Iron Man 2
May. 8th, 2010 11:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valis2So. I really liked the first one, though I thought it had a bit more style than substance. But I rewatched it recently and marveled at how much substance they tried to shoehorn into it, and how successful they were.
Okay. So on to IM2. Let me preface this with the fact that these are just my first impressions and are not really well thought out at this point.
I really really liked about 85% of the movie.
The 15% I didn't like: the Rhodes/Tony relationship. I missed Howard so very, very much. I didn't think the Cheadle characterization cared much for Stark at all, and it showed. Howard had a warmth and genuineness that really came through. He seemed to really get the Tony vibe and knew what to do with it. I could have done without how Rhodes got the suit--the entire out-of-control Tony-partying-in-the-suit scene was really heinous to me. Sure, I totally get what the screenwriters were trying to do, and I like that they don't want to make Tony a saint and stuff, and yeah, he's egotistical and this is probably what he'd do--but I found it contrived in the extreme. I would much rather have had Tony-in-a-regular-suit going out-of-control. The standoff and strangeness with Rhodes basically stealing a suit--or wait, are they implying that it was meant to happen? Why endanger everyone's lives and destroy Stark's place to do it that way? I don't understand.
I also didn't like the Dad-gives-son-a-message-from-the-past. That stuff really really strains the believability. Tremendously. Maybe it's just me, but I was pretty much rolling my eyes.
Also, I used to love the Nick Fury comic books, but was not happy with the characterization--it was too much Dumbledore. Seriously. I would have liked some humanity or a little more gruffness or something. I don't know.
Okay, that's out of the way.
Let me just say that I fucking loved Ivan Danko and Hammer. LOVED. They were both such awesome villains to the extreme. Sam Rockwell did a villain role in a Charlie's Angels movie, and I absolutely loved it, and he brought that same kind of energy here. For most of his performance he seemed to be a greedy whiner, but then in a couple key moments he shows his teeth, and holy hell did I love that.
And I liked Rourke's accent very much, and I loved his performance as well. I absolutely loved them together in scenes. Hammer was awesome. Sam Rockwell had some extended scenes and I thought he did such a marvelous job with them, and Rourked put together such perfect reactions. Terrific stuff, and I will definitely be rewatching this just for their scenes.
Clearly the filmmakers must have received a lot of fanmail about RDJ all sweaty and hammering with his anvil, because they had a few scenes like that (and a couple for Rourke). I kept giggling.
All in all, a highly satisfying sequel. I also really really loved the Black Widow and thought that her scenes were done very well. And Shandling nailed his role as well, of course.
Okay, there are my highly disorganized thoughts about the movie.
ETA: Oh, and afterward, we stopped to get gasoline, and I was hopping about with my credit card, waving it in front of the pump and shouting, "Technology is my bitch, yo." Because there was just so much technology in the movie, and it was all so handson, and...
I think you had to be there.
Okay. So on to IM2. Let me preface this with the fact that these are just my first impressions and are not really well thought out at this point.
I really really liked about 85% of the movie.
The 15% I didn't like: the Rhodes/Tony relationship. I missed Howard so very, very much. I didn't think the Cheadle characterization cared much for Stark at all, and it showed. Howard had a warmth and genuineness that really came through. He seemed to really get the Tony vibe and knew what to do with it. I could have done without how Rhodes got the suit--the entire out-of-control Tony-partying-in-the-suit scene was really heinous to me. Sure, I totally get what the screenwriters were trying to do, and I like that they don't want to make Tony a saint and stuff, and yeah, he's egotistical and this is probably what he'd do--but I found it contrived in the extreme. I would much rather have had Tony-in-a-regular-suit going out-of-control. The standoff and strangeness with Rhodes basically stealing a suit--or wait, are they implying that it was meant to happen? Why endanger everyone's lives and destroy Stark's place to do it that way? I don't understand.
I also didn't like the Dad-gives-son-a-message-from-the-past. That stuff really really strains the believability. Tremendously. Maybe it's just me, but I was pretty much rolling my eyes.
Also, I used to love the Nick Fury comic books, but was not happy with the characterization--it was too much Dumbledore. Seriously. I would have liked some humanity or a little more gruffness or something. I don't know.
Okay, that's out of the way.
Let me just say that I fucking loved Ivan Danko and Hammer. LOVED. They were both such awesome villains to the extreme. Sam Rockwell did a villain role in a Charlie's Angels movie, and I absolutely loved it, and he brought that same kind of energy here. For most of his performance he seemed to be a greedy whiner, but then in a couple key moments he shows his teeth, and holy hell did I love that.
And I liked Rourke's accent very much, and I loved his performance as well. I absolutely loved them together in scenes. Hammer was awesome. Sam Rockwell had some extended scenes and I thought he did such a marvelous job with them, and Rourked put together such perfect reactions. Terrific stuff, and I will definitely be rewatching this just for their scenes.
Clearly the filmmakers must have received a lot of fanmail about RDJ all sweaty and hammering with his anvil, because they had a few scenes like that (and a couple for Rourke). I kept giggling.
All in all, a highly satisfying sequel. I also really really loved the Black Widow and thought that her scenes were done very well. And Shandling nailed his role as well, of course.
Okay, there are my highly disorganized thoughts about the movie.
ETA: Oh, and afterward, we stopped to get gasoline, and I was hopping about with my credit card, waving it in front of the pump and shouting, "Technology is my bitch, yo." Because there was just so much technology in the movie, and it was all so handson, and...
I think you had to be there.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-09 04:05 am (UTC)Also, RDJ's shoulders were the best I've seen since Luc Robitaille retired from the NHL.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-09 03:35 pm (UTC)And RDJ has magnificent shoulders. Too bad he couldn't do the movie naked. lol! At least shirtless...
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-09 06:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-09 03:39 pm (UTC)Then again, he only saw the original once, when it came out, and I just saw it again recently.
Still, I thought Howard's performance rocked the house. He was a terrific best friend. Cheadle is a great actor, but there just wasn't enough time to develop his character more. Too bad. :(
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-10 01:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-09 03:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-09 03:43 pm (UTC)