Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 has perplexed me for the last 3 weeks. I just don’t know what to rate it. Although there are no glaring flaws that I want to complain about, it doesn’t feel like Iron Man, Spider-Man 2, X2, or The Dark Knight. Can knock a movie for not feeling right?

If there is one obvious note to take from the second Iron Man movie is that there has never been a more pitch perfect comic book casting than Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. It may be as much Downey acting like himself but that energy fits the character of Stark. Can comics be transitioned to books on tape so he can read me all the issues of Iron Man? I recognize that it takes a long time to film a movie but I don’t want to go that long without more of Downey as Stark.

Downey may overshadow everyone else in Iron Man 2 but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t any other casting highlights. There may be bigger names and more important characters but I’m starting with Sam Rockwell because he is awesome. If it were up to me, Justin Hammer dancing on stage of the Stark Expo would have actually been the third Iron Man movie or at least the real Step Up 3-D. And if I’m going with Justin Hammer dancing, then I would team that with Natasha Romanoff walking since there were multiple scenes that seemed to linger on Scarlett Johansson even when she wasn’t speaking … weird. Another key part of Iron Man 2 was confirming that Sam Jackson’s take on Nick Fury works and is something to look forward to for the multiple Marvel movies down the road. I did enjoy Mickey Rourke being big scary Russian ex-con who actually stays in the lab and builds stuff. Nice twist even if Whiplash is not Russian and Ivan Denko is actually Crimson Dynamo and that is about enough of that. Finally, John Slattery as Howard Stark was phenomenal casting. He may just look the part after years of Mad Men but he was perfect as Tony’s dad.

There were a handful of topnotch action scenes throughout Iron Man 2. The Monaco fight with Whiplash was the clear highlight. You had Whiplash in full glory along with Tony using the suitcase armor, which was a sweet moment. I was also a big fan of Black Widow tearing through a hallway of Hammer security goons. That could have gone on for hours and hours and I would have been satisfied. Although there may have only been a few quick shots but seeing War Machine in action it was definitely badass. That being said; just like the first Iron Man movie the best parts are not when he is in the suit.

It’s a month later and still don’t have a solid opinion of Iron Man 2. When the credits rolled … and rolled and rolled and rolled until a hammer showed up and I got to say Mjolnir out loud … I was ready to give it a perfect score and be done with it. But I no longer am comfortable with that and I can’t point to a specific reason. Who the hell knows what goes on inside my brain?

9 out of 10