FILM REVIEW: Iron Man 2

Posted by: Tony – May 07, 2010

It must be difficult to make a sequel to a popular film with millions of fans. The first Iron Man movie is one of the best comic book adaptations yet produced. It was met with critical and commercial praise, and raised the expectations for when the filmmaking team would attempt to duplicate their success. That time has come, and Iron Man 2 delivers everything fans of the first film could want. The action has been ramped up, new heroes and villains have been added to the mix, and Robert Downy Jr. continues to excel as egotistical billionaire Tony Stark.

The sequel picks up six months after the first film left off. Tony Stark has publicly confessed to being Iron Man, and he has successfully ushered in an era of unprecedented peace the world over. He is not without problems, though. The United States government is nervous with a weapon as powerful as the Iron Man armor in the hands of such a loose cannon. They would prefer that Tony cease his superhero activities and surrender the armor to the military. Worse than this, Tony has also discovered that the energy core implanted in his chest that both keeps his heart beating and powers his armor is also slowly poisoning him. He cannot live without it, but he will not survive too much longer with it.

The government is easy for Tony to handle. In a bit of grandstanding in front of a senatorial panel, he demonstrates that he has been able to keep the world safe and that none of America’s enemies have even come close in attempts to duplicate his technology. For these reasons, Tony sees no reason to relinquish his armor. This rationale is abruptly defeated shortly after the hearing when Tony is attacked by a man wielding electrified whips powered by an energy core much like the one in Tony’s own chest. The man is Ivan Vanko, portrayed by Mickey Rourke, and he carries a few old grudges against the Stark family. He does not just want to kill Tony, he wants to publicly humiliate him first.

The story of this film expectedly feels much like the story of the first. Rather than experimenting and building the Iron Man armor as Tony did in the first film, he must instead experiment and find a way to keep his armor from poisoning him. Also, just as in the first film, Tony must battle an enemy made for him by his father. Fortunately, there are plenty of new faces to keep things interesting. Sam Rockwell as a rival weapons manufacturer who matches Tony in arrogance but not in success or popularity provides a foe for Tony to battle with wit rather than force, and Scarlett Johansson as an undercover secret agent creates an interesting challenge for Tony when he attempts to charm her. We also get much more of Tony’s friend, James Rhodes, now played by Don Cheadle, as he takes up the armor of Iron Man’s partner War Machine.

It should be no surprise that, with a plot that mirrors the first film, this sequel is not as good as the first movie in the series. That said, the fresh faces and ramped up action still deliver a very enjoyable experience. Keep a look out for little tidbits hinting at the upcoming Avengers movie, and stay after the credits. Marvel Studios is building something big and they want to whet fans’ appetites well in advance. Until then, Iron Man 2 keeps the momentum going as a rare example of a sequel that does not disappoint.

by Gareth Mussen