Viewed twice in May 2010 in theaters
I remember when only the Comic Book boys knew who Tony Stark was. I also remember not watching the first Iron Man movie for over a year and a half after it hit theaters. Boy, those were dark days. Since then, Marvel has given us an unforgettable character who makes even the crankiest moviegoer crack a smile. With the second installment in the moneymaking beast that is Iron Man, I believe that the production studios have hit gold again, even considering the loooooong buildup to the actual action, which was disappointingly missing some witty one-liners.
As far as the film goes, as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed it. Granted, there was some SERIOUS impossibilities going on, and there wasn't many truly funny "Wow-that's-something-only-Tony-Stark-would-do" moments, and the buildup took forever, and the movie was a bit too long...but it was enjoyable. I really love how Tony is more of a "normal" character than some of the other superheroes, mainly that he's vulnerable, he reacts to things like a normal person might, and he falls flat on his face sometimes. Somehow, though, he always gets back up, dusts himself off, and takes off running after the bad guys. He's a complete jerk to everyone around him, but somehow he has redeeming qualities that make us forgive most of his faults. This film is full of action, explosions, and annoying bad guys, not to mention it's very clean compared to its predecessor as far as objectionable content goes. So why don't people like it that much?
The length is a bit much, but I can't think of anything I would pull out of it to make it any shorter. The characters are intriguing, and the chain of events are quick and well locked together. I think people don't care for it because it doesn't have much as far as humor goes. Also, Tony (predictably) relies heavily on his Iron Man suit. However, contrasting to the first movie, there is a huge villain who is very easy to hate. Tony also goes through many life-changing moments, but ultimately ends up as basically the same character, with a few good changes thrown in.
NEGATIVES:
>>There are a few profanities, but it's surprisingly few, given the nature of Tony's reputation. There are some nasty names thrown around.
>> There are ALOT of explosions. One or two people get their backs broken or necks snapped. There's one guy with a very intimidating whip weapon which destroys everything it touches. No blood appears unless it's on a character who is actively involved in combat.
>> There's not too much as far as the spiritual side of things goes. One or two references to God, a few abuses of His name.
>> Alcohol is involved in one particularly uncomfortable (but rather funny) scene, and the chemical which keeps Tony's arc reactor running is alluded to as a type of drug or alcohol. Smoking shows up once or twice.
>> Sexual content is also surprisingly low considering Tony's penchant for beautiful one-night stands. A few misplaced jokes are thrown in about anatomy or proportions, and sex is mentioned once or twice. There's a scene with scantily clad women doing a provocative dance for a moment; one main female character wears skin-tight clothing and even changes her clothes in the backseat of a car (we see her take off her shirt). Other than that, not much is here. :)
Overall, the bigwigs at Marvel could have done much better with the movie and could have used RDJr's sense of humor more--but on the other hand, they could have done so much worse. It's a refreshingly clean movie--not spotless, mind you, but definitely easier on the eyes and ears than alot of other superhero movies of recent years. Tony is not exactly a guy I'd want to hang out with, but he's delightfully fun from a distance.
4 1/2 stars out of 6
So that everyone (including myself) may benefit from it, please feel free to leave your own personal opinion of this film.
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