"I want one." "No."
Iron Man 2: Thoroughly enjoyed it. What a blast.
I really did enjoy it - it had all the charm and wit of the first movie, with heaping helpings of talented actors.
But right off the bat, I do have a relatively big criticism to make, and it's one which I have been expecting to make for months now, as we have learned more about the plot and such. It tries to do too much, and thus, you don't get as much depth as you would hope. There's just way too much happening - Whiplash has a vendetta, the rivalry with Justin Hammer, Tony's own multitude of personal demons, being recruited for the Avengers - to the point where at times it feels like the film is flitting from one thing to the next, frantically trying to get it all done in two hours, and you kind of want to yell "WAIT STOP! I want to know more about Black Widow! Or Tony's dad! Or what's Rhodey doing here? Or...."
You get the idea.
But, again, I must insist, what was there, I loved. Honestly, there wasn't as much "big action set pieces" as I expected, and that was really refreshing for something touted as an action movie. In the end, the action sequences were fun, but not nearly as fun as watching all these talented actors chew scenery and be badass in their own ways.
As a side note, I hope I'm not the only one who thought the coolest fx scene was when he's working through his dad's puzzle? That was way more impressive to me than the explosions. A new element! Awesome.
RDJ, of course, is marvelous to watch. His face is so expressive, and even when he's making a complete ass of himself, he still manages to be charming (and at times pitiable). He hides things, partly because he's narcissistic enough to think he can handle everything himself, and partly because he genuinely wants to protect the people around him, the people he cares about.
And whenever Tony and Pepper are on screen, the banter reaches new heights of UST. The main reason why I very seldom see romantic comedies is that they just don't make 'em like they used to. If you want to know how they used to be made, watch every scene in which Tony and Pepper talk at each other, past each other, and the words just fly at a million miles a minute and you really feel the tension and the chemistry boiling beneath that surface. That is everything that makes a good romantic comedy, and I was genuinely unsure if it would be resolved at the end. It was wonderful.
I was fully expecting Mickey Rourke to be mind-bogglingly good, and I was not disappointed. I really don't think I need to say much more than that, but of all the actors, I think the most surprising for me was Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. He was amazing, he really owned it. Justin is like Tony's less talented cousin - all the egotism, and nearly none of the charm. And Mr Rockwell plays that with such assurance, it's clear he was having a lot of fun with it.
Oh, and I was really glad to see more of Happy - maybe it was just a little egotistical of Jon to put himself in the movie so much more, but he's really fun to watch, it's not like the guy can't act. He really can. He held his own (kind of) with Scarlett Johansson, for god's sake! Also, I appreciate a guy who is cool with being less badass than the woman. Heh. Just keep the car running, Happy. ♥
So yeah, in the end, it's a really fun movie about a bunch of people kind of blundering their way around a world (the superhero world) that they don't know a lot about. They make a lot of missteps, and they cross genres pretty frequently, but the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously is what allows it to retain its charm and be entertaining, albeit a little too big for its britches.
Oh, and some thoughts re: the experience. I'd almost forgotten how much fucking fun midnight screenings usually are. The audience was so engaged, so energetic, the excitement was palpable. There was cheering (and a lot of massive booing at the Twilight: Eclipse trailer, LOL4RL). Cheering at a couple of big moments, and at the end, and then the audience just exploded (most people stayed through the credits) at the easter egg. Shouts of "THOOOOOOOR!" etc. It was just so much fun.
I really did enjoy it - it had all the charm and wit of the first movie, with heaping helpings of talented actors.
But right off the bat, I do have a relatively big criticism to make, and it's one which I have been expecting to make for months now, as we have learned more about the plot and such. It tries to do too much, and thus, you don't get as much depth as you would hope. There's just way too much happening - Whiplash has a vendetta, the rivalry with Justin Hammer, Tony's own multitude of personal demons, being recruited for the Avengers - to the point where at times it feels like the film is flitting from one thing to the next, frantically trying to get it all done in two hours, and you kind of want to yell "WAIT STOP! I want to know more about Black Widow! Or Tony's dad! Or what's Rhodey doing here? Or...."
You get the idea.
But, again, I must insist, what was there, I loved. Honestly, there wasn't as much "big action set pieces" as I expected, and that was really refreshing for something touted as an action movie. In the end, the action sequences were fun, but not nearly as fun as watching all these talented actors chew scenery and be badass in their own ways.
As a side note, I hope I'm not the only one who thought the coolest fx scene was when he's working through his dad's puzzle? That was way more impressive to me than the explosions. A new element! Awesome.
RDJ, of course, is marvelous to watch. His face is so expressive, and even when he's making a complete ass of himself, he still manages to be charming (and at times pitiable). He hides things, partly because he's narcissistic enough to think he can handle everything himself, and partly because he genuinely wants to protect the people around him, the people he cares about.
And whenever Tony and Pepper are on screen, the banter reaches new heights of UST. The main reason why I very seldom see romantic comedies is that they just don't make 'em like they used to. If you want to know how they used to be made, watch every scene in which Tony and Pepper talk at each other, past each other, and the words just fly at a million miles a minute and you really feel the tension and the chemistry boiling beneath that surface. That is everything that makes a good romantic comedy, and I was genuinely unsure if it would be resolved at the end. It was wonderful.
I was fully expecting Mickey Rourke to be mind-bogglingly good, and I was not disappointed. I really don't think I need to say much more than that, but of all the actors, I think the most surprising for me was Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. He was amazing, he really owned it. Justin is like Tony's less talented cousin - all the egotism, and nearly none of the charm. And Mr Rockwell plays that with such assurance, it's clear he was having a lot of fun with it.
Oh, and I was really glad to see more of Happy - maybe it was just a little egotistical of Jon to put himself in the movie so much more, but he's really fun to watch, it's not like the guy can't act. He really can. He held his own (kind of) with Scarlett Johansson, for god's sake! Also, I appreciate a guy who is cool with being less badass than the woman. Heh. Just keep the car running, Happy. ♥
So yeah, in the end, it's a really fun movie about a bunch of people kind of blundering their way around a world (the superhero world) that they don't know a lot about. They make a lot of missteps, and they cross genres pretty frequently, but the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously is what allows it to retain its charm and be entertaining, albeit a little too big for its britches.
Oh, and some thoughts re: the experience. I'd almost forgotten how much fucking fun midnight screenings usually are. The audience was so engaged, so energetic, the excitement was palpable. There was cheering (and a lot of massive booing at the Twilight: Eclipse trailer, LOL4RL). Cheering at a couple of big moments, and at the end, and then the audience just exploded (most people stayed through the credits) at the easter egg. Shouts of "THOOOOOOOR!" etc. It was just so much fun.