Invalensname Reviews Iron Man 2!

The superhero sequel is always difficult. After the origin story, the hero inevitably struggles with his power/fame/ego and Iron Man 2 is no different. That said, Jon Favreau has managed to craft out an enjoyable story out of this classic framework.

The film begins with some exposition in Mickey Rourke and his father, followed by Rourke creating his own costume in what feels like the antithesis to the genesis of the eponymous hero of the first film, a contrast that serves both to set up the characters as rivals but also serves to remind us of the world we have jumped back into.

Iron Man’s entrance (complete with a rockin’ AC/DC theme) is an exciting an explosive one but when the real hero emerges from the costume, that’s when the fun begins. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark even more egotistically than in the first film, giving the sense that he feels invincible even without the suit. The narcissism is never distancing because Stark is such a fun guy. He sticks it to the man, defies authority, plays by his own rules, and is dying. Yes, when we discover that Stark is not as invincible as he pretends to be, the emotional depth of the film becomes clear.

Rourke is perfect in the role and plays a fine line between confused foreigner and savy technician, and looks like he always has his own agenda; a Whiplash who exhudes confidence. Many of his scenes are played against Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer, brilliantly demonstrating the frustration of both clearly not communicating well with Whiplash, and always being in Tony Stark’s shadow.

The action scenes are handled well as Favreau clearly becomes more comfortable as a director. Whiplash’s Monacco assault is the highlight and there is a delicate balance achieved between the excitment and danger of the attack and the tongue-in-cheek comedy that makes Iron Man such a likeable franchise.

However, the action scenes to get cut just a little too short at times; it seems just when the characters have begun fighting, everything suddenly comes to a quick finish. The editing did not help at all with this- sometimes just a second at the end of a scene can add a great deal to a film but there is a constant rush to get to the next scene. There is a clear attempt at fast-paced, but it comes across as more frantic and needy than exhilerating.

While this reviewer is looking forward to 2012’s The Avengers, the relevant scenes seem somewhat out of place in Iron Man 2. While Fury does provide the necessary information required to get Iron Man out of his drunken stupour and into Act 3, his appearance is just a little too late in the film, making it seem like we have stepped into another film all of a sudden. This could have been easily fixed with an earlier introduction for Fury, just to remind us of the bigger picture.

Fury and his Shield operation also give way to the weakest point of the film: Scarlet Johannsen as ‘Natalie Rushman’. Johanssen looks great but it is clear that her concentrations are on this alone because there is a severe lack of emotion in any scene. Surely she could have changed her facial expression just once!

Over-all, Iron Man 2 is a very enjoyable watch, a very fun movie and a great insight into what to expect from the future of Marvel movies.