I have not watched the film "Iron Man 2", starring Robert Downey Jr., but I am glad I watched the short documentary movie (below) summarizing its extensive VFX effects. From dense information dashboards over 3D architectural holograms to highly responsive real-time 3D interfaces, the movie demonstrates some impressive futuristic views of intuitively manipulable depictions of data.

In fact, it is somehow remarkable to notice how the featured 2D screen layouts seem overly cluttered (well, except of a visually-clashing YouTube movie embed), in contrast to the 3D holographics that seem to successfully exploit the scalability of space. My personal favorites? The life-size table of Mendeljev and the surprising hologram 'throw' ("SCORE!").

For those interested, there are plenty of early concept renderings available here, here and here. Alternatively, one can also explore some high-rez screengrabs and behind-the-scenes footage at the website of the special effects designers, Prologue Films [prologue.com].

See also:
. ooo-ii: The Design of the Star Trek Movie Information Displays
. Mark Coleran, Visual Designer
. Stranger than Fiction Movie Infographics
. An Inconvenient Truth Infographics