Iron Man 2 (2010)
Written by: Justin Theroux (Screenplay), Stan Lee (Comic Book)
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlet Johansson.
Release Date: 30 April
How can I miss the chance to preview a movie? If I did, not only would my usual insanity plea be accepted and appreciated, but I would be quickly shipped off to the local while-you-wait rubber room. I’m not a fan of there lobotomy cuisine so I happily accepted the chance to see the most anticipated movie of the last few years.
“Iron Man 2”, the sequel every nerd has been drooling over since the red and gold suit made a pass at them a few years ago, blasts onto the screen this week hoping to live up to the success it’s forbearer created, which even then was unexpected. Tony Stark (Downey) returns as the Iron Clad knight with the heart of Palladium, trying to the world a better place. With Peace now the norm, Tony is being put under pressure to give up his mighty Iron Man Weapon “for the good of the people” due to the supposed copycats suits being created around the globe. In usual Stark fashion, he gets out of dodge and decides to relax, but when he lives it up by entering a Vintage race weekend, he comes face-to-face with a Russian Scientist who has perfected his own metal suit and is out for revenge, Whiplash (Rourke). With Tony trying to keep the world safe by himself and with S.H.I.E.L.D looking over his shoulder, the U.S Government take it upon themselves to put it right and try to get their hands on the “Iron Man” suit, sending and old friend to appeal to the mad millionaire (Cheadle).
Compared to the first movie, which was a story about a man who changes his ways; this second outing doesn’t sound clichéd when on paper. Reading it back myself it sounds fantastic, lots of action mixed in with a serious gritty storyline. I’m sorry to say that this not the case. The action is high impact but not as frequent as one would like, but when it does happen it is worth the wait. Fast and loud is how I like it done, and it does deliver, there are a few niggles with length though. In one scene where there is a high enemy percentage, the battle only lasts a few moments where as it would have been better for the audience if more time was given to it, especially as it is an edge of your seat moment. The sub-plots, i.e. Stark and Pepper (Paltrow), S.H.I.E.L.D and Stark, work as stand alone stories. They all give clues of what is going to happen in future films but when it comes down to it, they are quite predictable. I can’t give away any of the endings here, but I didn’t have to guess very hard. I like to be surprised, and sadly I wasn’t.
I wish I was able to get on the set for this one, ok I would have needed to become invisible and sneak in like a ninja (which just isn’t my way of doing things), but it would have been worth the Jail time. Of course as I’ve already stated, Robert Downy Jr. is back as the infamous Tony Stark, a character which has become iconic in the world of comic books and film alike. Downy obviously makes the role complete, he is Tony Stark and I don’t think anybody else could fill his shoes. With his past as diverse as it is, he can draw parts from it and work them into the role he plays. When a character has to put on an act, you know you need real talent to pull it off, and talent is Downy. Plain and simple.
Paltrow once again is fantastic as the fiery Pepper Potts. Strong, determined, and a redhead, a great combination for somebody like me. The chemistry between Stark and Pepper on screen is dynamic; you wonder why these two fabulous actors haven’t worked together before the Iron Man franchise. Well, I can’t think of anything they’ve done anyway. Now, sadly I can’t be so nice about the other players in this film. Mickey Rourke can do a Russian accent, he can also play a bad guy, but he doesn’t seem to fit in very well. Maybe it’s because I know his other works too well and I’m comparing them to each other. To his credit, he does look the part even if he appears to have been in the Californian sun. The main change from the first film is the addition of Don Cheadle. I’ve always been a fan of his work, and due to Terrance Howard having problems with Marvel, it’s all the better in my book. He decided it would be better to copy parts from Howard’s portrayal of Rhoadie because creating a whole new personality might make the audience question it. Don sadly wasn’t as good as I hoped, the amount of scenes he had didn’t really do his acting talent justice, but I’m glad he took the role.
I don’t really know how to rate this film overall. The plot wasn’t really there, but the film still worked. The acting was high Calibre but it didn’t live up to the hype. The action was explosive but I left feeling like a damp rag. It’s all contradiction; Iron Man 2 shouldn’t have worked. It should have been kept off the screen for another year; it wouldn’t have been a bad idea. Maybe a bit more editing would have made this easier, it doesn’t help that they cut a lot of scenes out. One of them was in the advert but not the film for goodness sake!
Overall, I will give this film a thumbs up. It you haven’t seen the first one, it will still work but the plot may seem a bit difficult to follow. You need to know your Iron Man history. If you did see the first one, you’ll be happy to know that the action has been upped, but you will be left wanting more. Nowhere near as good as the first one sadly.
3/5
Alex Errey
YEAH
