In 2008 Iron Man was released in theaters and gained amazing praise. Some called it the best Marvel movie since Spider Man and it even earned a very high
79 from Metacritic. Two years following we're given the highly anticipated Iron Man 2 and there's no arguing that this movie is a commercial success ($133.6 opening weekend) but how about critically? Dropping from a 79 score on Metacritic, the sequel only garnered a 57 overall score. What could have happened in two years?
Iron Man was (and still is) a great superhero movie and the casting of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark was brilliant. Downey is still excellent in the sequel but the focus doesn't seem to be entirely about him. We have sub-plots about Nick Fury, Rhodey, Ms. Potts, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. There's Stark's problems against the competing Hammer company, the US Government trying to seize the Iron Man technology, Iron Man having health issues, a psychopath after revenge for his family, etc. There's a lot going on but the movie isn't too confusing and everything ties together at the end. Along the way there's fights, explosions, witty banter, love stories, and more of Downey being Stark. While all of that is okay, I just feel like the movie fell into being a traditional superhero sequel. As I watched, I enjoyed the dozens of plots, characters, and the slight nerd excitement spotting things that every marvel fan should have recognized (stay until the credits are done rolling). At the end of the day though, I really felt like the movie was passable. Fun, exciting, enjoyable, and flashy but not truly memorable.
SUMMARY
Worth a watch if you're a fan of the first film or superhero movies. Downey is still great as Iron Man and Mickey Rourke was a treat as the villain. Watch it in the theaters once but don't expect to be blown away like you were while watching the first.
FINAL GRADE: B-
No comments:
Post a Comment