How much cheaper it could have been without the first 90 minutes

Rating: 6/10 (12 May 2010)

The surprising thing about the initial movie release of Iron Man was that not only was there action, but thought and intrigue. There was almost something in the movie for everyone simply because wading through the scenes you didn't find interesting were blocked well and didn't run on and get you impatient. Not so with this new entry. I was hoping that it would have gone more the way Spider Man II went: More plot for morons, more build to romance, enough head on action to appease the geek. This for me did not happen. Now granted, I don't claim to be an expert in movies. I don't know the intimate histories of all the stars and starlets out there, or the screen writers, nor the directors or producers much more than the average Joe but I'm not all that willing to accept less than what was offered in a preceding film. Even though the same constellation was involved with this production it just didn't quite do it for me. I was disappointed. Here's why: The first 90 minutes of this film were vague and uninvolved. You may argue the fact, but to this reviewer it seemed that the entire movie was during the last 30 minutes when good versus evil clashed in a way we hope it would. I have seen it twice, and the second viewing confirmed what I couldn't pinpoint in my first watch: The movie was boring for the most part. Nick Fury was a "meh" (though Jackson still is just right for this part); Scarlett at her best was image happy. The whole sequence with her kicking her way through the Hammer corporation I couldn't decide was her stand in, or CGI, or just the actress. I saw this in a DLP theater and the way her hair flew around the screen just didn't look justifiable (even though the leather suit did justice to her makeover); Pepper seemed almost borderline personality disorder - mood-swings were almost menopausal. Even the Iron Man seemed a little over the top even at his worst. The one thing that was almost perfect was Rourke's portrayal of Ivan. He is the perfect ugly bad guy as we have come to expect since his role in Sin City. For the most part to me, the whole thing seemed like it was over acted. Hence, when action commenced, it all seemed to fall in place. Still, there are redeeming graces that occur. The filming and coloration are up to par, the enhanced Iron Man effects appreciated. Thanks to CGI, it was still a great theater experience. I don't know how it will fare on DVD. I think over the coming weeks, the viewing of this movie will drop significantly from opening day, just the opposite of "How To Train Your Dragon", which is doing really well still. It's not that this movie was a total waste, it is just expectations were not met in this reviewers opinion. Sorry guys.