Iron Man 2 - Mobile Edition

Comics Movie Reviews
Iron Man 2
By Dan Horn
May 9, 2010 - 13:38

Studios: Paramount Pictures
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, John Favreau, Don Cheadle
Directed by: John Favreau
Running Time: 124 minutes
Release Date: May 7, 2010
Rating: PG13

Amidst a flurry of accusations from the American press and the
Department of Defense, technological virtuoso and self-proclaimed
superhero and guardian of world peace Tony Stark, played by the equally
eccentric theatrical genius Robert Downey Jr., attempts to protect his
Iron Man suit from the prying hands of the inferiority-complex
afflicted engineer Justin Hammer and the US military. Hammer, who is excellently portrayed by the brilliant Sam Rockwell, isn't the only evil tech guru with his sights trained on Stark. Ivan Vanko, the son of Howard (Tony's father)
Stark's former research partner, also has a bone to pick with Iron
Man. With the self-imposed weight of the world resting firmly on his
ironclad shoulders, Tony does away with the periphery of corporate
responsibility by handing over the reigns of his company to his loyal
and lovely confidant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). But after an
attempt on Stark's life by Ivan's Whiplash-like persona, Justin Hammer
realizes Vanko may just be the man he needs to launch his next line of
Iron Men. Meanwhile, Tony's use of the radioactive element paladium to keep his ticker ticking is literally killing him with irony, and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) may have the information that could save his life.

If you're going into this film hoping to see thirty-minute fight
scenes and mindless action, you're going to be very disappointed.
Iron Man 2 takes the very cerebral and modernly relevant alternative
route to the superhero movie, not unlike The Dark Knight. There are a
few really great throw-downs throughout the movie, but never anything
too elaborate or protracted. One could argue that the final battle in
Iron Man 2 is resolved a bit prematurely, and they'd most likely be
correct. But, if there's one thing I've learned from Matrix: Reloaded,
too much action is just as boring as no action at all. Overall, I think the sequences of exo-skeletal dogfights and armored fisticuffs were very tastefully implemented.

The casting in Iron Man 2 is flawless. Each actor gives a tour de
force performance. Robert Downey Jr is, as always, the show stopper,
though. This guy could steal the spotlight from just about anyone. His
performance is so quirky, and often times hilariously so, he is able
to hold your undivided attention for the entire duration of this film.
His spot-on embodiment of this classic comic book hero is absolutely
fascinating and enthralling. Sam Rockwell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mickey Rourke all turn in some really great work, and a sexier
Black Widow than Scarlett Johansson could not have played the part so
well and kept viewers so captivated. The Oscar-nominated Don Cheadle is also a welcome replacement for Terrence Howard's Rhodey from the first Iron Man. If I had one qualm about the characters and their development in this movie, it would be that I would have gladly endured another 30 minutes of dialogue and plot to see Vanko's terrifying and menacing character be more elucidated.

The visual effects are actually rather inconsistent in Iron Man 2. I
found myself blown away by some of the CGI, while other times I was
thoroughly unimpressed and felt like I was watching screen shots from
a video game. There was definitely a lot of polishing that could have
been done.

The story itself was brilliant, save for a few oddities like the
basement Hadron Collider to effectively fill a plot hole, but as a
whole the film retained a paramount fluidity and great sense of its
roots. It never feels hamfisted or forced; it effectively tells an
exciting and introspective adventure that's at times much better than
even some of Matt Fraction's acclaimed work on Invincible Iron Man. Iron Man 2 may not win any Golden Globes or Oscars next year, but it definitely shows
that Marvel is staying the course when it comes to making solid
franchise films.
Rating: 8/10