Movie Review: "Iron Man 2"

Seen on: May 4, 2010

The players: Director: Jon Favreau, Writer: Justin Theroux, Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow

Facts of interest: Stay put at the end of the credits! A surprise awaits you!

The plot: Tony Stark is back in action, and this time, he has to battle Whiplash, who teams up with Justin Hammer to bring down Iron Man for good.

Our thoughts: Tony Stark is back in action in Jon Favreau’s anticipated sequel “Iron Man 2,” and while the lead hero is still in solid shape, the movie itself is showing some weaknesses. No, it’s not a big deal, really, but compared to its fantastic predecessor, “Iron Man 2” falls a bit short. That’s not to say the movie sucks, because truth be told, it’s still a very entertaining, explosive second installment.

Let’s start with story first. This is where the first “Iron Man” clearly takes the win. It spent a lot of time introducing us to a compelling hero struggling with personal flaws, and its plot kept both the suspense and thrilling action operating at a superb pace throughout. This second film lacks a bit in terms of storytelling, and even the action seems like it’s been reduced a bit.

Tony Stark is now a popular hero, and as “Iron Man 2” opens, he displays his energy and coolness during the launch of his massive Stark Expo. Not all is perfect though, because this time around, Iron Man has to deal with a bunch of new villains: the U.S. government, a ruthless Russian bad guy, and a military contractor eager to create his own version of the unique Stark suit.

While the U.S. government is trying to force Stark to hand over his Iron Man “weapon” to the military, Mickey Rourke’s character Ivan Vanko is turning himself into Whiplash, a smart guy who wants to crush Iron Man by all means necessary. The military contractor is a guy named Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and he is simply sick and tired of Stark being the only hero out there.

As you can tell, there is a whole lot going on in this sequel, and unfortunately, things happen a tad too fast this time around. I understand this keeps the pace going speedily enough, but then again, the rush does prevent the in-depth character development that helped make the first one such a unique superhero flick.

On top of that, the film introduces more characters on the good side. Okay, Samuel L. Jackson only occasionally pops up as Nick Fury, but both the roles of James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) feel a bit rushed as well. There’s simply too much content and not enough time, and in some ways, that ends up hurting the film. It’s not doing it any real favor.

Of course, I applaud screenwriter Justin Theroux for throwing together all these characters and developments and not leave behind a complete mess, but like I said before, it all feels rushed and at times a tad too superficial. I was also looking for more and memorable action sequences in part two, but much to my disappointment, “Iron Man 2” only boasts a couple of those.

On the other hand, some of the ones we do get to see really deliver. Stark shares a pretty awesome battle with Whiplash early on, and that sequences really delivers the goods. My favorite action moment is the fighting scene involving Black Widow, and my book, it’s so well shot and structured that it makes me want her to get her own movie. The big finale is loud and explosive, but not as thrilling as I expected.

Where “Iron Man 2” really excels is the acting. The cast is a stellar one for sure, and Robert Downey Jr. is completely in his element. His humor is still sharp, and his cool attitude makes him a great hero. He’s better than ever. Rourke and Hammer add a bunch of solid evil to the picture, and Gwyneth Paltrow is better here as Pepper Potts than in the first film. Johansson doesn’t get much onscreen time, but yeah, she’s hot!

Freaky quote: "Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I'm doing..." - Robert Downey Jr.

The final word: I really enjoyed “Iron Man 2,” even though it may appear otherwise. It’s a very solid follow-up to a memorable superhero movie, but it’s not as intense. There’s good and bad in this one, but in the end, it’s still a solid dose of brainless fun that’s incredibly well shot, edited and directed. Plus, the visuals look great, and that definitely helps. Decent movie I can recommend, for sure.

Article by Franck Tabouring

Comments

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iron man 2 sucks