Iron Man 2 Short Review

I thought the first Iron Man was a great super hero film, and when the cast for Iron Man 2 was announced with, on top of Robert Downey Junior who personifies Tony Stark, Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell (the two actors who I think have given the best performances over the past two years, Rourke for The Wrestler in 2008, Rockwell for Moon in 2009). Needless to say my expectations were probably too high going into this film. I was expecting a sequel that topped the original in the tradition of other super hero films such as X-Men 2, Spider Man 2, and of course, The Dark Knight. What I got instead was a satisfying film that I think paled in comparison to the first one and under used its actors. The story isn't great, and I don't think we'll see the pay off for the Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) character until the third or fourth flick. That being said for the time they're on screen, Rockwell, Rourke, and Downey Jr. are terrific. Cheadle is ok as Rhody, though I liked Terrance Howard more in the first and found Scarlet Johansen's character pointless. The action sequences aren't inspired, but they'll entertain.

So do I recommend it? Yes, though I must say, if you can, go see Kick-Ass, which is a much better super hero flick and also a much more entertaining one as well.