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SPL!NG Movie Preview: Iron Man 2 (2010)
28 Apr 2010 by SPLING in Movie Reviews
Iron Man 2 opens this Friday with sneak previews tomorrow night and you’ve got no idea what to expect. Well, for starters – Iron Man’s in it. The title may have given it away, but you’ll be happy to know he’s back with “the man” (aka Robert Downey Jr.) in fighting form as the Tony Stark/Iron Man alter-ego tag team. Now there have been one or two casting changes… but nothing as ludicrous as Katie Holmes tapping Maggie “The Weakest Link” Gyllenhaal in for The Dark Knight.
Emily Blunt’s scheduling conflicts allowed second choice, Scarlett Johansson to be recast as Natasha Romanoff and they made another sideways transfer as Terrence Howard was replaced by Don Cheadle as James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes due to a fall out between Howard and Marvel Studios. The movie reviews are slowly rolling in… and so far the consensus is that this sequel boasts the same strengths that made the first Iron Man so entertaining with Robert Downey Jr. stealing the show… yet again!
Catch the rest of the preview and the trailer after the jump…
Iron Man 2 has been inundated with new characters in a similar move to Spider-Man 3 with Mickey Rourke slotting in as Ivan Vanko, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Other returning characters besides Tony Stark include: Pepper Potts (Paltrow), Christine Everhart (Bibb), Agent Coulson (Gregg), Hogan (Favreau) and Jarvis (voiced by Paul Bettany).
As they say, blockbuster sequels are generally based on the original with more characters, bigger special effects and more threatening plots involving world and sometimes universal domination. Iron Man 2 “fattens” up the cash cow for the slaughter (‘scuse the cynicism, see Food, Inc.) with a first-rate cast, a bold AC/DC soundtrack (AC/DC: Iron Man 2 ‘Shoot to Thrill’ Video) and a leaner, meaner Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow’s skintight catsuit. She may have been in training for six weeks before and during the shoot, but I’ve got a feeling it’s all been worth it!
“Hey, a superhero’s gotta eat!?”The plot is a continuation of Iron Man as the superhero’s true identity has been publicised and the military exerts its influence. Now with Iron Man’s new-found celebrity and already massive ego bursting at the seams, it seems the media are never going to let up. He’s hot property and it’ll come as no surprise that the government want his secret weapons technology for their own hellbent exercises in world domination (even post-Bush). As if the U.S. government weren’t enough of an obstacle, Iron Man’s also got a bunch of new villains to contend with… it’s going to be a long day at the office, think Spider-Man 2.
NEW IRON MAN 2 CHARACTERS
Name: Ivan Vanko
Alias: Whiplash
Skills: Razor-sharp electrical whips.
Background: Mickey Rourke’s Russian character is a combination of the Crimson Dynamo (Dr. Vanko), who could control electricity with his armour and Whiplash, who wielded a razor/acid whiplash. Rourke visited Butyrka Prison in Moscow to get an idea of the culture and insisted that half his dialogue be in Russian. “One wodka pleash.”
Name: Justin Hammer
Skills: Corporate, Military Technology
Background: Hammer was originally an elderly gentleman in the Iron Man comic book series, but was made younger so that Sam Rockwell could play a contemporary rival to Stark. Hammer was credited with supplying advanced weaponry to super villains, who would essentially become his “mercenaries”. Al Pacino was initially considered for the role, but Rockwell’s casting could have something to do with Favreau’s tweet declaring Rockwell get an Oscar nod for Moon.
Name: Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes
Alias: War Machine
Skills: Military Weapons Technology
Background: Lt. Col. Rhodes was trained as a pilot and soldier with the U.S. Marine Corp. He is Stark’s ally, best friend and a fellow MIT graduate. Rhodes wears a heavily fortified armour suit nicknamed “War Machine”, and stars Don Cheadle in the sequel. Cheadle claims he mirrored much of Howard’s performance in the original to bring the character to life, although many are still trying to come to terms with the fact that he starred opposite Will Smith in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Name: Natasha Romanoff
Alias: Black Widow, Natalie Rushman
Skills: Special Ops Expert
Background: The Russian spy is a world-class athlete, gymnast, sniper and expert at martial arts. She wears a black skintight catsuit supplied by her government (standard issue), along with an arsenal of special weaponry. Scarlett Johansson’s take on the Black Widow is inspired by famous Russian femme fatales, but will anyone even notice the accent with that red hair and “personality”? This is one Russian mail order bride that will literally cut you off… and I’m not talking about your house and car!
Name: General Nicholas Joseph “Nick” Fury
Alias: Nick Fury
Skills: Super-strength, Armed/unarmed combat
Background: After fighting for the U.S. in the Second World War (believe it!) the soldier received a serum, which halted his aging. Once a heavyweight boxer, Fury has developed into a martial arts expert and James Bond-type super spy… these things happen. Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as featured in the post-credits teaser of Iron Man. Oh, and Nick Fury used to be a white guy. Don’t go there… must’ve been a side-effect from the serum.Sneaks previews: 29 April, 8pm
Release Date: 30 April, 2010Watch the Iron Man 2 Trailer
Book tickets at Ster-Kinekor
Book tickets at Nu Metro
Catch more movie reviews at SPL!NGImages courtesy of Marvel/UIP.
Trivia sourced from IMDB.com.Latest News
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