Iron Man 2
May 17, 2010
3.5 stars out of 5
Robert Downey Jr. does it again; this is an entertaining, fast-paced summer blockbuster. Sam Rockwell, the villain, also gets another chance to strut his amazing stuff. If only he would catch on (and catch fire), American films would be enriched by his greater visbility. The reviews of this film have been all over the place, with generous portions of tongue-lashing for director Jon Favreau. And I admit, this does seem to be two films in one: a clever, witty character study and a transformers film full of CGI effects. I am included to agree with the Salon reviewer; wouldn't it be great if we could have a big summer movie about a raging narcissist billionaire defense contractor, without the iron suit? Still, to deride Iron Man for not being a character study is like deriding a chicken for not being a fish. It is what it is, and for what it is, it is good.