Iron Man 2

[williamjm]

I went to see Iron Man 2 today at the cinema. I know this is a few weeks after most people that have seen it, although I was quite keen to see it having enjoyed the first film a lot and thinking the trailers looked good, a combination of going to Chester, going up to Scotland for a week and the friend I was going to see it with having to cancel meant I didn't really get a chance until now.

I thought it was a very enjoyable film, Robert Downey Jr is excellent again in the main role and the rest of the cast is good as well. The action scenes are good and the pacing is good enough that the film never really seems to lose much momentum. I think it could possibly be slightly better than the original due to having a better villain (even if Mickey Rourke is a bit underused) and a better final action sequence than the slightly anti-climatic one in the first film. Like the original it is entertaining and no more than that, I think it is sufficient for a superhero film to just be entertaining and not have any depth but I'd still rate it behind the likes of X-Men 2 or the two Batman films because they do have more compelling plots - it may still be obvious in them that in the end the Good Guys will triumph there is at least some potential for there to be some negative consequences to some of the characters whereas in Iron Man I didn't really feel any of the characters were ever in any jeopardy. If it didn't have such a charismatic performance in the lead role then the script might make it quite a weak film, but fortunately it turns out to be very entertaining.

When I bought the ticket for the film, I noticed that they asked if I wanted a normal seat or a 'premium' seat (which was a couple of pounds more expensive). This must be a thing at all Vue cinemas now, since they did the same thing when I went to see Robin Hood when I was up in Edinburgh. I'm sure I don't want to pay more for a premium seat since even a normal cinema ticket is expensive enough nowadays (I fondly remember the days when I was at University and could get £2.50 student tickets at the local Odeon) but I'm a bit puzzled where the premium seats are since they don't assign a seat number and all of the seats in the cinema look identical without anything to say "don't sit here unless you have a premium seat".

Incidentally, has anyone seen "The Losers"? I thought the trailer looked like it could be entertaining, but I haven't seen any reviews or reactions to it so far. I do wonder just how many "band of assorted soldiers/mercenaries/whatever get betrayed and have people try to kill them" films we need at the moment, what with this, The A-Team, The Expendables and Predators all coming out fairly soon.

Comments

[fenryng.livejournal.com]

I still haven't seen it myself yet, but ever since Downey has (it appears) finally gotten off the drugs for good, his acting (or personality in general) is just so fun to watch, I have been appreciating him in everything I see him in.

I tend to rate all "superhero" movies by the standards of the very first Superman and The Dark Knight.

[williamjm.livejournal.com]

I agree, I thought Sherlock Holmes was very entertaining as well, largely because of Downey's performance (although Jude Law was also good).

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Saw The Losers tonight: a lot of fun.

[eefster.livejournal.com]

If it's anything like our Vue, the premium seats are the ones in the middle section, about halfway towards the screen. No other difference, though. As you say, that's no good when the seating's either GA or not checked -- in that case there's no point in paying the higher price.

(Haven't seen IM or IM2, so no commentary there! I can -- and do -- agree that RDJ is great fun to watch lately, though.)

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

Nope, not even see the first one. I hear a lot of people say it's "fun", but nobody raves enough to push me into picking up the box for a rental.

[zollo-the-fat.livejournal.com]

Good point - lack of jeopardy. Hadn't thought of that myself, but you are quite right. It is rather gimmicky, almost. Let's wait and see what they do with nr 3!

Also, in the Edinburgh Vue - the Omni Centre anyway, there is a member of staff hanging around the premium seats to make sure the right people end up sitting there. Never get one myself, ... what is the point? To me a premium seat is a seat in a movie theatre with only half a dozen others watching the same movie!

[williamjm.livejournal.com]

I didn't notice any members of staff in the screening, although I wasn't really looking for them. It seems particularly pointless in the screen I was in which was a fairly small one where there wouldn't really be a significant difference between the different seats anyway - at least in larger screens there might be some benefit to being able to sit in the middle but I doubt it would be enough to justify paying extra money.

[enjai-pearson.livejournal.com]

I watched Losers yesterday and it's good fun. There's a good chance it will be the best of the A-team themed movies coming out. Not sure if it's worth a cinema ticket though, you could enjoy it just as well on DVD.

The "premium" seats are a piss take. The prices are already extorionate and they expect you to pay more for the "best" seats? This is standard at Odeon but at least the chairs are more spacious/comfy and with individual arm-rests (none of that worrying of stealing someones cup holder). I still don't pay the extra for them though.

Iron Man 2 was very wise in keeping the focus on Tony Stark rather than the usual mistake of diluting the hero under villains/sidekicks.

[williamjm.livejournal.com]

"Not sure if it's worth a cinema ticket though, you could enjoy it just as well on DVD."

I doubt I'll mind much if I do miss it at the cinema, but I might go to see it if I'm bored and don't have anything else to do sometime.

"Iron Man 2 was very wise in keeping the focus on Tony Stark rather than the usual mistake of diluting the hero under villains/sidekicks."

Hopefully that will continue in the rest of franchise - judging by past evidence it is the third film where dilution of the hero(s) can be really problematic (Spiderman 3, X-Men 3).