Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Iron Man 2 Is Certified Fresh

Plus, Babies is cute, and Mother and Child is powerful.

by Tim Ryan | May 7, 2010 | Comments

This week at the movies brings just one wide release: Iron Man 2, the hotly-anticipated superhero sequel starring Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, and Scarlett Johansson. What do the critics have to say?

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Iron Man 2

As with many blockbuster sequels, Iron Man 2 is bigger, louder, and filled with more characters than its predecessor. Critics say that doesn’t mean it’s better, but it’s still got enough firepower to kick off the summer in fine style — and the always-delightful presence of Robert Downey Jr. ensures that Iron Man 2 stays on track. Downey is back as Tony Stark, the multimillionaire and professional adventurer who dons the high-tech Iron Man getup and is reluctant to turn his creation over to the military. However, he’s got other problems on his hands — most notably Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who’s got an old score to settle with Stark. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Iron Man 2 features strong work from its fine ensemble cast, and the action scenes are top-notch, but overall, it doesn’t quite have the heft of the first film. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we count down Cheadle’s best-reviewed movies.)

Also opening this week in limited release:

Casino Jack and the United State of Money, a documentary about disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is at 92 percent.
Welcome, a drama about a Kurdish refugee’s attempts to reunite with his girlfriend in England, is at 88 percent.
Mother and Child, starring Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson in a drama about the effects of adoption on three women, is at 84 percent.
OSS 117: Lost in Rio, the latest installment of the satirical espionage series, is at 78 percent.
Babies, a doc about the lives of four infants around the world, is at 66 percent.
Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers, a transgressive pseudo-documentary featuring a group of eccentrics making mischief, is at 38 percent.
Multiple Sarcasms, starring Timothy Hutton and Mira Sorvino in the tale of a man who tries to stave off a midlife crisis by becoming a playwright, is at zero percent.