Movies / Comics Movie Reviews

Iron Man 2

By Andy Frisk
May 7, 2010 - 02:15

What makes Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) so appealing isn’t just his wisecracks, smooth moves, and flair for the dramatic (and super heroic). It’s his humanity. Iron Man 2 opens with a virtual love fest. Tony, Iron Man, Stark Industries, and Tony Stark/Iron Man’s place in America, and the world’s, heart as the man/hero who has “successfully privatized world peace” are the centerpieces of a loud, brash, and braggadocio filled opening ceremony to the Stark Expo (a sort of world’s fair for the technologically gifted and industrious). Quickly the scene shifts to the soon to be criminal, and Tony Stark/Iron Man foil, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a Russian physicist who had ties to Tony’s late father and is looking for, of course, revenge for perceived slights. Then, just as quickly, the scene shifts to Senate hearings chaired by Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), who is aggressively seeking possession of the Iron Man armor for the US Military, during which Tony’s nemesis and rival industrialist, Justin Hammer, attempts to outshine Tony at the war tech making biz. After the rush of scenes which set up the topical drama, the real drama begins to unfold as we discover that Tony’s friend and government/military liaison, Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is being tasked with acquiring the Iron Man tech for the government, and that Tony has some even more serious problems (of the physical kind) that leads to some well thought out, if erratic, behavior that calls into question Tony’s status as the defender of world peace.

Drop the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson into the mix as Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff, an undercover SHIELD operative assigned to keep tabs on Tony, and the love/hate (which definitely weighs in more heavily on the love side) relationship with his prime secretary, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Iron Man 2 gets to the heart of its tale. It’s a tale about what’s important at heart and “knowing your heart” as Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) urges Tony to do, both literally and physically with the help of some info and belated love from Tony’s equally brilliant late father. Plenty of heavy metal action, arc reactor whiplashing, and radically cool techno gadgets rule the rest of the tale, and take moviegoers on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, and defeats and triumphs, all communicated with a flair for dramatically stylish technophile action.

Iron Man 2 continues the tradition of the first film by continuing to develop and showcase Tony Stark’s road to redemption, which he stumbles upon but eventually overcomes. Tony isn’t perfect, but he’s doing his best and living it up while he’s at it. He’s definitely the hero and he’s definitely redeemed himself to a point, so who’s to blame him for being a bit narcissistic about it? Downey Jr. is absolutely perfect in the role of Tony, as Downey Jr. knows a little something about redemption himself. His wisecracks are never mean spirited, and he captures the roguish brilliance of the long term Marvel Comics character perfectly. He’s a riot to behold, but also endearing as a caring hero. Gwyneth Paltrow turns in a near perfect performance as Tony’s best friend and obvious future love, Pepper Potts. Pepper has to juggle her boss’s antics and misbehavior, absent minded brilliance, and closed off emotionality (of which Pepper knows something about herself), and does so without totally losing her mind. Scarlett Johansson doesn’t do much more than what she’s best at, level sultry looks and wear tight outfits, but she handles all the requirements of the role quite well. Equally solid is Don Cheadle as Rhodey. He doesn’t have much more to do in the film than be Tony’s buddy and bash brother (they both bash on each other and the Hammer Drones), but he fills the role very well with his quiet intensity and likability. Sam Rockwell, who’s developed a great penchant for playing quirky yet believable characters, brings his quirky energy to full bear as the self serving and cutthroat Justin Hammer. Mickey Rourke, as the main physical villain, Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, definately pulls off the physicality, but for a brilliant physicist is a bit too monotone.

When in comes to the heavy metal action, Iron Man 2 definitely delivers. The battle scenes between Iron Man and Whiplash, and Iron Man, War Machine, and the Hammer Drones are top notch. They quite simply rock. The CGI is smooth and believable looking, and the action flow is flawless. Director John Favreau demonstrates once again that he has a fine directorial eye for both action and quiet scenes. Let’s see Favreau take on some more superhero flicks, and especially more Iron Man films.

Overall, Iron Man 2 fills the role of blockbuster perfectly. It’s got action, drama, conflict (emotional and romantic), humor, and big budget (and great looking) special effects. It succeeds on many storytelling and visual levels while delivering a little more on the thoughtful side than you’d expect from a comic book hero movie (even if it isn’t as powerfully deep as what should have been the Best Picture of 2008, The Dark Knight).  It’s worth multiple viewings, and the trip to the multiplex.
 

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12