Iron Man 2

4K (like all of the Disney/MCU films on iTunes). Would give it 5 stars otherwise.

First off, I love Robert Downing JR as Tony Star and it was cool to see Samual L Jackson as Nick Fury and Scarlett Johnson as Black Eidow. Don Chedle as Rhody was a god choice. But the plot is a little shakey. The climax isn’t as intense as other comic book films. Overall, a pretty cool film.

Marvel Studios' flagship hero successfully launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) back in 2008, but for me, this 2010 sequel left much to be desired. This pre-Avengers adventure features a pair of lacklustre villains in the form of Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, who is basically Tony Stark without the charm. However, despite it being a lot less fun than the original, it does have the distinction of introducing S.H.I.E.L.D., Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and of course, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.

For some reason this movie had not been getting the greatest critic reviews. I do not understand that at all. I thought the movie was very enjoyable and a successful sequel in the series. For anyone who has seen the first Iron Man you can expect much of the same in this movie. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark like he is meant for the part. He has the same sarcastic wit and self-confidence that is evident in his other movie roles. Gwyeneth Paltrow, as Pepper Potts, has a comes more to the forefront in the sequel. I also personally love that Jon Favreau is the driver for Stark/Potts, and that he gets into the action a little bit. You have to respect the director for that, even though Jon has done plenty of acting himself. Normally in when they replace someone in a sequel with a different actor/actress I am very upset. However, Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 as War Machine/Lt. Rhodes made me happy. This is similar to what happened with Maggie Gylenhal in the Dark Night. Samuel L. Jackson playing Nick Fury has a bigger role, and it leads all the viewers into wanting The Avengers movie to come out immediately. Scarlett Johansson also showed up with some impressive stunt work, along with her always gorgeous looks. All in all it was a well done sequel. The plot is not too convoluted to follow. The new villain, played by Mickey Rourke, is very impressive and fun to watch. The action scenes are all entertaining but they do not completely drive the movie. The only thing that I wished for leaving the theater was a longer final fight scene. Also, make sure to watch after the credits!! It is short, but worth it!