IRON MAN LIVES AGAIN

Iron Man 2

***

Review by Paul Preston

“If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him”
- Ivan Vanko, “Iron Man 2”

2008’s “Iron Man” was an astounding hit, both in that it seemed to have broad appeal for a superhero movie (maybe not such a rare thing since ‘08’s double success of “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight”), and that it’s star, Robert Downey, Jr. hadn’t headlined a summer release EVER. “Iron Man 2” is essentially a revenge tale. Ivan Vanko, whose father developed important technology with Tony Stark’s father, but received none of the credit, is out to knock Stark off of his pedestal. It seems, based on intial reviews of “Iron Man 2”, that critics are out to knock the film down in Vanko-esque fashion.

Don’t believe the hype.

“Iron Man 2” is great entertainment, and a fitting continuation of the characters’ journey. There’s certainly no betrayal to the main character here, as Tony Stark’s egomaniacal, playboy mentality are flamboyantly intact at the beginning of the movie. Downey nails this again, and steps up to the more complicated matters his character faces this time out.

And this is where “Iron Man 2” succeeds as a good sequel. The stakes are raised across the board. Much like the very successful sequel “Spider-Man 2”, the main character’s ability to sustain his heroic intentions are put to the ultimate test early, and there are real consequences. Unlike the not-so-successful sequel “Batman and Robin”, “Iron Man 2” handily juggles an onslaught of new characters, including the great Sam Rockwell, perfectly balancing desperation and buffoonery as the anti-Stark, Justin Hammer. Hammer, always second to Stark in defense technology, is happy to back Danko’s revenge by tapping into his knowledge and drive. The plot, although complex, is relatively simple. It’s the revenge story, coupled with S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltrating Tony’s life to set up the groundwork for the formation of The Avengers. It sometimes unfolds a little slowly, but great casting saves those moments.

And the film makes no apologies for moving full steam ahead towards The Avengers. Marvel Comics is bankrolling its own movies, and they’ve got “Thor” AND “Captain America” coming out next year, followed by “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3” coming after that. Comic geeks will be in heaven, everyone else will have to do some research to catch up on what’s coming. But hopefully, the films will make everything plainly clear in the formation of this superhero supergoup. Stick around through the end credits of “Iron Man 2” for more info.

Mickey Rourke is great as Vanko, the next step in a perfectly-orchestrated movie comeback. After the critical success of “The Wrestler”, he’s now going to get commercial success with “Iron Man 2”. Don Cheadle admirably steps into the role of Stark’s military buddy James Rhodes, but his plot is the most contrived. He objects to Tony’s self-destruction, and his way of protesting is a rather elaborate fight sequence that could’ve been something much more simple (Rhodey knows how to operate an Iron Man suit?). Rhodes’ loyalty to the military complicates his relationship with Tony enough without a special-effects-laden action scene.

That being said, director Jon Favreau, who very deftly handles the characters and dialogue here, as he did in the first film, has improved on his ability to build a good action climax. The Downey/Jeff Bridges finale was not the high-point of “Iron Man”, but here the fast-moving showdown between Iron Man and Iron Man-knockoffs is exciting and hi-tech fun.

“Iron Man 2” is released in glorious 2-D, another good sign that the filmmakers are confident in the material without the need for theatrical helping-up. This can’t be said in the confidence behind another potential M. Night Shyamalan debacle in “The Last Airbender”, NOW IN 3-D! I predict people will come out for the return of Tony Stark and it will still make more money this summer than any other theatrical release charging an extra $7 per ticket to take you to the third dimension.

Too me, summer has peaked too early. There isn’t another movie this big on the horizon all season. “Prince of Persia”? Girls won’t come out for that. “Sex and the City 2”? Guys won’t come out for that. Everybody will come out for “Iron Man 2”. And they won’t be disappointed.

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Release Date: May 7, 2010
Run Time: 124 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: PG-13
Distributor: Paramount Pictures

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