Thursday 13 May 2010

A great start to the summer season.


Lovers:
“Iron Man 2 is the perfect summer film. It is one of the few sequels that actually meets the standards set by the original. Overall, it’s lighthearted and fun, but has just enough elements of many genres (action, comedy, romance and science fiction, mainly) to make it appeal to almost everyone.”

Katie Rossomano @ Daily Titan

I completely agree with this review, much like the one bellow you should check out the whole review though.

Haters:
“I don’t know what went on behind the scenes while the film was being made but rumours of reshoots and recuts have been swirling around the internet. Was this the film director Jon Favreau wanted to make? I doubt it. After Elf, the underrated Zathura and the first instalment, he’s proved himself a capable pair of hands. Perhaps the blame lies higher up the studio food chain.”

David Edwards @ the Mirror

Hmm a little harsh don’t you think? The rest of this guys review is pretty damning so I won’t indulge him by showing all of it!

What I thought:
When the first Iron Man came out, it caught a lot of people with their trousers down. It was a smash hit directed by someone not known for Summer tent poles and starred an actor better known for off-screen antics. It worked for that reason, John Favreau directed it not as summer blockbuster but just an interesting film that has a superhero in it albeit a flawed one. Robert Downey Jnr brought his roughish appeal to Tony Stark and funnily enough that’s exactly how he is in the comics.

With that perfect formula a sequel was in the bag and expectations were high. Well I of course speak for myself but I loved it, everything the first one was and more! Mr Downey Jnr channels his bad days to convince as the boozing Tony Stark and yet again brings out laughs in the most un-expected places, Gwyneth Paltrow despite rumoured disputes is funnier in this film and less highly strung. Don Cheadle does himself a favour and ignores the role in the first film to make War Machine his own.

The bad guys are brilliant too, Whiplash may be a bit stereo-typical Russian bad guy but he’s great! My only gripe is that I thought he deserved more screen time as Mickey Rourke clearly relished the role! Sam Rockwell is one of the stand outs for me, he’s one of my favourite actors and in this he channels Downy Jnr’s Stark only minus any charisma!

Apart from that everything was better, the director had a better hand over action after cutting his teeth on the first one and he’s always been great and handling dialogue. Now avoiding the link to the Avengers and Scarlet Johanssen and Samuel L Jackson is a bit like an elephant in the room! It does bring me to the biggest problem people have with it, that it is used more of a set up to the avengers than its own film?

I agree with them to a certain degree I just don’t think it’s a bad thing! Introducing this whole sub plot of the “arc reactor” poisoning him is a bit paper thin but it works. Perhaps it’s because I’m a marvel fan and love the characters crossing over! Either way I think it’s besides the point as even if it is a link it’s an entertaining one.

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"Films are Loved, Films are hated. I'm here to help you decide where you stand..." I also do web work including a good knowledge of HTML, ASP, using the adobe web package and a strong understanding of SEO, Google Analytics.