Iron Man 2 (2010)

Overall: A+
Cast: A
Plot: A
Special Effects/Stunts: A+
Similarity to Comic: A
Director: Jon Favreau
Comic Company: Marvel
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow
Rating: PG-13
See the IMDB page
See the Rotten Tomatoes page

I went into this movie thinking it was going to be worse than the first Iron Man movie, and most critics and fans agreed that it was.  I however found it to be wildly entertaining and by far my favorite movie Marvel has ever done.

The Good: I am a huge Mickey Rourke fan and he did not disappoint in this film.  He is such a versatile and talented actor he can bring life to any character he is asked to play, and whiplash was no different.  My only complaint is that there wasn't more of him in this movie.  The rest of the cast was solid and consistent with their first Iron Man performances, always a plus.

My favorite part of this movie was that there were multiple villains, not only did Iron Man have to fight Whiplash but he also had to fight his army of Iron Man look-a-likes.  Also they added Iron Man's sidekick to the plot just in time for some sweet fight scenes and explosions.  But the thing I like most about Iron Man is how they make him very much like a normal person emotionally.  When he thinks he's going to die and there's nothing left to do he gets drunk and rampages around in the suit, then gets donuts the next day as he's hungover, very real.

The Bad: My biggest pet peeve in superhero movies is when they change actors for leading roles for no reason at all.  Don Cheadle was War Machine in this movie, and he did a great job, but Terrance Howard was Rhodey in the first film and might have been an even better War Machine.  Why was he cut?  He doesn't have that boyish look that Cheadle sometimes has and in my opinion he's much more rugged and fit for an action role.

The final fight between Whiplash, Iron Man, and War Machine wasn't long enough.  It was built up perfectly by the fight with all of the military suits and then Whiplash shows up and instead of a fifteen minute long battle to the death we got thirty seconds and then the ending is overshadowed by Pepper being in danger.  Not the best way it could have ended but I'll take it since the rest of the movie was so good.

The Interesting: How did Tony go the entire first movie and not know that the metal in his system was going to cause him to die?  That problem seemed to just appear out of nowhere unnecessarily and then get cured all of a sudden by him randomly discovering (er, re-discovering) a new element?  I don't buy it and I don't think it added much of anything to the plot.

I like how they portrayed the American government acting like it really would in this situation, mainly trying to take Iron Man's suit away so they can use it for themselves.  After they get their hands on one they try to add to it and make it better which of course backfires (the ex wife).  Then they settle for the next best thing which is unmanned robots that have the same purpose but in greater numbers and far less effective or well built.

Conclusion: This movie blew my mind and I have loved it since they day it came out, I've watched the Blu-Ray multiple times and it never gets old, an instant classic and a must have for everyone's collections.