Going to Stalk Rourke.

Ironman 2
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jnr, Gwenyth Paltrow, Scarlett Johanson, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L Jackson.
I saw this on Friday. I landed back in Melbourne and went straight to the cinema. I have left my blog for a few days. I wanted to work out exactly how I felt about this film before I started to ramble about it. The thing is, I think I'm spoilt. I think my expectations for my favourite comic book films (and especially sequels) has become ridiculous. I liked this film. I didnt love love love it. I loved parts of it. I loved the first half, I loved Mickey Rourke. But I didnt walk out of the cinema and drive to target to buy toys. (It was 1am mind you). A sequel to an action packed comic book film is hard to perfect. It's always going to be bigger but bigger isnt always better (Transformers 2....still upset about that). The action sequences are definitely bigger and very well done. A sequel also introduces new characters. The cast is a credible bunch. Don Cheadle replaces Terrance Howard (who fell out with Favreau in the first one). Scarlett Johanson plays Natalie Rushman (The Black Widow). Both her character and Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) are there to set up the connection between this franchise and the upcoming 'Avengers' movie which will see Ironman, The Hulk, Captain America and Thor unite. (Weeeeeeeee). Scarlett doesnt say or do that much. She looks incredibly hot and kicks some bad people. I guess that's enough. And then there's Mickey. See it for him. He's not in it enough. His accent is spot on, his hatred for Tony Stark is palpable, and his invention "Whiplash" is just Radical! The makings of a good sequel are all there. I can't really pinpoint why I didn't love it. The highlight for me was definitely the car race in Monaco where 'Whiplash' is revealed. It made me want to race cars and cut stuff up with giant electrical currents! I need to stop building films up too much. There's no pleasing me it seems!
Nerd note: Stay until after the credits. You will see another clue to connect us to The Avengers. An agent for Nick Fury is sent out to the desert of Mexico to locate someone. We see a very quick glimpse of Thor's hammer. Can't wait to see Thor. And Avengers. And Ironman 3. I'm still a fan.