Robert Downey Jr. returns to the role that made him a star all
over again with Iron Man 2. Once again directed by Jon Favreau, whose firm
handling of the first sleek, super techno-thriller wound up making that film the
second highest grossing movie of 2008, just after The Dark Knight. Iron Man 2
wisely serves up more Robert Downey Jr., who excels in the part of Tony Stark,
the flamboyant genius/owner of Stark Industries. Within six months after the
events of the first film, Iron Man is largely credited for creating and
maintaining world peace.
But there’s trouble in paradise. Stark’s best friend, Air Force Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, is feeling the pressure from his superiors, who want Stark to hand over all Iron Man technology to the military.
And, to make matters worse, a Russian inventor named Ivan Vanko has created his
own version of the Iron Man suit, complete with energy whips built into the wrists.
Blaming Tony for his family’s misfortune, Vanko goes gunning for Stark when he
drives his sports car at the Monaco Grand Prix.
And, as if all of this wasn’t
enough, Tony Stark is slowly being poisoned by the very same technology that’s
keeping him alive, as well as propelling his Iron Man suit. The situation becomes
bad to the point that, every time he suits up as Iron Man, Tony is practically
killing himself. Kudos are to be given to Favreau and friends for aiming high by
making Iron Man 2 more complex, at least in the sense that it
has a larger cast of characters this time out.
Along with Mickey Rourke, who’s very good as Vanko, there’s Sam Rockwell as
Justin Hammer, a nebbish rival with Tony in the business world and Scarlett
Johansson, as Natalie Rushman, a new assistant to Tony and Pepper with a very
shady background. And while Favreau manages to juggle this large number of
characters within a two hour running time quite nicely, the sequel is still
lacking in some areas. Mainly, the film’s mid-section sags very badly as we watch
a gloomy Stark undergo a crisis and drop the ball with regards to his Iron Man
duties.
This change in tone in a film that starts out being very breezy and light-hearted just doesn’t work.
You never noticed the middle section in the original Iron Man, largely because
that film did a much better job at keeping the viewer’s interest from beginning
to end. But bear in mind this is
basically a popcorn movie, not Shakespeare, and Iron Man 2 does succeed mightily
in creating a fun superhero vibe, especially at the end, where Favreau manages
to top the climax of the first film with a knock down, drag-out, royal robot
rumble. It may not offer much by way of deep psychological underpinnings of its
main characters, but Iron Man 2 doesn’t have to; it’s just meant to be an
enjoyable ride for superhero fans.
--SF
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