The Movie Mind

Movie Mind Says:  Go To Movie Theater

If You Like This You Should Watch:  Iron Man, Batman Begins
Better Than:  Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-Men
Worse Than:  The Dark Knight

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson

Robert Downey Jr. is back for a follow-up of the original Iron Man where his performance in it completely rejuvenated his career. In this much anticipated sequel, Downey manages to put in another strong performance, and along with a stellar cast, Iron Man 2 exceeds the hype building up to it. It’s always hard to compare sequels with the original because there is so much anticipation that the sequel rarely ever fulfills. The Movie Mind isn’t saying this sequel was better than the original, but I sure do think it was in the same league. Downey was even funnier this time around; the supporting cast was even better with strong performances from Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell, and the action was gripping. There were still a few holes in the story, most notably the National Lampoon’s-like swap of Don Cheadle for Terrance Howard (Col. Rhodey), but it did not derail the overall entertainment.

As most of you know, The Movie Mind does not fashion himself as a comic-book aficionado. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Most comic-book or superhero movies are at a disadvantage in my eyes because I know little or nothing about their surrounding stories or background. One thing about Iron Man 2 that I just did not get and could have done without was the insertion of Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Nick Fury, who I’m told is part of The Avengers group. Now that I know this, I like it even less. It seems to me like a shameless plug for a crossover sequel leading to an Avengers movie. His role was frivolous, and as nice as it is to be able to add a role for Scarlett Johansson (part of The Avengers group), it was messy and superfluous to the plot. This might not be the feelings of the comic-book crowd, but then again I am not part of that crowd.

Aside from Downey’s uncanny ability to pay a hilariously egotistical eccentric (big stretch, really) he was outdone by the scene-stealers in this film. As Iron Man’s foil, Ivan Vanko, Mickey Rourke reminded us all of why we loved him so much in The Wrestler. As a flawed bad-guy that still manages to be quite likeable, there is no denying that when he is on-screen you cannot focus anywhere else but on him. The bigger surprise role that managed to steal every scene he appeared in was Sam  Rockwell, as Justin Hammer (perfect name for those of you who have seen Tool Academy should know exactly what he was like), Tony Stark’s “other” competition.  Rockwell manages to play the most completely unlikeable character yet I thought he put in the strongest performance of the movie. Some actors can just play the little snivily weasel to a “T”, and Rockwell is one of them. I thought he stole the show.  

Aside from the couple of faults I already pointed out, there may have been one or two other small issues. Pepper Potts (Paltrow) loses a bit of her innocence and becomes a business tycoon out of nowhere. They sacrifice the budding romance between her and Stark to convince us that her years as a personal assistant qualified her to run a corporate conglomerate and become a security expert that bosses around cops. Nonetheless, I was willing to overlook those faults and still call it a solid film.

When you walk into Iron Man 2, you should already have a pretty good idea of what you are going to get. The best part about knowing what to expect is that this is one of those rare occasions where it’s a good thing. Jon Favreau does a solid job directing it and while he may have increased his own role’s screen time a bit more than needed, that’s the beauty of being the director. I would do the same thing if I could. So sit back and enjoy one of the better comic-book movies we’ve had in a long time, at least since the original. If there is any rain coming your way this Memorial Day weekend, make sure your forecast includes a trip to the theater for Iron Man 2. 
Submitted 5-26-10

Interesting Cameo Appearance:  Garry Shandling (Comedian/Writer and Actor who has been laying low since the days where he had his own show(s) (It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show) as Senator Stern, a ball-busting politician who has it out for Tony Stark.

Memorable Quotes:
Tony Stark: [reading from Natascha’s SHIELD Report on Iron Man/Tony Stark] Mr. Stark displays textbook… narcissism.
Tony Stark: [Stark stares at Nick Fury] … Agreed.

Justin Hammer: She’s actually doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair. I thought I’d throw her a bone, y’know?
Pepper Potts: Right. Well, she did quite a “spread” on Tony last year.
Tony Stark: And she wrote a story as well.

Justin Hammer: I’d love to leave my door unlocked at night, but this ain’t Canada.

Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes: This lone gunslinger act is unnecessary… you don’t have to do this alone!

Justin Hammer: I wanna make Iron Man look like an antique.

Tony Stark: What’s the point of owning a race car if you can’t drive it?

Tony Stark: [to Vanko] You look like you have friends in low places…

Tony Stark: Look, she speaks Yiddish, Arabian, Russian, Latin… Latin? Who speaks Latin?
Pepper Potts: No one speaks Latin. It’s a dead language.

Tony Stark: I’m not saying I’m responsible for this country’s longest run of uninterrupted peace in 35 years! I’m not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a Phoenix metaphor been more personified! I’m not saying Uncle Sam can kick back on a long chair, sipping on an ice tea, because I haven’t come across anyone man enough to face me on my best day!

Natalie Rushman: I’m surprised you can keep your mouth shut.
Tony Stark: God you’re good. You are mind blowingly close to this. How do you do it? You’re a triple impostor, I’ve never seen anything like it. Is there anything real about you? Do you even speak Latin?
Natalie Rushman: [She says something in Latin]
Tony Stark: Which means? Wait, what did you just say?
Natalie Rushman: It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected.

Nick Fury: You’ve been very busy. You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away all your stuff, you let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn’t know better…
Tony Stark: You don’t know better, I didn’t give it to him, he took it.
Nick Fury: Woah woah woah! He took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit?

Tony Stark: [to Nick Fury] I’m sorry, I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot. Do I look in the patch or the eye? Honestly I’m a bit hungover, I’m not sure if you’re real.

Tony Stark: What’s on the docket?
Natalie Rushman: You have a 9.30 dinner.
Tony Stark: Perfect. I’ll be there at 11.

Justin Hammer: It’s capable of busting a bunker under the bunker you just busted. If it were any smarter, it’d write a book, a book that would make Ulysses look like it was written in crayon. It would read it to you. This is my Eiffel Tower. This is my Rachmaninoff’s Third. My Pieta. It’s completely elegant, it’s bafflingly beautiful, and it’s capable of reducing the population of any standing structure to zero. I call it “The Ex-Wife.”

Tony Stark: Who is she?
Pepper Potts: She is from legal and she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that.

Agent Coulson: If you try to escape or play any sort of games with me, I will taze you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet.

Tony Stark: The question I get asked most often is how do you go to the bathroom in the suit…
Tony Stark: [pauses with eyes closed] …just like that.