Movie Review - "Iron Man 2"

IRON MAN 2

Directed by Jon Favreu

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Scarlet Johansson, and Mickey Rourke

It would be hard to really sum up the incredibly unexpected pleasure of just how surprisinglygood last year's smash hit, "Iron Man" was. It made Robert Downey Jr. a star again. It introduced a hole new comic franchise, perhaps the best outside of Chris Nolan's Batmans and Sam Raimi's Spider-Mans. It appealed to all kinds of audiences, not just the comic geeks or the 12 year old boys looking to see things blown up. It wasn't art, but it didn't need to be, because it was, well, awesome. Now, two years later, director Jon Favreu and team bounce back with this much anticipated sequel, which has been said to kick off the summer movie season.

To begin, I will go ahead and straight up point out that no, "Iron Man 2" is not better than its predecessor. But why does everyone expect it to be? Sequels are rarely better than their originals, but that doesn't mean all sequels are bad. Many second installments may not quite live up to the first, but they can still be very entertaining - and that "Iron Man 2" definitely is.

We pick up right after the first film left off. Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is now living with the decision he made to reveal to the world that the supertechnology was indeed his. He is basking in the spotlight, enjoying all the fame and fortune; but he is also dealing with some serious repercussions - the government is constantly dragging him into court, trying desperately to remove the Iron Man suit from his possession. Aiding Stark's enemies is his desperate opposing weapons manufacturer, Justin Hammer (played brilliantly by the most underrated actor in Hollywood, Sam Rockwell). Hammer hasn't been able to touch Tony's work, and nobody else has either, and won't for a long time, our hero ensures. But as it turns out, Tony Stark is about to meet his match.

Enter Mickey Rourke, as ugly as we've ever seen him (well...), playing the psychotic but brilliant rogue Russian physicist, Ivan Vanko. According to Vanko, Tony's father once betrayed the former's own dad, and he's now out to kill Tony for past mistakes of his lineage. Vanko teams up with Hammer in an effort to kill Stark's legacy - and the man himself.

Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, here's where things get messy. Remember Samuel L. Jackson randomly showing up at the end of "Iron Man" as famed Marvel Avengers member Nick Fury? Well he's back, along with Scarlet Johansson being included this time around as another Avengers member, Black Widow. If you know what I'm talking about, get pumped, because this is fanboy ecstasy. If you don't, which will be 90% of you, you can pretty much just ignore this. Enjoy Sam Jackson on screen, as great as always, and enjoy the cool bits of hand to hand ass kicking Johansson brings into the movie. But there's not much here other than these hints to the upcoming Avengers film, and that's where Favreu and screenwriter Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder) drop the ball. The movie could have done without all the comic book memorabilia, and definitely without all the Avengers set up. I, and most moviegoers, are there to see Iron Man, not The Avengers. It almost feels like an advertising stunt. It just feels forced in a movie that's normally so breathtakingly nonchalant in its flow.

The story breaks down in other ways too around its middle, mainly when Stark's army pal James Rhodes, a.k.a. "Rhodey", turns against him as a result of Stark's misbehavior. Rhodey was played in the first film by Terrence Howard and has now been replaced by Don Cheadle, who is definitely the better actor, but unfortunately is not given a good enough role to play. The fight and make up of the two buds both feel expedited for the sake of moving things forward quickly, which wouldn't have been needed without all the Avengers marketing.

Don't let these things get you down, though, because in a movie as fun as this and with actors as good as there are here, "Iron Man 2" is a movie impossible not to enjoy. The action is amped up and much improved, with a great climax and an absolutely stunning action sequence at the Monaco race track. The overall style has also increased, as the film feels much more comfortable than Iron Man 1, letting its actors take much more control of the scenes. Speaking of the acting, it's even better this time. Downey is better - his obnoxious, cocky, hilariously likeable suaveness is brought out better than ever in this movie.

Other than some minor missteps, "Iron Man 2" is still a great way to start the summer blockbuster season. It's funny, action-packed, and relentlessly entertaining. After seeing it twice, I have come to dread some of the middle even more, but also incredibly appreciate the genius here for the majority of the movie. Fans of the first will not be let down. While the story drags and the film overall lacks the fresh novelty of the first, "Iron Man 2" EASILY makes up for these things with pure, slaphappy entertainment rush.

7.7 /10 (Good)

-The Scale-

0: Failure

1: Horrendous

2: Awful

3: Terrible

4: Bad

5: Average

6: Passable

7: Good

8: Great

9: Excellent

9.5: Incredible

10: Classic