Iron Man 2
PG-13
2 hours, 5 minutes
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Warning: This review contains spoilers!
Iron Man, Iron Man, does whatever an iron can… wait…
The blockbuster of 2008 has a sequel, which should be a blockbuster of its own. Robert Downey, Jr. returns as Tony Stark only 6 months after revealing to the public that he is Iron Man. Naturally his life has become even more lavish and complicated with the added celebrity, but it’s no picnic for Tony. The miniature core reactor that keeps him alive is failing and starting to slowly kill him. With little options open to him, he starts prep for his death. This includes even more reckless behavior as well as handing over his company to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). The government is breathing down his neck, his Iron Man technology is being replicated, and people are out to destroy him, namely Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Even his best friend takes a suit and turns it into a War Machine.
Being a avid Marvel fan and movie goer this was probably one of the strangest movie experiences of my life. The entire cast is lovable and Robert Downey, Jr. is all that you can hope for and more as the complicated Tony Stark. I went in hoping for the best, but for the majority of the movie I found myself sitting there thinking, “Wait… what?” The whole movie is slow with each scene going into the next moment without building into the next moment. It also suffered from the classic “Sequel-Syndrome” that adds too much character, too much attempt at story, and not enough character development. There was a lot of ad-lib, I understand that is how RDJ rolls and I appreciate it but I started to wonder if there was even an initial script to start with.
The villains are severely under developed in this film. Aren’t villains supposed to be scary? Sam Rockwell turned Justin Hammer into a extremely passive character. While he is a business man, I feel like I could kick his ass.
Ivan Vanko’s little origin story at the beginning completely killed all of the mystery of the character. The main plot rests on the Iron Man technology and that it won’t be replicated by anyone else for at least 5-10 years. Now, wouldn’t it have been way more interesting/scary if the first time we see Ivan is at the race track? This guy has the technology and no one knows why, plus he’s Russian, quiet, and scary. His backstory is something that the audience should’ve discovered along with the characters.
Some of the character motivations don’t add up at all. The best example to James “Rhodey” Rhodes. During Tony’s hearing in Washington D.C., he makes a point to stand up and protect his friend. Then somehow, after Tony gets drunk and starts blasting is own home with the suit, Rhodey decides to put on one of the spare Iron suits and battle it out with Tony. We all remember how long it took Tony to figure out how to use the suit in the first film. Now, Rhodey can just put it on without any trouble and easily use it? I don’t think so. After his tiff with Stark, he takes the suit to Justin Hammer to outfit with better weapons. Aren’t they supposed to be friends? They didn’t exactly have an actual falling out. Personally, if I was Tony Stark I would be PISSED.
Here’s where I get confused. The movie seems to pander on and on and then something happens. When the film kicks into the third act it suddenly turns into the good movie that I should’ve been from the start. I’m still don’t quite understand why Ivan would not wear his protective helmet during the climax of the film. Granted he may be over confident that he is going to win, but he’s not stupid. The end saves the movie, period. As frustrated as I was during the film, the ending almost made me forget about the whole thing. Something clicked in my head during the final battle scene (which was AWESOME) and I thought, “That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”
The anchor of the film doesn’t lie in the action sequels, but in the relationship between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Anytime that they fought or bantered, it felt like pieces of the first film had been captured and carried into the sequel. As self absorbed as Tony Stark can be, when it comes to Pepper he is able to put her first. They are the heart and soul of films.
Marvel is definitely creating their cross-film universe. There was something about Iron Man, War Machine, and Black Widow all working together that felt a little bit like going home for Thanksgiving. Marvel stays very true to its characters, characters that the fans have all come to know and love for over 50 years. Keep your eyes peeled for references to their upcoming films.
Remember, stay after the credits. I giggled.
4 out of 5
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