A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Iron Man 2

Date Viewed: 5/12/10

Details:

Robert Downey Jr.

Don Cheadle

Scarlett Johansson

Gwyneth Paltrow

Sam Rockwell

Mickey Rourke

Samuel L. Jackson

Director: Jon Favreau

Score: 1/2

The Review: Suffers from a bit of "second-itis" -- i.e., it's not as good as thefirst entryin the series. The technology is (mostly) familiar, the characters are (mostly) familiar, their foibles and egos are (definitely) familiar -- so it just doesn't grab you like the originalIron Mandid.

But where the technology is new, there is curious attention paid to the process of invention or creation -- and the puzzle-solving by Tony Stark as he tries to unravel his father's hidden messages. Eavesdropping, you get a tinge of what science and research might be like, watching him assemble a particle accelerator in his lab -- perhaps no more than a smidgen of a tinge, but it might be the only insight some people ever get.

And where the characters are new? One of the thoughts passing by my perhaps unengaged or overly critical mind was, "whatever happened to Terrence Howard?, although [as the plot played out] I can make a guess." Although it is interesting watching Johansson's new character -- personal assistant cum closet super-hero -- would that there were more (much more) of Paltrow, who's significantly less visible in this installment. The two villains -- ah, that must be the logic: second installment, twice as many bad guys -- are opposites of one another, with Rourke by far the more interesting character. Rockwell's Justin Hammer is a cloned smarmy asshole, about whom it is hard to generate enough adrenaline even to hate.

As before, SFX and stunts are a major attraction. High production values, so the entire flick has a gloss about it that's palpable.

(1-Aug-10)

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