winkleman your new job is very safe.SOURCE (http://twitter.com/outsideorg/status/12902842100)
Iron Man 2 ... Good, clean, loud blockbuster fun. The movie Transformers 2 wanted to be ..SOURCE (http://twitter.com/colbyrne/status/12902922216)
Well that was fun. Loving Don Cheadle. Not sure it quite hit the dizzy heights of orig. What thought you?SOURCE (http://twitter.com/simperman/status/12903079257)
Pleased to report Iron Man 2 is totally ace. To be fair, any excuse to stare at Robert Downey Jr for two hours is good enough for me!SOURCE (http://twitter.com/BettyEast/statuses/12903497177)
"It's not great."

That's it for now. Gonna write things up more fully overnight. But in short: lower your expectations, folks, cos it's boring as hell.SOURCE (http://twitter.com/robbiereviews/status/12902967782)

[Abraham]

A non-embargoed British screening just got out

SOURCE (http://twitter.com/outsideorg/status/12902842100)
SOURCE (http://twitter.com/colbyrne/status/12902922216)
SOURCE (http://twitter.com/simperman/status/12903079257)
SOURCE (http://twitter.com/BettyEast/statuses/12903497177)
SOURCE (http://twitter.com/robbiereviews/status/12902967782)

those are... depressing, especially that last one. :dry:



Ill wait for Ebert and Faraci to weigh in, even though I disagree with both of them a hell of a lot I can usually tell based on their reviews how I will personally feel about the movie in question.

[ultimatefan]

I´ll wait till I see some official reviews. Fan reviews almost always sound too much guided by fan bias, whether it´s positive or negative.The "boring as hell" review could well have been written by a DC fanatic.

[Chewy]

I´ll wait till I see some official reviews. Fan reviews almost always sound too much guided by fan bias, whether it´s positive or negative.The "boring as hell" review could well have been written by a DC fanatic.
It was written by a guy who liked X-Men Origins: Wolverine :cwink:

And hated Watchmen

[Ace of Knaves]

He thought it was boring? I thought that would be the least of the worries.

Edit: Oh Robbie Collins... he's the movie critic for The News of the World. The sunday version of The Sun. Don't pay attention to him.

[ultimatefan]

It was written by a guy who liked X-Men Origins: Wolverine :cwink:

And hated Watchmen

See,whether a review is positive or negative, I wanna see where the POV is coming from. I don´t give a crap to critics who generally dismiss superhero movies if they try to have any depth and claim they can´t be more than shallow fun. If the guy thinks Transformers is the model for popcorn movies, I couldn´t care less if he hates IM2.

[MessiahDecoy123]

Looks like the reviews are split 50/50 so far.

No way this gets a tomatometer as high as the first (93%). Hopefully it's good enough to stay fresh (above 60%).

[Ace of Knaves]

They don't look split. Only one of them is negative.

[Chewy]

RE: Sam Rockwell
He's totally over the top and has a great dancing scene. Remeber his dancing in Charlie's Angels? It's that good.SOURCE (http://twitter.com/outsideorg/status/12904318707)



:awesome::awesome::awesome::awesome::awesome:

[Keyser Soze]

Okay, forget any negative review. Sam Rockwell DANCES. This movie gets 5 stars.

[Chewy]

Okay, forget any negative review. Sam Rockwell DANCES. This movie gets 5 stars.
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[kedrell]

Looks like the reviews are split 50/50 so far.

No way this gets a tomatometer as high as the first (93%). Hopefully it's good enough to stay fresh (above 60%).


There is no way this doesn't end up fresh. It's simply so improbable as to be impossible. And only 1 was negative(a guy who aside from lousy 3-D, actually liked COTT). Yeah, this was never gonna get 100% fresh but I still have high hopes for it, critically.

[PyroChamber]

I saw the movie last Thursday night and I'll have my review posted once I get the greenlight.Well, the Rate & Review thread is open now.

[kedrell]

^The USA embargo hasn't been lifted yet.

[Conebone69]

Looks like the reviews are split 50/50 so far.

No way this gets a tomatometer as high as the first (93%). Hopefully it's good enough to stay fresh (above 60%).

How is it split? Only one of the reviews is bad. And you cant say it wont get as good of reviews as the first one by reading 5 reviews. Lets get serious

[hatebox]

The 'if you liked the first one you'll like this one and vice versa' take sounds about right given trailers and early scenes. Which is fine: I liked the first one.

But I'd bet my house this doesn't finish in the 90s on RT.

I'm curious to see whether any critics express comic book fatigue. The genre's had A LOT of films in the last decade.

[MessiahDecoy123]

I can't wait until the silly embargo is over.

[jadejaws]

When is the embargo supposed to be lifted?

[Chewy]

After the LA premiere tonight

[FlawlessVictory]

RE: Sam Rockwell
SOURCE (http://twitter.com/outsideorg/status/12904318707)


:awesome::awesome::awesome::awesome::awesome:

Marvel characters sure love dancing in their movies. :hehe:

[hatebox]

Empire magazine's online review will probably be up tomorrow morning UK time. I have a mental list of critics I care most about and they're one of them as I agreed completely with their take of the first film.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I changed my mind. I'll skim over Devin Farci's review because I agree with him alot.

[Raiden]

Can't wait for the embargo to be lifted so we can start reading the critics' reviews and get a sense of what the movie will be like. I have no doubt that I'll enjoy the heck out of IM2 but I'm also interested to read what others have to say.

[Keyser Soze]

Empire magazine's online review will probably be up tomorrow morning UK time. I have a mental list of critics I care most about and they're one of them as I agreed completely with their take of the first film.

Empire's the one I'm waiting for. They are my most trusted review source. Though funnily enough, I disagreed with them only giving the first Iron Man 3 stars. They essentially wrote a 4 star review for it, too, but in the final ranking only gave it 3.

[marvel_freshman]

Iron Man 2: World’s first review

‘mind-numbingly dull, chaotic and unwatchable’

ONE STAR

One of the biggest surprises of 2008 was Iron Man, an honest-to-goodness crowd-pleaser that boasted not just a great story and stirring special effects but which cemented the comeback of Robert Downey Jr. Casting the former hellraiser as the latest superhero was a masterstroke; his devil-may-care attitude and that wicked glint in his eye proving a refreshingly alternative to the clean-cut rivals such as Tobey ‘Spider-man’ Maguire and Brandon ‘Superman’ Routh.

Now we have the much-anticipated sequel whose world premiere was rerouted from London to LA following the volcano eruption in Iceland.

Packed into a cinema in the distinctly unstarry Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd’s Bush, there were no celebs and no red carpet but, thanks to GMT, at least we got to see the film first.

What none of realised was that another disaster was about to unfold in front of our eyes, for Iron Man 2 is a travesty – a mind-numbingly dull, chaotic and often unwatchable muddle. It might even be the ultimate masterclass in how not to make a movie.

Given the strength of part one, the sequel is not just a terrific failure but a terrific disappointment.
Things kick off in a squalid Moscow flat as the heavily-tattooed Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) sets to work with a hammer and welding torch on a mysterious metalwork project following the death of his father.

Meanwhile back in the States, our first glimpse of Iron Man comes as he leaps from a plane to land at the Stark Industries Expo, his metal suit peeling away to reveal Tony Stark (Downey Jr) who tells the whooping crowd how his metal creation has brought about world peace. With the ability to fly at supersonic speeds and fire lightning from the palms of his hands, it seems the world’s aggressors have laid down their arms.

But problems loom. The US Senate is pressing Stark to give up the secrets of this startling technology to the military, egged on by slimy businessman Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). There’s also the small matter of our hero’s health, with the energy pack fitted in his chest driving up his blood-toxicity levels.

That’s only the first 20 minutes or so but I’m going to stop for a second and ask if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, namely that Iron Man 2 is making the same mistake that was levelled at Spider-man 3 of throwing too much into the mix. Do we really need Stark vs. the US Government, a rival tycoon and the mysterious Vanko? Aside from muddling proceedings, that’s three bad guys we’re expected to hate.
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Anyways, it turns out Vanko has been knocking together his own energy pack and launches an attack on his bitter rival as he’s taking part in a Formula 1 event in Monte Carlo. Why is Stark taking part in a car race? Dunno. Why is Vanko so angry with Stark? No idea.

With the raging Russian contained and sent to jail, he receives an unlikely offer (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/#) from Hammer to team up and build an army of their own iron men. Meanwhile (yes, there’s more) Stark’s old pal Lt Col Rhodes (Don Cheadle) may be about to betray him.

Confused yet? Me too – but wait, there’s still more as, for reasons none too apparent, Stark hands control of his business to his long-suffering sidekick Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and then starts to fancy one of his employees (Scarlett Johansson).
And that’s not all. It seems Iron Man has attracted the attention of the mysterious Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) who drops by to... well, talk a bit then bugger off.

How do all these elements come together? More often than not, they don’t. This is a patchwork quilt without the stitching, a muddle of too many ideas and too many characters that connect loosely at best.

If that wasn’t bad enough, our iron-clad hero is off screen for 90 per cent of the time. As Potts tells Stark at one point: “People expect you to be Iron man -- and he’s disappeared.” No kidding.

In fact Iron Man appears just four times and only two of these are battle scenes.
They’re not badly done but what’s meant to be the big, show-stopping face-off at the end is overshadowed by a perplexing, out-of-nowhere romantic pay-off.

I don’t know what went on behind the scenes while the film was being made but rumours of reshoots and recuts have been swirling around the internet. Was this the film director Jon Favreau wanted to make? I doubt it. After Elf, the underrated Zathura and the first instalment, he’s proved himself a capable pair of hands. Perhaps the blame lies higher up the studio food chain.

Whoever’s at fault, if Favreau still wishes to make the series a trilogy, this is a franchise in serious need of rewiring.



SOURCE: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/04/27/iron-man-2-world-s-first-review-mind-numbingly-dull-chaotic-and-unwatchable-115875-22214759/ (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/04/27/iron-man-2-world-s-first-review-mind-numbingly-dull-chaotic-and-unwatchable-115875-22214759/)

[hatebox]

Ouch. I knew not everyone would like it but the Spiderman 3 comparison is worrying.

[MessiahDecoy123]

I don't know which critic I agree with the most.

But I do enjoy seeing the general consensus from the movie critics.

[marvel_freshman]

I am deeply hurting from what that guy said, but I don't think he paid attention to the film, because he didn't even know somethings, that was obviously said in the film. Like why Whiplash attacks Tony Stark.

But you can't watch a movie one time, and expect to have a final thought. When I first saw Iron Man, I literally said I hated this movie, because I didn't appreciate and pay attention to the overall concept. But now matured, I realize how much of a masterpeice it is.

But even though I haven't seen the film, there is a lot going on.

[MessiahDecoy123]

That review is pretty bad.

and if Iron Man is off screen 90% of the time this franchise is in serious trouble.

[Iron_Stark]

SOURCE: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/04/27/iron-man-2-world-s-first-review-mind-numbingly-dull-chaotic-and-unwatchable-115875-22214759/ (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/04/27/iron-man-2-world-s-first-review-mind-numbingly-dull-chaotic-and-unwatchable-115875-22214759/)

What the hell do they know, they're British, lets see them make a better one.

[Raiden]

That review is pretty bad.

and if Iron Man is off screen 90% of the time this franchise is in serious trouble.

I think that "off screen 90% of the time" was just hyperpole. Stark has presence in most of the trailers and I really doubt that he'd be missing onscreen that often.

[hatebox]

What the hell do they know, they're British, lets see them make a better one.

A) Perhaps you've heard of Christopher Nolan.

B) Comments like that just clutter up the thread. Let's post reviews and discuss them, not just chuck reactionary insults about. We're still in the position of them having seen the movie where we haven't.

[Keyser Soze]

What the hell do they know, they're British, lets see them make a better one.

Really?

I'm not too worried yet, it was a poorly written review and the Mirror is a rag anyway, but as a Brit myself I don't really think it's necessary to lump us all in the same category.

[Shivsguy616]

What the hell do they know, they're British,

:doh:

[marvel_freshman]

Another ReviewIron Man was an unexpected success in both popularity and in the Box Office and with the imminent release of the sequel anticipation is sky high for this superhero sequel. Coming into seeing Iron Man 2 I was in buoyant mood and probably the most excited I’ve been in seeing a film this year and who could blame me with the addition of Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko -Whiplash, the most exciting and well cast villain in recent memory, the genius that is Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and the first look at James Rhodes ‘War Machine’, it has to be brilliant doesn’t it?
Iron Man 2 thankfully just about pulls it off, but only just. It’s a strangely paced film and suffers at times from incredibly long exposition and poorly contrived story lines that seem to be added to no doubt develop the Avengers storyline rather than the Iron Man 2 story that I wanted to see. You’ll see what I mean after about 4-5 scenes throughout littered with Shield/Avengers plot developments that all seemed horribly squeezed in to setup characters for a film that will happen in 2-3 years time.
However I’m happy to say that the rest of Iron Man was a pretty dam good ride, spectacular in places with awesome action set pieces and in general a whole lot of fun but not without some worryingly boring, pointless and highly confusing moments. Without giving away too many spoilers from the film, the story is of Tony Stark’s fight against The US governments attempt to obtain the suit for themselves for the military, Justin Hammer’s company developing their own suits to rival Iron Man, Ivan Vanko’s revenge mission on Stark as he claims his father was the one who designed the Arc Reactor Technology and that Tony’s father Howard Stark stole it from him which is all bundled together with the plot of Tony’s Arc reactor which is keeping him alive is also poisoning him and he needs to find a solution, which comes in the most ridiculous and confusing way possible.

Needless to say there is a lot going on in its two hour running time with little weight given to each storyline which does hurt the movie but when the film focuses on Ivan Vanko and Tony Stark, Iron Man 2 presses all the right buttons. Mickey Rourke is truly outstanding as the villain and is the perfect foil to Starks egotistical superhero and their scenes together are the best of the film, particularly their first meeting on the race track where Tony Stark grabs the suitcase that turns into his modified portable Iron Man suit which is just awesome and leads into one of the best scenes of the film that satisfies completely.
It’s a shame Terrence Howard didn’t make it to the sequel as Don Cheadle had to make the character of James Rhodes his own which is difficult when every other character is set into there original roles but Cheadle does pretty well and when he takes the Iron Man War Machine suit for himself we witness a superb battle between a drunken Stark and Rhodes that helps you get over the actor change pretty quickly and when they team up again for a pretty anti-climatic battle against Whiplash the two have some pretty decent banter gong on.

Sam Rockwell puts in a great subtle comedic turn as Justin Hammer and definitely has a part to play in the planned third film, Scarlett Johansson was pretty average and forgettable in her role of Black Widow, again used to beef up the Avengers movie and Gwyneth Paltrow plays her part nicely as she did in the first movie which is nothing special but this is clearly Rourke and Downey Jr’s film and together they do make Iron Man 2 worth a watch.
Overall, I don’t think Iron Man 2 is anywhere near as good as the first film, It’s let down by the amount it’s trying to squeeze in to the movie with the Avengers story and all the new additiona;characters but overall it’s certainly going to please some but will equally bemuse others.

Source: http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/04/26/review-iron-man-2/

[redfirebird2008]

A) Perhaps you've heard of Christopher Nolan.



Pwned. :hehe:

[Avengers-Report]

Anything on cameos? Also, the reviews are pretty much exactly what I expected. Movie looks mehh.

[Keyser Soze]

Damn - not as negative as the first review, but citing many of the same problems. It seems like Iron Man 2 might have benefitted from a Dark Knight running time.

[J.Howlett]

Interesting reviews to say the least. Small sample for sure but the over arching plot threads that lead to the Avengers has always been a point of worry for me.

[Sharkboy]

Well it looks like we have another spidey 3 on our hands. A real shame, but i was kinda expecting it, none of the trailers particularly wowed me, and the buzz for this film has been less than stellar. A real shame considering how much of a success the first film was. Only one way to confirm all of this obviously, i have my ticket for friday.

[Sharkboy]

What the hell do they know, they're British, lets see them make a better one.

Nolan owns you

[J.Howlett]

Sharkboy,

It's still going to do gangbusters opening weekend. It has a real shot a beating The Dark Knight's opening weekend. But, like Spider-Man 3 and X-Men The Last Stand, it's all about word of mouth after that weekend. Then, we'll see.

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Damn - not as negative as the first review, but citing many of the same problems. It seems like Iron Man 2 might have benefitted from a Dark Knight running time.

Hence why weeks ago I said in the run-time thread I didnt think 2 hours would be enough.

[redfirebird2008]

Well it looks like we have another spidey 3 on our hands. A real shame, but i was kinda expecting it, none of the trailers particularly wowed me, and the buzz for this film has been less than stellar. A real shame considering how much of a success the first film was. Only one way to confirm all of this obviously, i have my ticket for friday.

Even if it's disappointing, it's not shocking for a sequel to be lower quality than the original. In Spidey's case, what made the third one such a huge letdown is that the first sequel was actually very good. I tend to expect sequels to rehash a lot of things from the first movie so it's never too surprising if they aren't "up to snuff" so to speak. I enjoyed Pirates 2 thanks to Depp so I am sure I'll enjoy IM2 thanks to RDJ.

[Kevin Roegele]

This story would say otherwise. It sounds like Stark is fleshed out bigtime...

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/stark_naked_2pFfNmWfKsi3kNyCZ6eMoO

I would say the actual reviews seem to agree with me...

[ultimatefan]

damn, so far this seems to b shaping up to be either a mild or major disappointment. The bits about cramming too many storylines, wasting too much time setting up The Avengers and Iron Man 90% off screen seem particularly worrying,

[MessiahDecoy123]

Glad to hear there are tie ins with Avengers. Worried to hear the final battle is anti-climatic.

[The Batman]

I'm kinda not surprised about some of the action. The last fight in number 1 was underwhelming, too

[Downhere]

I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, rather want and see more reviews come in before starting to worry.

[Mr. Stark]

very very sad
http://www.**************.com/fansites/Poniverse/news/?a=17516

[SpiderByte]

As said in the comments:

It's the ****ing MIRROR. It's like considering the Onion a reliable source.

[samsnee]

very very sad
http://www.**************.com/fansites/Poniverse/news/?a=17516

I don't know, that review is terribly written. Not really cohesive at all, and more cherry-picking. Yes, I would like to see Iron Man more, but really, most movies like this have only 2 to 3 major action pieces. I don't expect Stark to just be standing around in his IM armor for no real reason.

I'm not expecting to be blown away, but to call it a disaster of S-M:3 proportions is a bit premature.

[redfirebird2008]

I'm not expecting to be blown away, but to call it a disaster of S-M:3 proportions is a bit premature.

Agreed. I'm expecting a good movie that isn't as good as the first one. Far from disaster but also not a masterpiece by any means. Just a good summer sequel.

[The_Joker7895]

Honestly, that review reminded me of Ebert's reviews as of late. Very erratic, nonsensical, and complaining about things that are either completely wrong or don't really make sense. A lot of reviewers have had it out for this film from the beginning, as they do often with any franchise film with a lot of hype surrounding it. I remember a handful of critics who hated The Dark Knight for really odd reasons, but it was clear they were simply trying to stick it to the film and rebel against the hype. I'm all for making up one's own mind and not succumbing to hype, but sometimes it causes people to exaggerate their disappointment or distaste for a certain film.

I'm seeing the film tomorrow night at the Alamo Drafthouse, and I couldn't be more excited. I think it looks awesome and from what I can tell, the Spider-Man 3 comparisons a few have made are completely off-base.

[The_Joker7895]

as said in the comments:

It's the ****ing mirror. It's like considering the onion a reliable source.

qft

[Mike059jig]

just found it, not a good review.

http://slashingtheseats.net/2010/04/27/iron-man-2/

[batman44]

I'm a little worried about potential underdeveloped plot lines and I somewhat expected that having to tie this film in with Avengers would be tricky and could affect the overall movie. Still, the talk of RDJ and Rourke owning the film is worth of the price of admission alone and I can't wait to see them face off. Not mention Rockwell and Cheadle, both of whom I can't wait to see in their respective roles. Scarlett Johansson possibly being the weak point is not surprising either.

Despite the few negatives, May 7 can't come soon enough.

[ElMariachi]

I am not buying into some of these reviews. They just seem like they are trying to find flaws and make them into huge deals. The last one in particular the reviewer seems to not like the movie because everything in the movie is not explained to him. That reviewer seems like a tool hellbent on crushing the hype.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I'm not going to jump to conclusions because that would be silly but the amount of characters and the two year rush to make the flick has always been a great worry of mine.

Today my sister said that she was getting a bad feeling that Iron Man 2 would suck...can't say I disagree a hundred percent...then again I thought that HellBoy 2 would rock and I hated it so my feelings often don't mean s**t.

Regardless of reviews good or bad, I was always going to see the movie to judge for myself.

[FaT_tONle]

If the issue is the Avengers tidbits and inflated action eats up the character development, I'll live with it. You can't expect Marvel not to set themselves up for what may be the biggest and most expensive film ever outside of Cameron movies. If they held everything off, imagine how clutter ****ed Avengers will be in two years? It means that, should they make IM3, it will be all Iron Man and there won't be a need to compensate for Avengers characters when it is likely Stark's last hurrah for a while.

[JP]

HB2 ****ing owns. :eek:

[Downhere]

HB2 ****ing owns. :eek:

So true.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

HB2 ****ing owns. :eek:It was torture to me. I couldn't wait for the mind numbing bordem to end.

The early reviews aren't a great sign of things to come. I've said that about movies I didn't want to see so it's only fair that I say it about Iron Man 2.

[Khemik@L]

[B][SIZE=3]Iron Man 2: World’s first review

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/04/27/iron-man-2-world-s-first-review-mind-numbingly-dull-chaotic-and-unwatchable-115875-22214759/ (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/04/27/iron-man-2-world-s-first-review-mind-numbingly-dull-chaotic-and-unwatchable-115875-22214759/)

:whatever: Please the same guy gave this review for tropic thunder
LhWENfPTIQ4&

[FaT_tONle]

I don't like dismissing a review because "So in so liked this (terrible movie)"... what are we in third grade? Maybe the reviewer is an idiot... maybe he isn't. Can't just nullify his opinion because of some stupid excuse that he liked this or that. There are different expectations for every movie. Maybe he liked whatever crappy movie it was for what it was, but that's all that is. Doesn't mean you can negate all other viewpoints. Don't start being insecure fanboys.

[TheScarecrow]

Sounds like Iron Man 2 is going to be a disappointment. That's a real shame for the fans. It's a pity that Iron Man had to suffer so that Marvel could piggy-back its heroes with lesser potential on it. This was always going to happen at some point, a "universe" does not need to be built on film. It's disappointing to see so many Iron Man fans in this thread even still wanting more and more setup the Avengers. It's like some people have forgotten Iron Man along the way, as it would seem Favreau has done as well. Every film has negative reviews, but this is not a good start.

Please the same guy gave this review for tropic thunder

The problem is that everything in the negative reviews matches up to the fan opinions from the novelisation thread. The same criticisms I read in these reviews are in that thread coming from the fans themselves.

[The_Joker7895]

HB2 ****ing owns. :eek:

I agree. I loved Hellboy 2, even more than the first film (which I was a vocal champion of).

Honestly, everything points to Iron Man 2 being awesome, and the issues these reviews are pointing out are pretty much the same issues you see in any Marvel film, or any comic book film franchise for that matter. The Avengers stuff is important to the end goal. Iron Man 2 was always going to be a major stepping stone for The Avengers, so I don't see how this is unexpected or a problem. Marvel has been very clear with the direction they are taking their films in (the ones they own) from the get-go, so the idea that Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America are going to spend significant time getting us there is par for the course.

As per the complaints about too much going on in too short a runtime, that's a legitimate concern, but from what I can remember, this is a complaint in every comic book sequel EVER, even The Dark Knight, which some complained was actually too long for it's story. Whats more important is how it's actually handled. If you skirt character development in favor of exposition, ala Spiderman 3, X-Men 3, etc, it sucks. If you keep the focus on the characters and how their relationships affect the narrative, ala The Dark Knight, X2, Hellboy 2, and Spiderman 2, it works wonders.

Bottom line, this movie is going to kick some ass.

[FaT_tONle]

Sounds like Iron Man 2 is going to be a disappointment. That's a real shame for the fans. It's a pity that Iron Man had to suffer so that Marvel could piggy-back its heroes with lesser potential on it. This was always going to happen at some point, a "universe" does not need to be built on film. It's disappointing to see so many Iron Man fans in this thread even still wanting more and more setup the Avengers. It's like some people have forgotten Iron Man along the way, as it would seem Favreau has done as well. Every film has negative reviews, but this is not a good start.



The problem is that everything in the negative reviews matches up to the fan opinions from the novelisation thread. The same criticisms I read in these reviews are in that thread coming from the fans themselves.

It's amazing how after a mediocre Hulk movie (who is an A-list character that blew IM out of the water before any film btw), and how people just completely write off Thor and Cap when the movies are both over a year a way, that we jump to a conclusion like this. Now obviously I get this will in all likelihood be the inevitable result, and if it is, it is because Marvel did not have faith in the other characters and decided to piggyback off their initial success. It's probably a more than logical assumption. But we just don't know yet. Let's just see how the other movies perform. But the idea that Avengers should have been completely ignored, when that is the end game, is lunacy.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Wait are some people now implying that they know that the movie isn't going to be good? Because that would be silly!

Most sequels are sucktacular anyhow so it's not like IM2 would be out of the norm. The only seuqels I really enjoyed were TDK and Spider-Man 2. I kinda liked Pirates 2 but it damn sure wasn't as good as the first.

[Chewy]

Wait are some people now implying that they know that the movie isn't going to be good? Because that would be silly!
Of course!

[TheScarecrow]

It's amazing how after a mediocre Hulk movie (who is an A-list character that blew IM out of the water before any film btw), and how people just completely write off Thor and Cap when the movies are both over a year a way, that we jump to a conclusion like this. Now obviously I get this will in all likelihood be the inevitable result, and if it is, it is because Marvel did not have faith in the other characters and decided to piggyback off their initial success. It's probably a more than logical assumption. But we just don't know yet. Let's just see how the other movies perform. But the idea that Avengers should have been completely ignored, when that is the end game, is lunacy.

No, the end game should be making a decent movie - not a ten year money making plan off of a single successful character. Really, that's exactly what has happened. Marvel took a risk with Iron Man, and redid the Hulk. One of those paid off and they've been unwilling to do anything about it since. There is no need for Nick Fury to be in Iron Man 2 aside from setting up the Avengers, correct? What's the reason that everyone is wanting hints at Thor, Captain America, Hulk, etc?

The original Iron Man had ONE hint at the Avengers in a post credit sequence. The studio, Favreau and the fans all become so consumed with the idea of an Avengers movie that they completely traded in Iron Man for it. It was unnecessary. Favreau himself has said that his work on Iron Man 3 is years off because he has to wait for Avengers to be completed and has to wait out some freaking timeline that Marvel has constructed.

The Avengers - if and when it happens - should have been developed as a move within itself. It was silly to think otherwise, and poor film-making for any director to spend time developing plots and characters that have nothing to do with their film. The Avengers was not the "end game" with Iron Man 2 - the "end game" with Iron Man 2 was making a great Iron Man film.

They had their eyes on the wrong prize.

Wait are some people now implying that they know that the movie isn't going to be good? Because that would be silly!

I'm not saying I know the movie isn't going to be good, I'm saying that it's becoming blatantly obvious that Iron Man has been given the raw end of the deal here. I think the fans, the studio and creative team have put way to much emphasis on the Avengers and this has been supported by the current batch of reviews. I'm not hoping Iron Man 2 is bad, I'm just saying I think the wrong approach has been taken.

Having so much Avengers set up in IM2 (as it would seem from the reviews) is akin to having Nick Fury show up in Spider-man 2 and just talk with Peter during the middle of the movie, or having...I don't know...Wonder Woman or Superman show up in TDK to tell Batman all about the Justice League. What's the point?

[The_Joker7895]

Wait are some people now implying that they know that the movie isn't going to be good? Because that would be silly!

Most sequels are sucktacular anyhow so it's not like IM2 would be out of the norm. The only seuqels I really enjoyed were TDK and Spider-Man 2. I kinda liked Pirates 2 but it damn sure wasn't as good as the first.

Welcome to the internet my friend, where we pass judgement on things we've not yet seen based on the thoughts of two or three individuals because we're so fickle with our fandoms that we can't be bothered to pat attention to one for more than a few minutes before passing instant verdicts and then moving on. I blame youtube.

[Ipodman]

Critics Reviews aside... I'm more interested in whether this movie can break 1B like TDK did.....

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Welcome to the internet my friend, where we pass judgement on things we've not yet seen based on the thoughts of two or three individuals because we're so fickle with our fandoms that we can't be bothered to pat attention to one for more than a few minutes before passing instant verdicts and then moving on. I blame youtube.:hehe: I'm like wait for the f**king movie before you b**ch! I'm going to b**ch or praise the movie after I've seen it.

No, the end game should be making a decent movie - not a ten year money making plan off of a single successful character. Really, that's exactly what has happened. Marvel took a risk with Iron Man, and redid the Hulk. One of those paid off and they've been unwilling to do anything about it since. There is no need for Nick Fury to be in Iron Man 2 aside from setting up the Avengers, correct? What's the reason that everyone is wanting hints at Thor, Captain America, Hulk, etc?

The original Iron Man had ONE hint at the Avengers in a post credit sequence. The studio, Favreau and the fans all become so consumed with the idea of an Avengers movie that they completely traded in Iron Man for it. It was unnecessary. Favreau himself has said that his work on Iron Man 3 is years off because he has to wait for Avengers to be completed and has to wait out some freaking timeline that Marvel has constructed.

The Avengers - if and when it happens - should have been developed as a move within itself. It was silly to think otherwise, and poor film-making for any director to spend time developing plots and characters that have nothing to do with their film. The Avengers was not the "end game" with Iron Man 2 - the "end game" with Iron Man 2 was making a great Iron Man film.

They had their eyes on the wrong prize.I don't give a s**t about that whole Avengers thing either but it's flat out ridiculous to assume what hurt the movie when you haven't even seen it.

[TheScarecrow]

Critics Reviews aside... I'm more interested in whether this movie can break 1B like TDK did.....

Even if the film is bad, I'm expecting a relatively high box office. Certainly as high or higher than the first, IMO.

[Anita18]

Welcome to the internet my friend, where we pass judgement on things we've not yet seen based on the thoughts of two or three individuals because we're so fickle with our fandoms that we can't be bothered to pat attention to one for more than a few minutes before passing instant verdicts and then moving on. I blame youtube.
:up:

It's just hype, folks. Positive and negative. The official critics haven't weighed in on this yet.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Critics Reviews aside... I'm more interested in whether this movie can break 1B like TDK did.....It's not going to break a bil because the overseas numbers aren't going to be strong enough.

Feel free to pull up this post if the movie actually does.

Good or bad here is my prediction:

Opening Weekend: 167mil

Total: 455mil

Internationally: 385mil

Total: 840mil.

[TheScarecrow]

I'm not going to jump to conclusions because that would be silly but the amount of characters and the two year rush to make the flick has always been a great worry of mine.

This was also a concern of mine. The production was kind of rushed, IMO. I wouldn't even call it a two year rush, it took a little while for Marvel to bring back Favreau in any official context, didn't it? I'm a big fan of the three year break between these movies. Gives things time to breathe.

[TheScarecrow]

I'm not going to jump to conclusions because that would be silly but the amount of characters and the two year rush to make the flick has always been a great worry of mine.

This was also a concern of mine. The production was kind of rushed, IMO. I wouldn't even call it a two year rush, it took a little while for Marvel to bring back Favreau in any official context, didn't it? I'm a big fan of the three year break between these movies. Gives things time to breathe.

[Chris B]

I'll admit that the less than stellar reviews so far are concerning, but I'll wait to judge the film myself.

[The_Joker7895]

:up:

It's just hype, folks. Positive and negative. The official critics haven't weighed in on this yet.

QFT man. These "critics" are about as reliable as some random guy off the street.

[Chewy]

QFT man. These "critics" are about as reliable as some random guy off the street.
Thanks to the internet, some of these "critics" are random guys off the street.

[Chris B]

just found it, not a good review.

http://slashingtheseats.net/2010/04/27/iron-man-2/

I find it ironic that the writer for this review talks about being true to the comics, but doesn't know that the female version of Whiplash wasn't the original.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

This was also a concern of mine. The production was kind of rushed, IMO. I wouldn't even call it a two year rush, it took a little while for Marvel to bring back Favreau in any official context, didn't it? I'm a big fan of the three year break between these movies. Gives things time to breathe.Spider-Man 2 had a two year break and the movie came out fine IMHO but I don't remember Raimi disagreeing with the studio on when the movie was going to come out.

The same disagreement happened with Bay regarding Transformers 2 and even quite a few of the lovers of the first film hated the movie.

[samsnee]

I thought HB2 would suck, and it did. I expect IM2 to be more of the same as IM...good, but not epic.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Does Epic mean great to you? Because if it does it would have just been easier to say great.

[ElMariachi]

I find it ironic that the writer for this review talks about being true to the comics, but doesn't know that the female version of Whiplash wasn't the original.

I find it odd that he calls out Jon Favreau in a mocking manner of the style of the film. It's comments like this that make me question these reviews.


Hell, he isn’t even telling us why Tony Stark is taking part in an F1 race when Whiplash attacks. I guess it just looked cool huh John?

[Chris B]

I find it odd that he calls out Jon Favreau in a mocking manner of the style of the film. It's comments like this that make me question these reviews.

I agree. I respect these guy's opinion, but some of these reviews do sound like the writers just wanted to hate on the film.