Took in a midnight showing of IRON MAN 2 last night with Jason and Jennifer. I hadn’t been to a midnight showing of a movie in several years, the last time being for REVENGE OF THE SITH. So . . . five years ago? Yeah.

The theater was packed, and hot and sweaty inside. I don’t think they turned on the air conditioner until midway through the movie. We got there about an hour before it began, so I was able to observe a number of people as they entered the theater.

Man, was it a self-esteem boost.

Between this guy who had fantasy nerd long hair and was wearing sweatpants and a fanny pack, and a short fat Hobbit kid clad in a 6XL Dragonball t-shirt, I felt like even I could start beating people up and taking their lunch money if I wanted to. I’m sure they’re good people, though . . . good people whose lunch money could’ve been mine!

The film itself was very good, much better than I had anticipated. The casting was spot-on: Downey, Rourke, and Rockwell dominated the scenes they were in, and hell — even Scarlett Johansson was eminently believable as the Black Widow. (And hot. Boy, was she hot.) The pacing was excellent, especially compared to the first, which at times kind of dragged a bit (e.g., the terrorist camp scene, the big fight at the end). What really makes these movies work, however, is the humor — specifically the humor that Downey seems to effortlessly generate in every scene he’s in. And this movie had it in spades.

Overall, IRON MAN 2 is a worthy follow-up to the original.