Review: Iron Man 2 (B-)
Directed by Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Garry Shandling, Samuel L. Jackson, John Slattery, Clark Gregg, Kate Mara, Jon Favreau, Olivia Munn, Leslie Bibb, Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein, Christine Amanpour, Bill O’Reilly
Voice Cast: Paul Bettany
2010–124 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (intense sci-fi/action violence)
In 2008, Jon Favreau rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr.’s career with the excellent superhero blockbuster “Iron Man.” Having seen it just before this new sequel, I recognize the few flaws it has, but overall, it was a standard origin film told with chronological innovation and true style. The real success story was the psychological journey that sarcastic billionaire Tony Stark goes through to become a scarred man who simply cannot believe that his own weapons product would be used for terroristic purposes. It wasn’t simply an origin story, it was a character drama with action elements. Now that “Iron Man 2″ has been released, the simple question is: does it live up to the undeniable charm and energetic zip of the original? The simple three-word answer is: yes, and no.
First and foremost, “Iron Man 2″ is a silly action picture. Yes, there are moments of clear, unforced truth, but the film has mostly dispensed with character-centric drama and focused more heavily on the action elements. This works most of the time, so let’s talk about the action right now, i.e. what is good about the movie. The action sequences are, in a word, awesome, save for a ridiculous, out-of-place, awkward scuffle between Stark and Army friend and protege James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle). The early encounter between Stark and Russian villain Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) is thrilling and suspenseful–sadly, it’s the best action scene in the film, but it contains such style and visual wonderment, I suppose it isn’t much of a bad thing to say. The big finale is a lot of explosive fun, but it ends a little abruptly to reach full imagination.
Next, the plot, which I somehow haven’t covered yet. Set six months after the original “Iron Man,” Tony Stark has already revealed his superhero alter ego Iron Man to the general public and is a huge celebrity and philanthropist. Not responding well is slimy Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), who believes Iron Man is a weapon and poses a threat to the country’s sense of self-defense, especially since other countries have every opportunity to steal his technology for themselves. Confirming this hypothesis is a villain in the form of Ivan Vanko, a Russian with a taste for vengeance after Tony’s father Howard gypped Vanko’s father out of the fame he claimed to deserve. After Vanko attacks Tony at a French drag race, the heat is on between hero and villain, as well as Vanko’s benefactor and Stark Industries rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Also on Tony’s tail is the ever-present and ever-enigmatic S.H.I.E.L.D. recruiter Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson).
The storyline of “Iron Man 2″ is rather simplistic, presented in a startlingly ordinary fashion that doesn’t feature anything on the level of the slam-bang opener or the back-and-forth style of “Iron Man.” Normally the straightforward style works (such as in the infinitely more impressive “Spider-Man 2″), but here it comes off as stale. None of the characters are as interesting as they were the first time around, and even the notable chemistry between Tony and Rhodey and between Tony and love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is considerably lacking in the pep it had the first go-around.
One thing that must be mentioned is Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, which here is just as quirky and riveting performance that is the one constant through both films. Downey Jr. hits all the right notes as Tony Stark/Iron Man, now so completely comfortable with this role that he fits like a glove and makes it impossible to envision anyone else playing him. Also making strong impressions are Mickey Rourke, fittingly pompous and deliciously devilish as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, Sam Rockwell, having tons of fun as untrustworthy arms dealer Justin Hammer, and Gwyneth Paltrow, embuing Pepper Potts with heart, soul, and–when need be–anger. Mention must be given to the brilliant extended cameos by Samuel L. Jackson, as Nick Fury, and Garry Shandling, lapping it up as Senator Stern.
Less successful is the recasting of James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine, originally played by Terrence Howard as a loyal companion and played here by Don Cheadle as…well…nothing, really. Cheadle brings nothing to the role that Howard didn’t already bring, and the writing of the character seems to have dwindled down to almost nothingness. Also boring is Scarlett Johansson, who emotes not once throughout the entire picture, as the enigmatic and one-note Natalie Rushman/Agent Romanoff.
“Iron Man 2″ is a success, and if I’ve made it seem not so, I apologize. The blunt truth is, it is an imperfect creature, a film so bogged down in its own coolness that it sometimes forgets to really soar. The film’s style is an empty one, but it’s sometimes a lot of fun. Its missteps are of the conceptual sort, one that a lot of its audience is not really looking at, so I suppose this is one of the few movies I have liked despite my own reservations. It’s a muted success, flawed and full of miscalculation, obviously attentive only to spectacle and not really on substance. But I enjoyed the lunacy and silliness of it, and there we are.
