Iron Man 2 - Review

*spoiler free. totally wasn't going to write this, but whatevs *kanye shrug*Is the Iron Man franchise rusting?The latest installment of the movie released in America on May 7th. The hype surrounding this movie has been festering since the last installment started off a great summer of brilliant movies. However, this sequel does not live up to what that movie started. As a sequel, there are just certain expectations that come with it. The first Iron Man was a mixture of a great story with nice pacing, rounded characters, and several action sequences that well done. For Iron Man 2...1 outta 3 might not be TOO bad. The story was not paced very well. There were a few moments that were dull or too prolonged (for my tastes). The character of Tony Stark was not as rounded as in the previous movie. We see him spirling downward, which is all good, but there is no redemption or resolution in his spiral. Potential is there, but dialogue in the last few scenes do not prove much (albeit these scenes seemed excessive).Also, there were so many new characters in the movie (and the attempt to expand on former character's roles) that it was difficult to enjoy their performances to the fullest - although I did enjoy the additions. Can't go wrong with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury! Scarlett Johannsen has a very successful action scene (with no special effects which made it amazing), but it brings up the question on whether little Montez (Kick Ass) set the bar incredibly high for female action scenes.* The replacement Rhodey, Don Chedle, did no better then Terrance Howard in the role. The little dialogue quips that he was a new actor in the role were funny, but his performance was so-so. Good thing is, I could not really place another actor in the role and he's better then Howard was.The movie seemed like a prequel to other Marvel projects. Ok Marvel, we get it. You're pimping out future projects, but can we get back to the movie at hand? It was great to see the little, geeky things and dialogue (I.e Captain America's sheild), but oftentimes it was a bit heavyhanded. I especially thought the extra scene after the credits would be Iron Man related, as I was dissatisfied with the ending, however it was not. Of course it was an enticing surprise nonetheless.The action sequences were fantastic. The villian, Whiplash, was a combination of two comic villians, but I actually think this creation of a new villian was very successful to the film. I was intriqued by this character and his backstory. The raceway scene (which I saw prior to the entire movie) was definently my favorite scene in the movie for several reasons (I won't list them here...so long and numerous.) I felt his final scene, however, was entirely too short after a very prolonged flight scene.This was a very enjoyable movie. I plan to see it again this coming week. My many gripes with it were probably overshadowed by excited geekiness. For the casual movie goer, this is probably a fantastic movie to see. I think fans of the franchise will also be pleased.*i am working on a 'Women in Action Films' acticle that will be posted probably around the time Angelina Jolie's "Salt" releases since her part was originally written for a man. It'll analyze women in action movies, past and present, and their roles. It'll compare + contrast what I think is successful and not successful. It'll talk about the sex appeal of them (tight clothes o_o) and all that stuff. Should be fun to writ