Iron Man 2 review

I LOVED the first Iron Man film. I'd put it in my top 5 favourite comic book adaptions of all time. It's up there with the likes of The Dark Knight, Watchmen and Kick-Ass, so there was no doubt I was going to be super excited for Iron Man 2. Hell, the trailers sold me and I even bought an Iron Man 2 poster for my bedroom my wall. I'm a fucking nerd....

Plot

The plot is perfect in the sense of how the story should go after Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr) confessed he was the man behind the suit to the world. The government is the first to step up, declaring that Stark should hand over the suit as it's a weapon and a treat to the U.S. Also, Ivan Vanko, wants revenge because he believes his father was robbed by Tony's Dad, Howard Stark, who once worked with Ivan's father, Anton, on the arc reactor.

The Good

Robert Downey Jr delivers another fantastic performance as Tony Stark, who is witty, charming and grows a larger ego with all the extra found fame. Downey really carried this film on his back and made things work on so many levels. One of the most positive things about the first Iron Man film was the chemistry between Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow(Pepper Potts). That chemistry returns and made a lot of the scenes worth watching. And I'm not a guy that likes romantic garbage in my comic book films, but these two just work off each other so well, it's appealing.

The new villain introduced is Whiplash/Ivan Vanko, played wonderfully by Mickey Rourke. Whiplash is a cold man who unleashes himself while pulling no punches. He is one bad mother fucker with silly hair. Another new player to the game is Black Window/Natalia Romanova(Scarlett Johansson) who does enough to show how much of a badass she is. You don't find out much about her, just that she's a spy for SHIELD, which I didn't mind too much because I saw enough of her *wink* to keep me pleased.

Another thing this film does right is action. The action is much better this time around due to War Machine and the many droids built by Justin Hammer and Whiplash. I felt the first film lack adversaries, which didn't give a lot of room to see the suit in action and it's functions. Of course with action like Iron Man, you need amazing CGI. ILM delivers top notch effects which don't disappoint.

The Bad

I'm not going to lie, I walked out if Iron Man 2 disappointed. Not Spider-Man 3 disappointed mind you, because if it was, I would've caused quite a stir by falling to the floor, crying like a little bastard. The major problem with Iron Man 2 is the pacing, it's all over the place. You get some action maybe 30 minutes into the film, then no action till the end and the time it gets to that awesome action scene, you just don't care because you weren't buzzed up for it. Nothing gets you pumped, nothing builds you towards the action, nothings screams ''If this scene kicked so much ass, then the last battle must be outstanding''. Don't get me wrong, the last battle delivers, but nothing before that got me excited for it.

The first Iron Man had it's fair share of comedy, and so does the sequel...A little too much in fact. Comedy comes from scenes that shouldn't be funny and because of this, you can take what your seeing seriously. One scene in particular as a drunk Tony in the Iron Man suit at his birthday, which is funny, I liked it, but then the scene should of been serious after something occurs, but the comedy just keeps piling on. Justin Hammer(Sam Rockwell) is another villain who is introduced, just comes off a dumb comedic character. You wonder how this guy is even up there with Tony Stark to being with.

I was looking forward to War Machine so much and he came off as failure in my eyes. First off, there wasn't enough time given to James Rhodes(Don Cheadle). We learn absolutely nothing new about him. All I know is, he is a Colonel at the Air Force. Due to the lack of character, I had a lack of interest for the man behind the new suit of armor.

Overall

Iron Man 2 was worth checking out, it's solid and you should go see it if you enjoyed the first film. I might go see it again sometime down the line....Or Kick-Ass for the 5th time. I mean, there is nothing rememberable about Iron Man 2 and that is where it falls flat on his metal ass.

Score-Barely scrapes by with a 7/10

Post by Rob

Iron Man 2 suitcase scene

Check out this delicious scene from Iron Man 2 by clicking here

Iron Man 2 is released April 30th everywhere!

Film Spunk is brought to by Pepsi Max, Subway and Burger King!

Via(SHH)

Post by Rob

Wanna see some new Iron Man 2 footage?

Of course you do!

You can check out the new TV from the Kids Choice Awards by click here.

Via(SHH)

Post by Rob

TOYS, TOYS, TOYS!!!

The New York toyfair was rocking over this past weekend, and we have a whole bunch of wonderful images to see, from Ghostbusters to Iron Man 2.

The Megan Fox action figure above should be enough to get you to click this link HERE. Enjoy!

Post by Rob

AC/DC music video with Iron Man 2 footage

The soundtrack for Iron Man 2 is basically going to feature all songs from AC/DC on it and I cannot complain about that awesome combination.

AC/DC's music video for Shoot To Kill has be spliced with footage of the Iron Man 2 trailers, but there are some new shots in there, but mostly of the Iron Man dancers.

Check out the video HERE.

Post by Rob

Racing Stark looks tense in new Iron Man 2 photo

The image above is Tony Stark about to race. As we've seen from the trailer, Whiplash shows up and ruins the day. Bad Whiplash, very bad.

Via(Comicbookmovie)

Post by Rob

My anticipated films of 2010

2010 is upon us and it's time took look ahead to what films I'm looking forward to seeing.

Inception

How can you not be excited for anything Christopher Nolan does? Sure I have no real idea what's going on in the trailer, but god dammit, it's Nolan.

Predators

There hasn't really been a solid Predator flick since the first one. I somewhat enjoyed Predator 2 and AVP for what they were, but after AVP2, I knew they had to do something stand alone with this alien species. Predators, from what I understand, is a sequel to the 1987 film. Robert Rodriguez will be writing and producing, so I have much confidence at where the franchise is right now.

The Expendables

Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Eric Roberts and Arnold Schwarzenegger....NUFF SAID!

Clash of the Titans

Sam Worthington has been impressing of late and to see how he holds up in a massive adventure film like this, is going to be something interesting to see. The trailers look decent, but I feel like a lot is being held back, which is a good thing. Let the God's duke it out!

Machete

The fake trailer for Machete was fantastically hilarious and badass. I wonder how close the film will follow?

Hot Tub Time Machine

The trailer to this looks so freaking hilarious. Also seeing John Cusack doing comedy again is something I look forward to...And no, you can't count 2012 as a comedy.

Alice In Wonderland

Johnny Depp can't do no wrong in my eyes. The guy embraces characters like no other. I'm slapping my 9 euro down just to see him as the Mad Hatter. The trailers look marvelous, especially in 3D, which blew me away.

I Love You Phillip Morris

Last time I heard, I Love You Phillip Morris does not have distribution for the UK/Ireland , which is a real shame. I guess we'll have to have to see how it does at the Box Office first before knowing if we'll see it in the theaters or on DVD.

The Wolfman

Everything I'm seeing from Wolfman has me excited. It's a damn pity it's been delayed until February. I had this title down for my most anticipated films for 2009 list...That's a long waiting time.

Youth in Revolt

I gotta say, I wasn't really looking forward to this film until I saw the R-rated trailer. This is the film where Michael Cera has to play another character who is not awkward. If you don't like Cera, then it's best to avoid this film as it features two Cera's.

The Green Hornet

Unlike a lot of people, I enjoy Seth Rogen's work. Seeing this guy in a superhero film has me excited.

Toy Story 3

Every film these amazing bunch of people at Pixar pump out has been gold. I will say that Toy Story is not one of my favorite Pixar films. I much preferred Wall-E, Cars and Up, but that does not mean I don't hold high hopes for Toy Story 3.

Kick-Ass

Everything about this film has fun and entertaining written all over it. Kick-Ass properly falls into my top 5 most anticipated films for this year.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1

What will happen to our Potter friends next?....Well if you read the books you know...

Cop Out

I'm still awaiting an R-rated trailer to see what kind of comedy we can expect. In saying that, I still like the trailer, especially the part Tracy Morgan is stuffing his face with tortilla chips.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

I'm in two ways about this film. One hand I'm pumped to see Jackie Earle Haley dawn the glove, but on the other hand, I haven't been hearing great things on the remake. I guess I'll have to wait for early reviews from some sites to really see where I stand.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Thanks to fellow writer, Mike, I picked up the first two volumes of Scott Pilgrim and instantly loved what I was reading. With Edgar Wright behind the film, how can I not be extremely excited for this? Wright is a bloody genius. Michael Cera will be taking up the role of Scott. Like Youth in Revolt, Cera has to play a different character to who he normally plays. Will Cera show us something new in 2010?

The A-Team

I didn't grow up watching The A-Team, but with this cast, I gotta say, it has me very curious. Maybe it's because I was never exposed to the show much, but seeing the the new cast doesn't make think about the original cast. This just seems like it's own.

Iron Man 2

I hold Iron Man as one of my all time favorite superhero movies. Everything about it had the right ingredients for a comic book film. Funny thing is, I read a lot of comics and I'll say it right here, I'm not an Iron Man fan. The fact that I enjoyed the film as much as I did, surprised me. The trailer for Iron Man 2 seems to step things up in terms of story, villains, action, effects etc

Post by Rob

Whiplash poster

Prepare to be whiplashed with this second poster from Iron Man 2. Above is Mickey Rourke as the villain Whiplash who seems to have an obsession with Tony Stark. I'm hoping Whiplash gets a suit upgrade because there is no way he can take on Iron Man with such skin exposure.

Via(Topless Robot)

Post by Rob

War Machine featured in the first Iron Man 2 poster

I welcome the new poster from Iron Man 2 as it's beauty has made jizz in my pants....The new poster features not just Iron Man, but War Machine(Don Cheadle) too. My god this poster would look wonderful on my wall.

Via(LatinoReview)

Post by Rob

Empire gets armored

Empire gets suited up for it's first 2010 cover that features Iron Man in his updated armor. Inside will also show some new images from the movie, but you can expect them to creep up online before the magazine hits. I don't really by magazines anymore because I can read about my film news online, but I might get buy this for the cover.

Via(SHH)

Post by Rob

Sneak peak at War Machine

Here is our first look at Don Cheadle as War Machine in toy form. The face plate is up, but the shoulder gun gives us a hint at how heavy armed War Machine will be.

Via(SHH)

Post by Rob

ET brings us Iron Man 2 set footage

Here is the video from ET's set visit to Iron Man 2.

The set visit is from the scene where Stark is showing off his sleek driving moves in his formula 1 car until Whiplash(Rourke) comes along and fucks the whole thing up. The action seems like it's going to be pretty sweet in that scene.

Iron Man 2 will be hitting theaters May 7th, 2010.

Post by Rob

First look at War Machine from Iron Man 2

It may be a still from someones sneaky cam from comic-con, but it's better then nothing for now. The War Machine armour looks pretty nice so far, I just hope we get some high quality images soon.

Via(The Movie Blog)

Post by Rob

Another image of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

I never really found Scarlett Johansson to be all that attractive. I'm guessing it was the hair color because, damn, she looking quite hot with red hair. Ryan Reynolds is the luckiest man alive. He is married to Johansson, he got to play Deadpool and now he is gearing up for Green Lantern. Throw some of those lucky charms my way!

Via(Slash Film)

Post by Rob

Even more Iron Man 2 images

The most interesting image here is the one of Don Cheadle as Rhodey Rhodes, who replaced Terrance Howard. Not much to see, but he looks the part. Also behind Cheadle is Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, the rival to Stark. 

Via(SHH boards) 

Post by Rob

New Iron Man 2 images-Featuring a look at Black Window

These images aren't 100% crystal clear, but it gives us a good look at Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Johansson looks fantastic as well as everyone else. Hopefully high resolution images will be released online soon.

Via(Slash Film)

Post by Rob

Lame Iron Man 2 poster

After the awesomeness of Iron Man, the poster has to do something to get you pumped, which this fails to do.

Via(Screen Rant)

Post by Rob

New Iron Man 2 image: Mickey Rourke as Whiplash

/film has posted the first image of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash from Iron Man 2:

The suit, which the Russian criminal put together, consists of a pair of whips, powered by the glowing chest piece. Director Jon Favreau says that the technology used in Rourke’s suit is “definitely related” to the tech developed by Tony Stark, and “that’s part of the core theme of the film.”

Looks like this is early on in the film because Rourke is wearing his prisoner get up. I'm curious to know if the suit will be updated throughout the film, because who would go into battle against Iron Man with no head protection?

Post by Rob

Avengers Assemble-Date announcement poster for up and coming Marvel films

Here are some announcement posters for up and coming Marvel films. /film have done a great job at cleaning the look of the posters up. This is pretty cool and it's nice to see that this franchise is being dealt with correctly. Can you imagine if all these films rocked, but the Avengers sucked and all that build up was for nothing? Oh man, better not jinx it.

Post by Rob

Iron Man 2 image

The first image from Iron Man 2 has hit the web and it's an impressive one. Look at all the suits in the background, I want one. Director, John Favreau drops a hint about what the sequel will be about:

“how many superheroes are open about their true identities?” Favreau says, “It obviously has consequences — in his relationships''

Tony Stark was pretty famous as it was, but now the world knows he is Iron Man, the character will have to deal with many changes in his life and the stress of what comes with it. Masked superheroes can take off the brave face and take a timeout, but people will always know where Stark is, and where Stark is, Iron Man will be there too.

Via(Slashfilm)