Iron Man 2: Grading, Review, Discussion **SPOILERS**

[JacksonArcher]

You all remember the "You Complete me" line in trailers that was ultimately cut from the final movie

this is the alternate scene/ opening where pepper throws his helmets and he jumps out and catches it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJBm1IyJ624

I think the only thing that doesn't work is the opening on Stark with his head in the toilet. Not the best reintroduction to Tony after 2yrs away.
One could argue it foreshadows 'drunk Tony coping with death' later in the film but first thing in the film really wasn't ideal.

Oh, I think that's hilarious! How often do you a see a superhero film open with the superhero hungover? It would have been unique, clever, and fresh. Something new that totally fits with the type of superhero film Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. were going for in the first film and failed to capture in the second film.

 

[Captain Craig]

You all remember the "You Complete me" line in trailers that was ultimately cut from the final movie

this is the alternate scene/ opening where pepper throws his helmets and he jumps out and catches it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJBm1IyJ624

I think the only thing that doesn't work is the opening on Stark with his head in the toilet. Not the best reintroduction to Tony after 2yrs away.
One could argue it foreshadows 'drunk Tony coping with death' later in the film but first thing in the film really wasn't ideal.

Oh, I think that's hilarious! How often do you a see a superhero film open with the superhero hungover? It would have been unique, clever, and fresh. Something new that totally fits with the type of superhero film Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. were going for in the first film and failed to capture in the second film.

I get the humor of it just not the best "Hey gang Tony here...oh, wait..ughhh...ok kids I'm back!!" moment . Everything else is tame enough though.

 

[JacksonArcher]

I think the only thing that doesn't work is the opening on Stark with his head in the toilet. Not the best reintroduction to Tony after 2yrs away.
One could argue it foreshadows 'drunk Tony coping with death' later in the film but first thing in the film really wasn't ideal.

Oh, I think that's hilarious! How often do you a see a superhero film open with the superhero hungover? It would have been unique, clever, and fresh. Something new that totally fits with the type of superhero film Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. were going for in the first film and failed to capture in the second film.

I get the humor of it just not the best "Hey gang Tony here...oh, wait..ughhh...ok kids I'm back!!" moment . Everything else is tame enough though.

I like that it takes a risk by opening up with him at the toilet after voiceover of him sounding like he's dying. It's just too hysterical for me to condemn.

 

[Yassim]

I saw this movie on an airplane with the sound off, but it looked to me like it stole its ending from Ghostbusters.

"Don't cross the streams!! We have to cross the streams!!"

 

[Aragorn]

I liked Iron Man 2 for what it was, but was extremely underwhelmed by it. The pacing was off and the action was pretty dull other than the racing scene. It also seemed more like a commercial for The Avengers than an Iron Man movie.

I tend to believe the rumors of studio interference, especially considering how Kevin Feige carries himself in public.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I liked it but not as much as the first one.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yeah the original opening scene would have been tremendous had it been kept for the film...I forgot now why Favs said he removed it. I'm glad it will be on the DVD. Just gives the opening sequences more depth and humor in what is kind of a dark story if you think about it.

 

[Brikar99]

Either way I'll be getting Iron Man 2, will you?

Pre-ordered it on blu for a mere $15.

Really? I'm curious where and how many discs that is for?
Amazon and Deep Discount are the two I normally check.

Link please? I may have to preorder it to then.

Sadly (or luckily, depending on your point of view) it was only due to a "pricing error" at Walmart. They're honoring the $15 preorder price for those who got in before they caught it, but everyone else has to pay the full $25.

 

[T'Baio]

I liked Iron Man 2 better than most people seem to, but even I think that alternate opening would have been way better than what we got.

I can almost guarantee someone somewhere (Feige?) told Favreau that he couldn't open the movie that way.

 

[Gaith]

Loved IM2, possibly more than the first, and definitely prefer the theatrical opening. Tony and Pepper are just too chummy in that opening compared to the friction that they then exhibit until the end.

 

[Admiral_Young]

There was friction between them? If you're referring to the scene in Pepper's office when Tony comes to apologize to her then maybe...the stuff at his birthday party was more annoyance than anything else.

 

[Captain Craig]

Favreau confirms some easter eggs that the internet had discussed after the movie came out.

Several large television monitors acted as the backdrop for a conversation between Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). One of the monitors showcased destruction on a college campus, another displayed a crater in desert surrounding while the most interesting was of a world map; a map which pinpointed seven ambiguous locations:

"[The first is] from "The Incredible Hulk", which means ["Iron Man 2"] took place before "The Incredible Hulk." If you look you see the the crater on the other monitor, that's the "Thor" thing. That's where the hammer was recovered. This is just a geek heaven here.
"And if you think that anything on this monitors is not something we at Marvel didn't talk about for hours - you are crazy! See, there is a map up there, so... if you look at those maps, each one of those locations corresponds to something in the Marvel Universe. I'm not supposed to say that.
"And if you look on each one, and I know what they mean, but I'm not gonna say it, but I'm gonna say this: Two of them relate to "The First Avenger: Captain America," one of them relates to "Thor." The one in Africa relates to Black Panther."
​

So is a Black Panther movie going to happen alongside a possible Black Widow movie post Avengers? Also, is this a theme? Can we expect a Black Goliath and Black Knight movie?

 

[Admiral_Young]

Already saw Wakanda and Atlantis on Fury's situation board. Just means those films are possible and the characters exist within the Marvel Studio branch. As a Canadian I'm disappointed there was no icon on Canada...which I suppose makes sense since "Alpha Flight" is most likely a Fox property.

 

[Gaith]

There was friction between them? If you're referring to the scene in Pepper's office when Tony comes to apologize to her then maybe...

Er, yes, there was. She thought he was being irresponsible, so he made her head honcho of Stark Industries; she then continued to find him irresponsible... they have an arc from Tony's concealing his illness and Pepper's frustration to getting together at the end; the alternate opening would have sabotaged that, as well as veer the tone too far towards light comedy after the ominous Russia opening.

 

[Admiral_Young]

My point was though this isn't conducive to just this movie, she's been dealing with this type of behavior from him probably since she's known him. It was only heightened in the sequel.

 

[JacksonArcher]

I kinda have to side with Admiral_Young here. There has always been friction between Tony and Pepper, even from the first movie. Things just sort of naturally got worse as the plot progressed in the sequel, but they never got along that well. Also, that alternate opening establishes the same type of argumentative relationship they've been known to have throughout these movies.

I'm just not sure how the Ivan/Russia sequence would have played out chronologically speaking-- presumably the film would have opened with Tony and Pepper before the jump, and then it immediately segues to the Stark Expo sequence. My guess is that the Ivan/Russia sequence would have played directly after the Stark Expo bit had the film opened with that alternate opening.

 

[Gaith]

I kinda have to side with Admiral_Young here. There has always been friction between Tony and Pepper, even from the first movie. Things just sort of naturally got worse as the plot progressed in the sequel, but they never got along that well. Also, that alternate opening establishes the same type of argumentative relationship they've been known to have throughout these movies.

I'm not saying that the scene is out of character for them, I'm just saying that it would have been the wrong way to kick off their IM2 reconciliation arc. And Favs happens to agree.

Also, that alternate opening establishes the same type of argumentative relationship they've been known to have throughout these movies.

Exactly. We saw them spar all throughout the first movie, so we don't need to see it so soon again. What we didn't see...

I'm just not sure how the Ivan/Russia sequence would have played out chronologically speaking-- presumably the film would have opened with Tony and Pepper before the jump, and then it immediately segues to the Stark Expo sequence. My guess is that the Ivan/Russia sequence would have played directly after the Stark Expo bit had the film opened with that alternate opening.

What, with a random "Six Months Earlier" flashback? No way.

And besides, the jokey alternate scene we're describing would have killed the dread created by the Ivan opening dead, whereas Tony's drop in the movie eases us into his more flippant world.

Anyway you cut it (har, har), the scene deserved to be left out.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Actually the scene was cut for time purposes. Favs really wanted it to be left in but he couldn't bring himself to keep it in, thus the immediate promise that the scene would be included with the DVD release.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

And besides, the jokey alternate scene we're describing would have killed the dread created by the Ivan opening dead, whereas Tony's drop in the movie eases us into his more flippant world.

Good point. Better to let the dread from the Ivan Vanko opening die naturally once we realize that his backstory isn't really going to go anywhere and that he's never a particularly viable threat to Iron Man.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yeah I never felt any dread from the opening scene, except maybe from John Debney's excellent score. How was there dread?