‘Iron Man 2’ Isn't Perfect, but Remains Superb Summer Fun
-----The first ‘Iron Man’ was exceptionally awesome. Without one single reason attesting to its greatness, the guys at the newly founded Marvel Studios managed the perfect blend of action, romance, and humor; and all while honoring the comics that laid the foundations for the film. Oh yeah, and that guy they cast in the lead role was OK too. With an equally inspiring trailer for the highly anticipated sequel, it seemed that history may repeat itself. Well, it would be unfair to condemn ‘Iron Man 2’ just because it wasn’t one of the most entertaining films ever made (a title the original film deserves), but it nevertheless remains the clear lesser of the two. And yet, happily, ‘Iron Man 2’ remains a worthy sequel, held back only by a few elements that hinder its overall effect.
-----‘Iron Man 2’ follows the continuing story of Tony Stark, who revealed his identity as “Iron Man” at the end of the first film. In addition to the complications of the revelation, Stark has to deal with running a company, warding off a frustrated government, attacks from an angry Russian scientist, continued pressure from mysterious S.H.I.E.L.D Director Nick Fury, and so much more. Stay tuned reader.
-----Robert Downey Jr. returns to the role he was born for, providing everything we could want from him despite the film’s darker tone that restrains some of the fun-loving mentality ever-present in the original. It’s great to see how his career has skyrocketed with universal audiences after finding this character, and one may speculate that Tony Stark did for Robert Downey Jr. what Jack Sparrow did for Johnny Depp. Also back is Gwyneth Paltrow in a role as vital to the continuing success of the franchise as Downey Jr. himself, as their interplay remains a hallmark of the two-and-counting film franchise. Paltrow is unfortunately also forced into a role heavier on the tension, as the responsibilities have grown for our two leads upon Stark’s self-outing of his short-lived secret identity.
-----Now for the new faces. Don Cheadle plays Stark’s responsible friend James Rhodes, a character played by Terrence Howard in the first film. In a role about the same size as Howard’s in the original, the change comes as an unnecessary one. Cheadle plays the role very much the same way as Howard did, and since the original was the better film, it’s easy to look at Howard’s as the superior performance. This is not the actual case, as Cheadle does a fine job, but it is a bit odd to see a new face in a supporting role that carries virtually the same significance it did in the original. The gorgeous Scarlett Johansson enters as one of the films many facilitators for the upcoming ‘Avengers’ film, but nonetheless she still manage to tackle the role of Stark’s mysterious new assistant “Natalie Rushman” with ease. New villains include another white-collar scientist in Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer, and a flashy Russian bad-guy/good-scientist played by Mickey Rourke. Rockwell’s jealous and petty inventor is a finely tuned persona, and his interplay with Rourke’s brooding badass is often rather funny. One thing that may come up as odd is Rourke’s characters somewhat odd dual persona; on one hand being a tattooed brute with poor hygiene, and on the other his scientific prowess rivals that of our protagonist. Ah well, it would be naïve and dull if every movie-scientist fit the archetype. While Rockwell and Rourke are solid additions, there are times when they seem almost unnecessary. It’s not them so much them as the film’s ground floor agenda. Their story is balanced with numerous other plotlines, including Marvel’s admirable but nearly overbearing lead-in to the ‘Avengers’ film already set for 2012 (the first sign of which came during the after-credits scene at the end of the original ‘Iron Man’). Director John Favreau’s vanity cameo in the original is also developed into a full role, fight scene included. That’s not to say he too doesn’t remain humorous and entertaining, but when you pile this onto a more substantial role from Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury and Clark Gregg’s return as a quirky S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, it’s easy to see how quickly the film’s two hour running time fills up. The result is a superb cast that needn’t be, as more time with the leads that made the original a classic becomes desirable and the film as whole becomes too much of a facilitator for numerous agendas.
-----The tone is a bit off for most of the film. There are key times when it returns to the mood of the original (including most of the scenes in the trailer), but for much of the runtime the overall atmosphere evoked is one a bit too heavy to recapture the care-free mentality of ‘Iron Man.’ Thankfully the ending is one of the areas where we again see the prestige we did in the first, but for the most part ‘Iron Man 2’ is just a tad off. One of the reasons is the fact that the original was filmed mostly in the daylight. This may sound petty, but the whole film had a bright a refreshing look, especially for a comic book film. And with the many cast additions and subplots, there are very few of the intimate character-driven scenes that provided the original’s finest moments. The introduction of more villains and heroes also takes a very minute step away from the overall reality developed in the first film.
-----The action was also dispersed at a more consistent rate in the original, whereas here it is blocked primarily into the beginning and end of the film. On that note, it is safe to say that the action has improved. One of the few things fans don’t gleefully boast of when referring to the original is the final action scene, which while solid, wasn’t the film’s highlight. Here the climactic battle proves excellent, with Favreau and co. really honing in on the glory to be had with manned robots laying into each other. There’s also some strong choreography during a fight scene involving a certain Black Widow sure to appease diehard fanboys and casual viewers alike for years to come. The strong effects that most of the film’s battles are built on are followed up by a consistently awesome soundtrack of rock combined with the musical score’s superhero anthems. On a technical level, it’s safe to say ‘Iron Man 2’ lives up to the full legacy set by the original, Paul Bettany’s flawless Jarvis vocals and all.
-----Those who have frequented Green Hat Reviews over the last few years should not be panicked by this review. That is to say, I know what you’re thinking; the ever-loyal comic book movie advocate docked ‘Iron Man 2’ a half star, it must completely suck! Never fear filmgoers, for while insanely elevated expectations caused somewhat of a sobering effect when ‘Iron Man 2’ didn’t live 100% up to its esteemed predecessor, this also allows for a chance to notice the film’s few drawbacks. This is still very much a great film and one likely to withstand as one of the year’s best, and it should be noted that there are very few ongoing franchises that hold up with the ‘Iron Man’ films, especially given Sony’s disgusting decision to reboot the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise; but that’s another story. The film will likely only improve upon a second viewing, in the process making me stress over the half star I docked it initially; this is often an affect of re-watching a film you’ve anticipated for two years without the inevitable preconceptions you had the first trip into the theater. It may well have achieved full ranks from the start if not for the insuppressible shadow of the first ‘Iron Man’; you can’t exactly just forget the potential you’ve seen put into execution with a film’s predecessor. Indeed, ‘Iron Man 2’ should work great with repeat viewings, save a spot around the middle where it loses a bit of the momentum built in early scenes. In fact, the film as a whole is wildly entertaining during much of its runtime. It doesn’t provide a laugh or essential character development with every line as its predecessor did, but there are still plenty of both. Granted, it could have used a few more slow scenes where the leads were able to relax a bit from the loaded plot, but if its fantastic conclusion is any indication, the perfection of the first film is an element still present within the franchise. All in all, ‘Iron Man 2’ holds up as a worthy sequel slowed down only by a few small imperfections that keep it from achieving the success of the original, but these will prove next to nothing if the inevitable third entry capably maintains the brilliant standard set by the first two entries of this nearly unparalleled ongoing franchise.
-----Oscar Watch: Seeing as no James Cameron isn’t coming out with a movie this year (unless he secretly filmed an ‘Avatar’ sequel with the original!), ‘Iron Man 2’ may enjoy some of the technical Nominations the original garnered in 2008. It’s thus far limited competition in the special effects realm may take a shot from Director Christopher Nolan’s mysterious epic ‘Inception,’ which comes out in July.
-----Tidbit: One of the many subplots involves Stark’s father and a “Stark Expo” for new inventions, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Johnny Quest satire “Venture Bros.” Fans familiar with the show may want to look out for a few coincidental similarities.
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