Movie #317 - Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2
2010 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 4 min
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L Jackson, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Leslie Bibb, Gary Shandling, Jon Favreau

Sequels are always tough... and I usually approach them with great trepidation.  But when I heard about Iron Man 2, I was pretty psyched.  Thankfully, the movie doesn't disappoint.

While it lacks the fun creation sequences of the first movie, the technology doesn't stop advancing and the Iron Man suit has a few updates, like unfolding from a case that travels pretty light.  There are new bad guys, including scary Mickey Rourke, and new good guys, including Scarlett Johansson.  Tony Stark's troubles with his heart machine thingey (yes, that's the technical term) are more complicated, the ties to the Avengers are strengthened just a tiny bit, and the relationship with Pepper Potts grows as well. 

It's not as good as the original, but I think it continues the plot and everything that surrounds it in believable ways.  Everything takes a step forward, from the technology to the characters, so it's a great movie with lots of treats for fans.

Movie #316 - Iron Man

Iron Man
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 6 min
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Faran Tahir, Leslie Bibb, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Peter Billingsley

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. No joke.  I think that's his big secret.  No drug or alcohol problems. No rehab. He was secretly off fighting crime in his Iron Man suit. 

Which would make this movie a kind of biography...

Anyway, I don't know a lot about the comic or the character, it's true.  But this is one of the best Marvel comics-to-big-screen franchises there is.  I attribute that to a killer cast, fabulous action sequences, and general kick-assery. 

Also, it's fun to see Jeff Bridges be the bad guy.  And as unlikely a pair as they seem, Paltrow and Downey have fantastic on-screen chemistry.  Still, the best scenes in the entire movie are between Downey and his team of robots as they test the suit again and again.  Priceless.