"Iron Man 2" loses the structure of its predecessor (3/5)

I guess I don’t entirely understand how sequels are continuously handled they way they are. From the outside looking in, I understand that they have to be bigger and louder in order to justify the film going public to buy another ticket to see these celluloid characters. But at the same time, they’re consistently driven away from what made the original film a critical and commercial success. To no one’s surprise, there are obviously exceptions to the rule. The “Toy Story” franchise and “The Dark Knight” are all prime examples of sequels living up to the original film, if not exceeding it. Yet, often sequels fall to excess. Despite the goodwill Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau generated with “Iron Man” back in 2008, all of it was seemingly thrown away with “Iron Man 2”. With the first “Iron Man”, we received probably the most charismatic Comic-Book film you’d ever see. Featuring witty banter, a great lead performance, and extremely well executed action scenes, “Iron Man” was more than a pleasant surprise. As a matter of fact, it was heading up, in association with the “The Dark Knight”, a comic book renaissance that will bludgeon the multiplexes for summers to come.

"Toy Story 3" is a fine way to cap off a fantastic franchise (4.25/5)

I'll admit that I felt an ounce of sadness the day I got rid of my toys. Sure, it's a rite of passage, but I felt that I was throwing a piece of myself away. As this illustrates, toys play a rather significant part in our lives. Because childhood is condensed with time dedicated to playing, it's easy see how someone like myself can become attached to inanimate objects like toys. Hell, they're a tool for our youthful imaginations to escape. Yet, for as idle as these toys may seem now, for the hours they occupied during my childhood they were alive. With the use of my imagination, the adventures my toys found themselves were limitless. But, most importantly, my toys, in conjunction with my ingenuity, had a life of their own. And it seems the people at Pixar  felt the same way, for this has been the backbone of the "Toy Story" franchise, and is prominently on display in the opening frames of "Toy Story 3" as Andy imagines his army of toys spliced into a John Woo film.