BY MIKEY MIGO
Iron Man was a surprisingly great movie. I'm not a huge action movie fan and super hero movies are normally hit or miss with me, but the first Iron Man just rocked. While everyone was rightfully so on "The Dark Knight" ‘s nuts and while it probably was a better movie overall, I always felt the first Iron Man was a much more enjoyable ride. Robert Downey Jr. has charisma that's hard to emulate and sometimes a little over the top, but here, for Iron Man it works. The new Iron Man 2 just came out and I had to see it. In most cases like this, one would expect a sequel to suck or not live up to the original. While I do think the first one is still better, probably just because it was the "unveiling" so to speak, Iron Man 2 is a lot of fun. I'm not a comic guy so I really don't know the "real" back story to the characters and world, but I like what Favreau does. This time out, Tony Stark has to deal with some health issues, a Russian Mickey Rourke, Pepper's new assistant in Scarlett Johansson, Rhodes part 2 in the much better Don Cheadle defying his friend, and an awesome Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. There is A LOT going on here and at times it feels like too much. The big fight pay off at the end isn't that satisfying and Sam Jackson's SHIELD stuff seems forced in there, but I still managed to enjoy this movie. It's a good movie with good performances, but I have trouble saying it was that fulfilling. Just too much stuff going on without a good build or pay off on any of it. Even at over two hours, I felt like twenty or so minutes were missing. I want to see this again and I'll probably enjoy it more as the anticipation is worn off. That said, I recommend it. It's got some issues, but it's definitely a good movie and worth the time and experience.
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