With the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.With the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.With the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 45 nominations total
Paul Bettany
- Jarvis
- (voice)
Summary
Reviewers say 'Iron Man 2' offers mixed reactions. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is lauded for charisma and humor. Action scenes, especially the Monaco Grand Prix and final battle, are praised for excitement and effects. Criticisms include a cluttered plot, pacing issues, and lack of focus. Some feel it sets up future Marvel movies at the expense of a cohesive story. Villains, like Ivan Vanko, are seen as less compelling. Despite flaws, many find it entertaining and a valuable MCU addition.
Featured reviews
This movie contains some throughly enjoyable moments that are on par with some of Downey Jnr's highlights as Tony Stark. The relationship between Pepper and Tony is taken further and built upon brilliantly in this movie. It contains some really cool and innovative action scenes which are taken for granted now. However the poor villain, a pattern in Iron Man Solo Outings, and the lack of direction meant this is easily the poorest Iron Man Performance. It's still an entertaining watch but you wouldn't be wrong if you skipped this movie when rewatching MCU Classics.
Iron Man 2 is a lot messier than its game changing predecessor as it does what too many comic book sequels do and crams too many characters into one film. There's a genuine story of addiction that has to share screen time with 2 separate villain storylines and some clunky set up for the Avengers. On top of those, there's also another plot thread involving big revelations about Tony's father and it can't all cohere but it does a really good job overall.
MCU movies almost always cast the best people in the title roles and Robert Downey Jr. In every single appearance as Tony Stark/Iron Man is the epitome of Marvel casting in full effect. Whatever issues this film has, he's never one of them as he navigates a self destructive character arc by initially pushing away those closest to him. Scarlett Johansson is equally perfect thanks to her winning combination of confidence and mystique.
Sam Rockwell is a perfect pathetic villain who absolutely should've been utilised way more in the wider cinematic universe. He nails his character's desperation to be as charismatic as Tony Stark without ever being able to come close. Don Cheadle is effortless in taking over the role of Rhodey and succeeds in making the character his own. Samuel L. Jackson instantly arrives with his trademark screen presence and Mickey Rourke does a decent job despite working with scraps.
Even though Jon Favreau's direction is understandably struggling to give every element the necessary space, the technical craft remains strong. The CGI is pretty damn good and whilst the action sequences are a little too sporadic, they definitely deliver the goods and the Monaco Grand Prix set piece has a very satisfying sense of danger and excitement. The third act battle feels slightly rushed however, it still contains plenty of thrilling moments.
MCU movies almost always cast the best people in the title roles and Robert Downey Jr. In every single appearance as Tony Stark/Iron Man is the epitome of Marvel casting in full effect. Whatever issues this film has, he's never one of them as he navigates a self destructive character arc by initially pushing away those closest to him. Scarlett Johansson is equally perfect thanks to her winning combination of confidence and mystique.
Sam Rockwell is a perfect pathetic villain who absolutely should've been utilised way more in the wider cinematic universe. He nails his character's desperation to be as charismatic as Tony Stark without ever being able to come close. Don Cheadle is effortless in taking over the role of Rhodey and succeeds in making the character his own. Samuel L. Jackson instantly arrives with his trademark screen presence and Mickey Rourke does a decent job despite working with scraps.
Even though Jon Favreau's direction is understandably struggling to give every element the necessary space, the technical craft remains strong. The CGI is pretty damn good and whilst the action sequences are a little too sporadic, they definitely deliver the goods and the Monaco Grand Prix set piece has a very satisfying sense of danger and excitement. The third act battle feels slightly rushed however, it still contains plenty of thrilling moments.
For some reason this movie had not been getting the greatest critic reviews. I do not understand that at all. I thought the movie was very enjoyable and a successful sequel in the series.
For anyone who has seen the first Iron Man you can expect much of the same in this movie. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark like he is meant for the part. He has the same sarcastic wit and self-confidence that is evident in his other movie roles. Gwyeneth Paltrow, as Pepper Potts, has a comes more to the forefront in the sequel. I also personally love that Jon Favreau is the driver for Stark/Potts, and that he gets into the action a little bit. You have to respect the director for that, even though Jon has done plenty of acting himself.
Normally in when they replace someone in a sequel with a different actor/actress I am very upset. However, Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 as War Machine/Lt. Rhodes made me happy. This is similar to what happened with Maggie Gylenhal in the Dark Night.
Samuel L. Jackson playing Nick Fury has a bigger role, and it leads all the viewers into wanting The Avengers movie to come out immediately. Scarlett Johansson also showed up with some impressive stunt work, along with her always gorgeous looks.
All in all it was a well done sequel. The plot is not too convoluted to follow. The new villain, played by Mickey Rourke, is very impressive and fun to watch. The action scenes are all entertaining but they do not completely drive the movie. The only thing that I wished for leaving the theater was a longer final fight scene.
Also, make sure to watch after the credits!! It is short, but worth it.
For anyone who has seen the first Iron Man you can expect much of the same in this movie. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark like he is meant for the part. He has the same sarcastic wit and self-confidence that is evident in his other movie roles. Gwyeneth Paltrow, as Pepper Potts, has a comes more to the forefront in the sequel. I also personally love that Jon Favreau is the driver for Stark/Potts, and that he gets into the action a little bit. You have to respect the director for that, even though Jon has done plenty of acting himself.
Normally in when they replace someone in a sequel with a different actor/actress I am very upset. However, Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 as War Machine/Lt. Rhodes made me happy. This is similar to what happened with Maggie Gylenhal in the Dark Night.
Samuel L. Jackson playing Nick Fury has a bigger role, and it leads all the viewers into wanting The Avengers movie to come out immediately. Scarlett Johansson also showed up with some impressive stunt work, along with her always gorgeous looks.
All in all it was a well done sequel. The plot is not too convoluted to follow. The new villain, played by Mickey Rourke, is very impressive and fun to watch. The action scenes are all entertaining but they do not completely drive the movie. The only thing that I wished for leaving the theater was a longer final fight scene.
Also, make sure to watch after the credits!! It is short, but worth it.
At first, when a heard about a second installment, i thought, i was unsure in it, because Jon Favreau is relatively new on the director's chair, so could he pull of another classic superhero movie?The answer is simple-YES! I saw it in its opening day and the theatre was full.I went along with a few friends, and all of them loved it!Here are some things, we all agreed we liked.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:It was pretty good in this movie-making aspect, although it is an action movie, there is some quite exciting development, especially the leads.Don Cheadle made a perfect substitute of Terrence Howard, and looked pretty good in the movie.So did the Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlet Johansson's heroines.For me, Scarlet is one of the most gifted and talented and in the same time, the most beautiful actresses in the last decade and even more.And last, but not least, of course, the Iron Robert Downey Jr., making one of his unique, specifically for him, roles.He is smart, funny and in the same time, well, action hero type of guy-he adds so much to this otherwise, stereotyped role.Sam Rockwell was a little irritating, but that's what his role is supposed to be, and to those who have doubts, yes, Mickey Rourke made a decent and interesting role again.
TIMING:Almost perfect, except, maybe, the opening credits and a few over timed scenes afterwards, everything was alright and on the perfect spot.
PLOT/STORY:I finally can say it-YES, the day has come.A day, where superhero movies haven't got just CGI, put a pretty decent story, attached to the normal amount of CGI.Well, hard to say normal, a little bit over-the-top, but nonetheless fun, when you get use to the headache.The humor was perfect, brilliantly touched to the smallest line.And most importantly-it's not that predictable-i don't mean the ending, but the development, leading to it.Excecutet skilfully, when looked from this point of view.
CGI:10/10, nothing else to add.Believable Flawless.Perfect.
With no big flaws or plot holes, very funny dialogue, skillful acting and good directing, Iron Man is definitely the best movie of the year so far.The perfect blockbuster as well.I'm glad a saw it, and if the first one didn't made me a fan, this one did.I can't wait to see it again.Cheers to Iron Man Amazing! I would've given this a ten, but with some very few weaknesses, i'll lower this a little, although it did make me a bigger fan than before...
My rate: 7.5/10
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:It was pretty good in this movie-making aspect, although it is an action movie, there is some quite exciting development, especially the leads.Don Cheadle made a perfect substitute of Terrence Howard, and looked pretty good in the movie.So did the Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlet Johansson's heroines.For me, Scarlet is one of the most gifted and talented and in the same time, the most beautiful actresses in the last decade and even more.And last, but not least, of course, the Iron Robert Downey Jr., making one of his unique, specifically for him, roles.He is smart, funny and in the same time, well, action hero type of guy-he adds so much to this otherwise, stereotyped role.Sam Rockwell was a little irritating, but that's what his role is supposed to be, and to those who have doubts, yes, Mickey Rourke made a decent and interesting role again.
TIMING:Almost perfect, except, maybe, the opening credits and a few over timed scenes afterwards, everything was alright and on the perfect spot.
PLOT/STORY:I finally can say it-YES, the day has come.A day, where superhero movies haven't got just CGI, put a pretty decent story, attached to the normal amount of CGI.Well, hard to say normal, a little bit over-the-top, but nonetheless fun, when you get use to the headache.The humor was perfect, brilliantly touched to the smallest line.And most importantly-it's not that predictable-i don't mean the ending, but the development, leading to it.Excecutet skilfully, when looked from this point of view.
CGI:10/10, nothing else to add.Believable Flawless.Perfect.
With no big flaws or plot holes, very funny dialogue, skillful acting and good directing, Iron Man is definitely the best movie of the year so far.The perfect blockbuster as well.I'm glad a saw it, and if the first one didn't made me a fan, this one did.I can't wait to see it again.Cheers to Iron Man Amazing! I would've given this a ten, but with some very few weaknesses, i'll lower this a little, although it did make me a bigger fan than before...
My rate: 7.5/10
I went to go see this with a friend on Saturday night. Now, I heard the film from others that this a step or two below the original, but I went in with an open mind. By the time the movie was over, I was pleased. But then, after thinking about it more, this is a disappointment. The film is drastically different in pace. Honestly, it gets a bit of a bore for awhile, which never happened in the original. Sometimes, its just hard to take this film seriously as a superhero film. In my opinion, the overwhelming number of laughs and silliness in this film makes it hard to take seriously. There is a large list of new things in this sequel. First, we learn much more about Tony Stark's father than we ever did in the original. Its quite interesting. Jon Favreau has a much, much bigger role in this film than the original, and I absolutely loved his role in the film. We learn his character has a personality. The talented Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Rhodey,and I actually liked him better in the role. They both seem so different in the role. There's Scarlette Johansson as Black Widow. I was honestly disappointed with her role in the film. It was too small, I thought. Mickey Rourke is raw and sinister as Whiplash, the main villain, and its a perfect fit. He does an absolutely perfect Russian accent. Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer is a good fit for the most part, although it was hard for me to take his character seriously after awhile as a villain. Sometimes, it seems like all his character does is be funny. Samuel L. Jackson has a much bigger role in this film as Nick Fury (he had a credit ending scene in the original). In a way it succeeds over the original, but for the most part it doesn't. It's missing some of the excitement and originality that made the original a truly great achievement in film. This is quite a bit different from the first, and you may not like how different it is. I certainly didn't. Many new actors, and a whole different type of ballgame. There's a bit, I think, too much silliness in this film. But still, it'll do. Go see this. Its not as fun as the first, but its not as disappointing as Spider Man 3 was. And do be sure to stay after the credits if you're a fan of Marvel Comics. Make sure you notice Stan Lee's cameo in this as well. Its rather brilliant. Overall, good film.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaScarlett Johansson dyed her hair red before she even got the part of Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, because she wanted the role so badly.
- Goofs(at around 1h 3 mins) When Nick Fury and Natalie Rushman are with Tony Stark and give him a vaccination to cure his blood from poisoning him, Nick Fury gives him a syringe filled with what he says is "Lithium Dioxide". However, lithium ions have a single positive charge while oxygen ions have a double negative charge. As such, lithium oxides have two atoms of lithium per atom of oxygen, not two atoms of oxygen per lithium as "Lithium Dioxide" would suggest. In addition, any oxide of lithium would decompose immediately in any kind of water solution, such as would be required to inject it into a person.
- Crazy creditsThere is a scene after the closing credits: Agent Coulson arrives in New Mexico and locates a crater in which lies the war hammer Mjolnir. This was a contracted version of the same scene from Thor (2011).
- Alternate versionsThe mainland Chinese release obscures Vanko's nationality by reversing all Russian references on the soundtrack. For example, the word "Russia" comes out as something like "Ashar", and "Siberia" as "Ayuribias". The subtitles and the Mandarin-dubbed version simply delete these references altogether.
- SoundtracksShoot to Thrill
Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson
Performed by AC/DC
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Rasputin
- Filming locations
- SpaceX - Rocket Road, Hawthorne, California, USA(Hammer Industries Factory)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $200,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $312,433,331
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $128,122,480
- May 9, 2010
- Gross worldwide
- $623,933,331
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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