Saturday, May 8, 2010

Iron Man 2 (2010)


"Anything can be achieved through technology."

- Iron Man 2


For those who follow my through twitter, you probably know how much I've been really looking forward to this movie - I've been tweeting about it all week. When I first saw the trailer, I knew I definitely wanted to go out and see it - I'm glad I did.

(Note: If you haven't seen the first "Iron Man" film or you've seen it but may need a refresher, I highly recommend seeing it first before you go out and see this movie. There are a few recurring characters and parts of the film that relate to the prior movie).

This film is really a movie about technology and the power of technology. The above quote sums it all. But, technology can go both ways - either for the good or for the bad. And, this is determined by the one who holds it.

On one hand, you have Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) who believes he has achieved his father's, Howard Stark, dream of world peace through Iron Man (aka his alter ego). And, yes for awhile world peace had been achieved.

Though, on the other hand you find Ivan Vanko (played by Mickey Rourke) who has a vengeance for Tony Stark and his family. And, also Justin Hammer (played by Sam Rockwell), Stark's new business rival, a business weapons maker, who only cares about profit and gain no matter what the costs even if it means creating war.

(Note: I won't go into the reason why here as I don't want to spoil it for those who have not seen the film. If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about).

The technology here in question is not only the "Iron Man" suit, which the United States government is trying to seize, but also information. It's the information that is valuable. Why?

Information is a blueprint for what is possible. With information, anything can be achieved through technology. (This is what the quote above is referring to).

However, though information is out there and available there are some things that can be easily achieved by just having the "blueprint," and those that require more thought. Sometimes there is a point where existing information can no longer help and what is needed is vision - imagination to creatively think beyond what is seen by the eye.

(Note: Here, I'm referring to a point in the film where imagination was the key. And, through imagination a new technology was born. If you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm talking about).

In a way, I think this film was making a statement about the kind of world we have today. There are lots and lots of products out there on the market. Anyone can take a product and copy it especially today with the amount of information we have available.

But, it takes skill and imagination to create something truly great and unique - something different. And, that innovation is what sets "the greats" from the "not so greats".

Though I don't really consider myself that much of a comic book type person, I really enjoyed this movie. This is definitely an action type movie - lots of big explosions and special effects. It kept my attention throughout the film.

As for the story, I thought it played true to the character of Iron Man. I especially enjoyed how they incorporated some references to some other comic book type characters.

(Note: If you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm talking about).

I enjoyed seeing both Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in the movie playing their respective roles.

(Note: I didn't put here the characters they portrayed as I don't want to spoil it for those who have not seen the film. However, I will say I thought Scarlett Johansson was in some really awesome scenes near the end).

Also, I thought it was pretty interesting to see Jon Favreau, who plays Happy Hogan, since he directed the film. He did a great job and his character was very funny at times in the movie.

Apart from the story and the characters, I really enjoyed the level of comedy in the film. Not only did it have a lot of action, but I found myself laughing many times throughout the movie. I especially liked the courtroom scene in the beginning, it was classic!

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It had it all - action, comedy, insight and most importantly, conflict. (The main ingredient of "My 15 Minute Rule"). Above all, I found it to be very entertaining - it definitely was a very fun movie to watch.

If you're in the mood for an action type film, I highly recommend this one.

Film Gurl's 15 Minute Rule: PASS

Happy movie watching!

p.s. Feel free to leave comments on any post either here and/or my Facebook Page. Comments are always welcome, thanks for reading!



Video Link

3 comments:

SciFiDrive said...

IM2 is loosely based
on the comic arc Armor Wars there was no hint of the Mandarin he ought to be the next foe in the 3rd installment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armor_Wars

Candice Frederick said...

wow. i really liked your review--very interesting and it had a lot of good points that other reviewers haven't caught! good job! i thought this was sooo entertaining, even after not having seen the first one!

Film Gurl said...

(SciFi Drive) Thanks for the info, I had no idea - will check it out!

(Candice) Glad you enjoyed the review! It definitely was an entertaining movie. I enjoyed how they also included bits of comedy along with the action. Nice to hear input from someone who has not seen the first one, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for stopping by!