Iron Man 2 Review
If a movie is successful, in this day and age, it's an almost given for it to receive the sequel treatment. If the movie is based on a video game or standalone book, you can probably cut those chances in half. But, BUT, if it's based on a well known comic book, well brother, you've hit pay dirt...sometimes. The second movie usually always finds a way to stand toe to toe with the original. From back in the day Superman/Superman II, to more recent fare with Batman Begins/The Dark Knight; the sequel has always given the fans the opportunity to go Bigger and Badder with twice the stars, twice the explosions, and twice the action, but building on the foundation that made the original so great. Iron Man stands toe to toe with it's predecessor. It doesn't go beyond what the first brought to the table, but it does not disappoint. After all, isn't that the least that audiences ask for, let alone actual fans?
Iron Man 2 is not as good as the original, but holds up alongside it. The action is fairly limited with enough time between fight scenes to build up characters and plots, but the addition of new characters, added in with the addition of the current characters dilemmas, can make for quite the long winded affair.
Downey Jr. returns to the iconic Tony Stark/Iron Man role adding a new level of emotion to the character, while at times visiting the dark side of Stark's alcoholism. While the battle with Starks alcohol problem could have added a much needed level of emotion to the character, it is left at the wayside, popping up briefly to remind us that he's got problems.
While not as straightforward a performance as in the original, Stark goes from living it up on the spotlight one moment, dealing with his inevitable fate the next, and trying to win over Potts the next. This is possibly an issue with the editing and how the film was put together in the cutting room, but there was something about it that just felt different about the character every time he was on screen. Despite this flaw, the story did flow and tried to explain itself in each turn down the road, which saves itself from becoming just a slapdash storyline.
One thing that came from The Dark Knight was a bad guy that wasn't hell bent on revenge or just out to rule the world. And it's that kind of protagonist that rarely appear for a superhero to battle in movies. One can really care less about a hero's plight if the villain is not worth fighting against. Why are street thugs so boring for a superhero? They don't pose a challenge, a threat. But if you have a baddie that is able to provide, not just a physical, but mental/emotional challenge to the protagonist, you're able to help create something that is truly memorable and exciting. Rourke's character seems hell bent on revenge towards Stark, and nothing else. Perhaps that is all that is needed to make a bad guy bad, through vengeance and little else. Rourke does however provide to be a formidable villain, matching, if nothing more than physical strength for Iron Man. The two battles between the two energy powered titans unfortunately fall frail in comparison to even Jeff Bridges altercations with Iron Man from the first. I never felt a level of concern for the safety of the hero, and when the battles came, they stayed short and never amounted to anything more than just a stick figure attacking an eraser. You know who is going to win in the conflict.
The relationship between Stark and Potts seemed a bit forced near the end as the only character who showed any level of interest in the other was Stark himself. Potts showed concern for him about as much as a best friend, nothing more. Action and scientific approaches to some things can be exaggerated in movies, you can suspend your level of belief for a while, but when it comes to love and emotion, you can not do the same thing (case in point: Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, Star Wars Episodes II & III).
Despite this flaw, Potts becomes more than just a love interest from the first movie. Paltrow shows there is more to Potts than just keeping track of Starks schedule. My only problem at the end of the day was how easily it showed her crumbling under the weight of emotion, with leading a major corporation to dealing with everything that is coming Iron Man's way. She was built up strong and confident, but seemed too hollow to withstand what she carried with her.
Additions to the cast this time around, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson, become mearly nothing more than additions to the plot that serve little purpose other than to be the man with the money and eye candy, respectively. While their presences are noticed and commented on throughout, the do little else than to pad the list of known characters to the film franchise. Even Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, despite being sort of an Easter egg at the end credits of the first movie seems to do nothing more than to throw in exposition and act as the spark of genius that Stark needed to come full circle and solve what problems he needed. His addition to the movie, aside from feeding S.H.I.E.L.D. fans a bone and helping build the story for the future Avengers movie (to be helmed by Joss Whedon) is just that, an addition. Apparently for filmmakers, building up for another franchise is required in films today.
The removal of Terrance Howard for Don Cheadle as the friend Rhodes is hardly recognizable. Perhaps this showed a lack of strength in the performance from the former, or even an increase in screen time for the newcomer, but nothing more about the character has changed aside from the introduction of him as War Machine. That said, Cheadle is excellent as always, and seems to have been made to portray Rhodes/War Machine (at least until the third movie when he'll be replaced by Jamie Foxx).
Unfortunately for audiences, his battle with Iron Man midway through the movie gave the audience the clichéd introduction of what is used to defeat the final baddie, which led to some disappointment for myself. Rather than pull a new trick out of the proverbial hat, the writers decide it is best to just introduce something once and hope the audience forgets about it when it comes time to re-introduce it. And while the final battle itself is moderately intense, it ultimately seems too easy for the heroes to overcome the problem that stands in their way. In typical action film tradition, the sequence of events goes as such: Struggle, retaliate, get beat down to the point of failure, find the strength within to easily overcome the bad guy.
Time and time again, comic book movies prove that they can dig into previous source material and create a worthy sequel that not only stands up to the original, but surpasses it. From Superman II, Spiderman II, X-Men II, and above all others, The Dark Knight, writers and directors, and everyone involved have shown their love for the characters involved and produced something that fans and non-fans alike can enjoy. This isn't The Dark Knight, nor does it try to be, but it is a worthy successor to the original film, and one can only hope that when it comes time for the third film, it won't become Spiderman 3. Performances are solid; the storyline is kind of bland; the action, so-so, but Iron Man II stands worthy in the building line-up for the Iron Man franchise. Definitely worth seeing if a fan of comics or the original, or just a fan of summer blockbusters.
For my rundown of the story, here is my abridged version:
How it all plays out: (Highlight to read. Spoiler-ish.)
Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a Russian physicist whose father worked with Tony Starks father on the original Arc Reactor, vows revenge on Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) for his father's actions by creating his own arc reactor and a weapon with which to destroy Iron Man. Stark (aka Iron Man) has found himself to be fighting off the U.S. Government for the Iron Man suit, for no other reason than it being a weapon. Stark has also re-started the Stark Expo, continuing his fathers legacy in hopes of making technology to better mankind. On the downside of things, the core that once saved Tony Stark's life, is not the same thing that is poisoning him, killing him slowly. This pushes his drinking and his reckless behavior to the limit. He hands over control of Stark Industries to Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) and hires on a new assistant in Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).
It is finally at this point where Vanko and Stark first face off. Of course, Vanko is defeated and sent off to jail where he gets broken out, has his death faked, and is then hired by weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), in hopes that Vanko will build an army of Iron Man suits for the U.S. Military. Of course, can expect bad guys to trust each other? Meanwhile, Tony Stark, dealing with knowledge of his impending death, decides to throw a birthday bash, get trashed, and just live it up as only he can, in the Iron Man suit. Potts and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) show up, and are quickly saddened and angered respectively at Starks behavior. Rhodes dons the Silver Iron Man suit and a sobering battle between the two Iron Men play out in Starks mansion. Rhodes, disgusted with Starks behavior, leaves with the suit to an air force base to hand it over to the military, where it can be enhanced and upgraded with weapons by none other than Justin Hammer. You see where this is going?
Stark, pressured by S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to, basically, STFU and sit down, discovers that not only is his assistant an undercover agent with S.H.I.E.L.D., but she's also hot in leather (my observation, not Starks). Stark sobers up, discovers a long lost message from his father, and creates an even more powerful arc reactor that (surprise, surprise), saves his life...only to find that Vanko is still alive and still wants to see Stark dead. Stark returns as Iron Man, flies to the Stark Expo where we find that Vanko has built Hammer a number of drone Iron Men for each major branch of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines), 8 drones each. And to make matters more interesting, Rhodes is revealed as WAR MACHINE...who all under Vanko's control, proceed to destroy everything around them in an attempt to get to Iron Man.
All hell breaks loose as Rush, er...Roman,eh,...Johans...hot girl in leather tracks down Vanko, beats down bad guy thugs and hacks into Vanko's system to give Rhodey back control of War Machine, where, alongside Iron Man, destroy all the evil drone robots. Vanko shows up, in an Iron Man/Whiplash-type suit and beat down on the two friends until they repeat a move they discovered when they first fought, which defeats Vanko easily. But it's never that easy is it? Upon Vanko's defeat, all of the drones that had been destroyed begin a self destruct sequence. Iron Man races to save Potts who is standing right in front of the beeping drones, picks her up and shuttles her off to safety before any harm may come to her. Yay, and there was much rejoicing. Pepper quits, Stark swoons, they kiss. The end. Or is it?
Credits Roll: Thor's Hammer. Good Night everyone!
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