IRON MAN 2... I saw this summer’s most eagerly-anticipated film this weekend, and I must say...I definitely wasn’t disappointed! Unlike the first Iron Man flick, which was a great movie but one that I saw at the theater only once before I bought it on DVD, I’ll probably see Iron Man 2 a few more times at the multiplex this summer, haha. This could possibly due to the fact that there are a lot cooler characters in this one, like Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson...COT DAMN) and of course...War Machine (Don Cheadle). Terence Howard must be bangin’ his fists against the wall right now.
I never saw his performance in The Wrestler, but Mickey Rourke was awesome in Iron Man 2. Ivan Vanko, a.k.a. Whiplash, appeared like a wannabe Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2 during that Monaco Grand Prix scene, but the suit that he builds toward the end of the movie (which looked like the villain Crimson Dynamo, but probably isn’t him) was cool. Too bad the suit didn't last long against Iron Man and War Machine in that final fight scene though. Of course, Vanko wouldn’t have been able to build that suit without the help of weapons maker Justin Hammer—who was handily played by Moon’s Sam Rockwell. Some of the best moments in Iron Man 2 featured Hammer...especially in that Senate subcommittee scene where he squares off against Tony Stark during a tense hearing about why Stark refused to give up his now-famous battle armor. If Iron Man 3 gets made, which would be a no-brainer, it would also be a no-brainer to have Rockwell back to play this character as he comes up with new ways to one-up Iron Man and Stark Industries.
Black Widow, Black Widow, Black Widow... Where do I begin? Scarlett Johansson was mightily hot playing this spy-turned-notary—whose other aliases include Natalie Rushman and Natasha Romanoff. To see that she is an informant for Nick Fury (played with such motherf**kin’ coolness by Samuel L. Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D. is amusing. What’s even more amusing is watching Black Widow beat the crap out of all those security guards during the movie’s climax. Of course, a stunt double was used up the wazoo during this fight sequence...but it sure was nice when the camera cut to a close-up of Scarlett in that sexy black catsuit after her stunt double whupped those guys’ asses in the preceding shots. Like Hammer, should Black Widow be in Iron Man 3 as well? Considering the fact S.H.I.E.L.D (Google this acronym. I’m too lazy to type out what it stands for here) plays a prominent role in the movies’ storyline...ABSOLUTELY.
War Machine, War Machine, War Machine... How do I admire thee? What used to be Stark’s Mark II power suit from the previous film transformed into a thing of destructive beauty in this movie. A shoulder-mounted Gatling gun; automatic weapons on both gauntlets; a lethal and powerful projectile (against anything except Whiplash/Crimson Dynamo, that is) that shoots from a retractable shoulder launcher and the standard Iron Man repulsor cannon on the palm of each gloves... Lt. Col. James Rhodes must be totally glad that he stole the suit from Stark after that comical face-off in Stark’s mansion. If there’s to be a movie spin-off from the Iron Man franchise, it should be about War Machine. However, the spin-off would need to be rated R, just so we can see War Machine thoroughly mow down his enemies with the firepower of his truly awesome weaponry. Um, was that too sadistic? Oh well.
All-in-all, Iron Man 2 was terrific. Fans of the comic books should appreciate how Jon Favreau (director of the film and Tony Stark’s hilarious bodyguard in both movies) dealt with Stark’s alcoholism in the sequel (since that was a well-known flaw of the character in the comics), but pretty much retain the humor that made the first flick a fun one to watch. Though I (and a lot of other people) must wonder: Why did Favreau remove that scene where Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts kisses the Iron Man helmet before throwing it out of that C-17 cargo plane? And that other moment where Stark is um, teaching Natalie Rushman how to fire that repulsor cannon at his birthday party? Oh well. No doubt those deleted scenes will be on the DVD.
Before I finish this entry, I want to make just one more observation: That scene where Iron Man fires those two red laser beams to cut those robotic drones in half was F**KIN’ AWESOME! That is all.
Images courtesy of Marvel Characters, Inc. / Paramount
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