Iron Man 2

Marvel continues to turn out films based on their comics. One character from the Avengers teams has already had 2 films before others have even had their first.

Before 2008 I don't think there were many people who had heard of Iron Man. Other than comic book fans. Now with the first 'Iron Man' film he is becoming very popular. I'm not a comic book fan so I do not know what the original source material is like, but the films are certainly a lot of fun. While there are serious themes involved they are done in a very fun sort of way. Plus with the way of the world at the moment they are very relevant.

I really enjoyed the first 'Iron Man' film. I have long been a fan of Jon Favreau as a director and was glad he got the chance to direct a big blockbuster film. He certainly did an excellent job. But I think he does a better job here. I think I'm going to be the only person to say that I liked this film more than the first film. I felt the story was more interesting in this film and helped to develop the characters more. The first film set things up nicely, now in the second film we get a chance to explore the characters more and see how their relationships develop. I particularly enjoyed Tony Stark's character arc. My only major problem with the film was a minor lack of action. There was a section of the film about half way through were there were no action scenes and I felt the film needed more. I should warn you though I did see this film in Imax and everything looks really spectacular in Imax.

I'm so glad Robert Downey Jnr. is as popular as he is. He may have had some trouble in his past but he is a brilliant actor. As mentioned above I loved his character arc in this film and Robert does a great job with it. I don't even mind the fact that the characters he has played lately seem very much the same. I was one of the many people who turned off Gwyneth Paltrow after she won her Oscar. I was however pleased when she did these films. Gwyneth seems to have a lot more to do int this film and she is awesome at it. Even getting involved in some of the action as well. The rest of the cast are excellent as well. Sam Rockwell once again plays the smarmy bastard nicely. Don Cheadle makes an excellent replacement for Terence Howard. Mickey Rourke does a nicely subdued performance. Scarlett Johansson was very subdued as well. Except for a big action scene at the end she has very little to do. I expect we will see more of her in the future. I especially loved the cameo by Garry Schandling.

As with the first film we get a really cool hint at another Marvel character after the end credits. There is also a great hint during the film as well. All this adds up to a great action film and a good way to begin the blockbuster film season.