IRON MAN 2 (A-)
It is funny to think that the picture I had as the banner for months on my site and one of my most anticipated movies of the summer took me this long to finally get around to writing a review for the movie. I got behind, and then I figured most had already seen this movie. My take wasn't as important anymore with so many seeing it, so I moved past it with reviews for other films audiences had not seen. Yeah, yeah, and I am lazy.
I have actually seen Iron Man 2 twice now and I think the second viewing was just as good as the first. For the first Iron Man movie, I think it gets better each time I watch it. The conclusion? Iron Man is better than Iron Man 2. I am not saying that to knock on the quality of Iron Man 2, it is just me saying how difficult it would be to top something as great as the first. Easiest way to put it, if you liked the first, you will truly enjoy like the sequel.
Real quick, here is an overview of the movie. Robert Downey Jr. = Tony Stark/Iron Man. Mickey Rourke = Ivan Vanko (he doesn't like Stark, wants to fight). Don Cheadle = new black guy replacing Terrance Howard. Scarlett Johansson = hot...errr, I mean the secret agent Black Widow. Vanko now possess Iron Man capabilities = conflict.
I have heard this movie put into comparison with Spider-Man 3, which is a complete joke. The critique has been that Iron Man 2 has too many characters all competing for screen time like the a fore mentioned super hero disaster. This is something I do not agree with one bit. Each character featured in Iron Man 2 played a purpose to the narrative overall and contributed something to the audience's viewing experience. Unlike Spider-Man 3 which uses so much time developing two different and very important villains, Iron Man 2 only spends time really developing Vanko. Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), the other bad guy, plays off both Vanko and Stark, leaving less necessity to try and develop his character. He is summed up easily with his actions> He has a lust for power and to take the industry hierarchy from Stark.
Downey Jr. absolutely killed again in the role as Stark. The foils of being a super hero are superbly displayed by the repercussions wearing the Iron Man suit has on Stark's body. The first film seemed to display the joy of being the world's newest defense mechanism and how fun being a superhero could be. This film gets deeper into the Stark character, and shows how life is not always peachy for the young genius. Another humanizing factor in the story is how Stark is unable to express his true emotions for his long time assistant Pepper Pots. This shows that even with everything a man can possess, you can never have it all.
All the other performances by the cast were well done and seemed to pick up the pace where the first movie left off. While some new faces were featured, it felt like Favreau and Co. did not miss a beat between the two films. Each actor in this project delivered on the well written characters concocted in the script. The addition of Scarlett Johansson added a little bit a spice to the mix. She not only added sexual tension, but the force of her character being a trained killer as she worked as a double agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. drew the audience in, wanting to learn more about this shrouded persona.
Overall, Iron Man 2 is something I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed the first go around. While comparatively it is not as perfect as the first, it is definitely a good follow up. The action coupled with solid story arcs of characters you actually care about makes this movie a must see. Did I mention the funny and witty dialogue? Watching Tony Stark go off on an intelligent dry humored rant highlights this movie often. Even though most of you saw it months ago, a first or even a second viewing is nothing short of necessity.
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