Iron Man 2 Review by George Durando
John Favreau once said, “We’ve all dreamt about flying. How exiting is one of those dreams? It’s never boring…If you cover it the right way shoot it the right way, present it to the audience in the right way it should be an emotional experience.” The first Iron Man really captured that experience and throw in Robert Downey, Jr.’s performance as the incredible Tony Stark left the audiences wanting more. In the very beginning of Iron Man 2, as Iron Man plummets from a cargo plane and flies down to the city, I was reminded of that quote and how Favreau allowed us to experience the joy of flight, one more time.
Iron Man 2 picks up from where Iron Man last left us, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) revealing to the entire world that he is indeed Iron Man, which garners attention. The United States government wants Tony Stark to hand over the suit, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) a business rival wants to make his own line of suits, and a man connected to Stark’s family history (Mickey Rourke) creates more calamity as he enters the scene and tries to destroy Iron Man. Tony Stark of course is never alone as he receives aid from his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his best friend Rhodey (Don Cheadle), and other members who eventually reveal themselves in the movie.
Like the first Iron Man, Iron Man 2 holds a really strong cast from the leads to the supporting actors. Robert Downey, Jr. is still without a doubt, Tony Stark. His performance is top notch and flawless. Speaking of top notch, Downey and Paltrow were made for each other; their onscreen chemistry would make any romantic onscreen couple jealous. Sam Rockwell’s performance as Justin Hammer was well done; Rockwell creates the opposite of what Tony Stark is, which makes a very interesting villain. Mickey Rourke doesn’t ham it up as a villain either, which was nice to see. Although Rourke doesn’t have a lot of screen time, he makes up for it with his performance as Whiplash. I was anxious when I first found out that Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as Rhodey, but after seeing Cheadle’s performance, I’m ok with it. He makes a decent Rhodey.
The only chief complaint I have about Iron Man 2, was the subplots; the subplots felt like unnecessary weight that slowed the pacing of the film. Its predecessor I felt was more straight forward in terms of narrative and characters, which made it enjoyable to follow and watch at the same time. Iron Man 2 tries to do more than the first movie but almost gets tripped up in its own story arches. I think that’s one of the problems with the superhero movies; they try to cover so much in only so little time that we forget there’s action and explosions involved. Thankfully Iron Man 2 avoided turning into another Spiderman 3, but my prediction is if Iron Man 3 isn’t careful, too much drama and not enough action will ultimately bog it down.
Speaking of action, there is definitely more action packed than its prequel. I have to admit the action sequences were so much better and, dare I say, a little more exciting. The first film built up to a fist fight between Iron Man and Iron Monger. Those of you who were hoping for a little bit more action from the first movie will have their needs satisfied by Iron Man 2. The visuals are always impressive and I can tell there are a lot of thought, effort, and creativity put into building Iron Man and all the technology that surround Tony Stark and his enemies. As always there’s a little something special at the end of the movie so if you’re interested or a huge Marvel fan, do stay after the credits of the movie.
I know comparisons are odious, but the procession from Iron Man to Iron Man 2 is not as great or groundbreaking as Batman Begins to The Dark Knight. Iron Man 2 doesn’t really soar to any new heights, however it still soars. Iron Man 2 still brings the charm and excitement over from the first movie, and I count that as a good sequel in my books. To me, Iron Man has never been about being able to stimulate an experience of flight as so much as how to have fun with a movie. I hope the next Iron Man will bring another two hours of thrills and laughs, and maybe Iron Man will make another upgrade to its series: one that’s even better than the first two. If anything, Iron Man 2 has proven it can still hold its ground as an entertaining movie, and maybe one day in the near future, I’ll be able to have my own War Machine suit.