"Iron Man 2"

Previously on Iron Man, Tony Stark reveals to the world that he is the titular hero, and it takes only six months for the government to get a little bit upset about the suit. He continues to be a jerk like in the last movie and makes fun of the court hearing that tried to take it away.

This is Black Widow’s first outing in the MCU and it’s perfect. Not because she’s played by ScarJo, though it doesn’t hurt, but her background as a former spy allowed her to fly under Tony’s nose as well as Pepper’s. My favorite moment was at the doughnut shop where Natalie appears in her Black Widow outfit, and Tony nearly chokes on his coffee and says, “You’re fired.” But I side with Tony in wondering when were Pepper and Natalie suddenly buddies. Natalie/Natasha was obviously put in to piss off Pepper even though we know that she has no intentions to be with Tony. That makes it sort of frustrating when a super hero movie is resorted to a B comedy with forced misunderstandings. But back to Pepper and Natalie, does Pepper know Natalie’s secret? Does she know that S.H.I.E.L.D. exists? I guess because she had several conversations with Agent Coulson, so she must have known about Natalie. Oh, wait, what if the entire time it was a front for them both from Tony? Natalie being all “Yes, Ms. Potts” and Pepper being all “Don’t ‘Ms. Potts’ me.” Tony being Tony made him oblivious to the act. 

I know I said never read the comics, but when you watch the Looper vids and read CinemaBlend, you learn things.

The other subplot is that the arc reactor in Tony’s chest is killing him with palladium poisoning. Then, according to Jarvis, he created a new element. What is it? I read in a Goliath article, about the best scientific techs in science fiction film and television, that it was vibranium. If that is so, then where did Wakanda get it? And if he invented it, what is Captain America’s shield made of? The same article mentioned that vibranium also makes up the shield. So, who made it first? Speaking of his shield, it makes an appearance this time, but in a campy cameo where Tony puts it under the coil he was using to make the “new element.” I agree with Agent Coulson, where DID Tony get the shield?
Meanwhile, we get War Machine? Colonel Rhodes is War Machine? By the way, what happened to Terrence Howard? I like Don Cheadle as much as the next guy, but he doesn’t fit this role.

The main villain is the son of Howard Stark’s ex-friend, who comes for vengeance. But if the electric whips he creates can slice through Formula 1 cars and a Rolls Royce, why couldn’t it cut through Tony’s suits. Both Iron Man and the War Machine were resistant to the whips. What are the suits made of? In the first movie Tony says that they’re made of a gold-titanium alloy. Can gold-titanium alloy resist being cut? If that is so, how come was able to make, at this point, five suits?

We get to hear more about Tony’s estranged father, Howard, but come on, he’s a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.? And Howard knew the secret to the new element that would replace the palladium that's killing Tony. In his expo design no less. And doesn’t Howard Stark look like a discount Walt Disney? His ’74 expo even looks like the design of Disneyland. Maybe this hints at Disney buying Marvel in the near future.

Tony and Pepper continue to have a dysfunctional relation that finally blossoms with an awkward kiss and a miscommunication on Tony’s health. This is also continued proof that Gwyneth Paltrow doesn’t work as Pepper.

Remember at the end of The Incredible Hulk that Tony said that he was putting together a team? Well, in Iron Man 2, during my favorite scene, Tony tells Nick Fury that he doesn’t want to be part of the Avengers Initiative. And at the end, he’s a consultant. Pick a lane, movie.
Then the end credits scene: it’s a good hint at the next film in the release schedule, Thor, but the film had a bigger hint at the franchise, and we didn’t know it for five years. Stay tuned!
It has to have been a shock, or at least just a letdown, after the success of the first Iron Man. What should have been a more exciting adventure is an action movie on life support. With the disastrous Incredible Hulk, that's two strikes against the MCU in bad movies, but like The Incredible Hulk, it isn't so that you're not deterred from going to the next one.

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Released On: May 7, 2010
Rating: PG-13
Stas: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle
Director: Jon Favreau
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73% Certified Fresh
IMDb Score: 7.0/10

Awards
Academy Awards

• Best Visual Effects Iron Man 2 - Nominated

(Click here to view more awards for "Iron Man 2")

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