Iron Man 2: Boom or Bust?

Boom!  Was there ever any doubt?

Iron Man 2 holds onto and glorifies the myriad of strong points from the first film. For you action junkies, the suit becomes supercharged and various other highly creative models are constructed. The result: a visual overload of bullets, missiles, and explosions.

For you techies, JARVIS will now be the subject of your wet dreams. His holographic interface is blown way out of proportion in the most excellent way. Instead of Downey, Jr. aimlessly flailing his arms about like in Iron Man, motion commands to operate the interface are actually present and consistent in this sequel, to where it is almost convincing.

For you speed demons, F1 race cars rumble the theater seats and are then torn asunder at mach-one speeds in explosions of fiery goodness. Look for the first two identical Phantoms built by Rolls Royce joining the race at the Monaco GP circuit track. The new R8 model premiers as well, though it is a convertible…sorry.

However, when you find yourself in the cockpit of a Formula 1 at start-up, Audi’s decision to flaunt the convertible will be the last thing on your mind. The sound engineers of Iron Man 2 tickle your spinal cord and excite audio-sensory glands that you will develop during the course of the movie in an evolutionary effort to perceive the many levels of audial bliss. If you’re asking, “Where the heck are my ‘audio-sensory glands’?”, you’ll know when you climb into that cockpit.

If we stop to use our thinkers for a minute, there is a logical explanation for the success of Iron Man. Director Jon Favreau ties together all aspects of movie making quite seamlessly. With writers such as Justin Theroux, and actors like Downey, Jr., Cheadle, Rourke, and Rockwell, it’s hard to go wrong. Though, remembering Favreau’s experience in writing screenplays and witty comedies as far back as Swingers, as well as acting in numerous films, we would be hard-pressed to dig up a more suiting candidate to sit in ye olde summer-blockbuster-director’s chair. Coupling this wisdom with the talent of visual effects houses like Double Negative, PerceptionNYC, and The Third Floor yields a recipe for a savory action/sci-fi treat.

So, what has changed about the success of Iron Man, with its sequel? Nothing.

…Oh, stick around for the credits.