Just saw Iron Man 2, and enjoyed it very much. The critical knock I'd read about too many plotlines weren't an issue at all for me at all, and I'm no expert in the Iron Man mythology.
The other knock was that Iron Man fights too many versions of himself--that he needs a new kind of villain. But as best I can tell, that has been issue throughout the history of the character, even in the comic books. So there isn't any great surprise that that is reflected in the movies--in fact, as it's presented by Tony Stark's billionaire weapons manufacturing rival Justin Hammer in this movie, it's a subtle commentary on the narrow, uncreative vision and lack of forward thinking that is endemic in our government, our culture, even our species. Look no further than the Katrina or BP oil spill disasters for real-world eveidence of that . . . but that's a whole different blog.
In short, the critics' complaints about Iron Man 2 are more like reasons to go see the movie than not to--but none of them are even the best reason.
The best reason to see Iron Man 2 is to see the Nature Dome!
It's easy to spot, and there are some nice shots of it, since it is the setting of the climactic battle scene. The giant dome filled with rocks, trees and a flowing stream is, in essence, a perfect realization of my vision of the Nature Dome, where young people train to master the art of summoning real-world animal powers as they train to fight evil in the world. All it needed was some more climates, flora and terrain to make it the real deal.
In fact, all I kept thinking during the movie was that if Tony Stark could just summon the ferocious attack power of the tiger, he'd be just fine.
Unfortunately, that kind of action in the Nature Dome is still a good way in the future. But just imagine it. Young martial artists, summoning tiger paw and tortoise shell, shark jaw and eagle wing, mantis arm and hedgehog spine as they master their art, then taking those powers out into the world as defenders of freedom and good. What an awesome movie . . . and cartoon . . . and comic book.
For now, though, you can experience the genesis of all that with your own Nature Dome Mammals deck, available with free shipping at www.NatureDomeGame.com. Train with the mammal powers, embrace new ones from reptiles, fish, insects and birds as they emerge, and by the time Nature Dome comes to a screen near you, you'll be the real master.
