Iron Man 2 is best described by this board game I used to play as a kid called Jenga. The game had a bunch of little pieces that held up the whole puzzle, but was wobbly at best, and if you pulled out one piece - the entire thing comes crumbling down. Director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux had a lot to accomplish in this film. Besides being a sequel, they were tasked with laying the groundwork for the onslaught of Marvel adaptations to come; namely Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. So there’s a lot going on in Iron Man 2 outside of Tony Stark’s continued adventures. This focus on the set-up for future films takes a lot away from the film, but it doesn’t kill the lighthearted, comedic aspects. The filmmakers chose a friendlier tone than the brooding Dark Knight, or the romantic Superman Returns. This makes for more pop appeal, but may turn off the more die-hard fans.
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Iron Man 2 begins with an unbridled era of peace in the world. Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) Iron Man has become the world’s enforcer of justice. He relishes the spotlight, so much so he launches a huge technology expo in New York City for the betterment of mankind. Unfortunately the US government is not hip to Tony’s heroics. They want to militarize the Iron Man technology. A rabid senator (Gary Shandling) and envious competitor (Sam Rockwell) are continually thwarted by Stark. Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Stark’s best friend, is also tasked by the government to reign in the Iron Man weapon. This is difficult because Tony Stark has become more erratic . His deadly secret, the arc reactor that powers his suit is slowly poisoning his blood. Another person knows this, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a disgraced Russian physicist and son of a former Stark employee. His seething vengeance, and the motives of a beautiful but mysterious new employee (Scarlet Johansson); may be the downfall of Iron Man. But Tony Stark has steadfast allies, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and most important - Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the elusive commander of S.H.E.I.L.D.
Iron Man 2 starts off whimsically. It’s got great humor and is decidedly more upbeat than most films in the genre. The fun begins to derail when the plot takes off in ten different directions. Soon you have a soup of characters that border on the absurd. It’s almost as if Iron Man becomes a secondary character in his own movie. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but Mickey Rourke and Scarlet Johansson are terribly underused in this film. They do have roles that forward the plot, but in essence are there to build the groundwork for other movies. I think it’s cheating the Iron Man fan base to do this, but Marvel has bet it’s future on these films and the ability of characters to successfully crossover.
The action scenes and special effects in Iron Man 2 are mediocre. I was surprised by this aspect. You walk in expecting to be blown away, and while there are several fight scenes, they just don’t look impressive. It’s all CGI and emotionless. There wasn’t any point where I felt Iron Man was ever in danger. Even his first battle with Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) is not as spectacular as it could have been. Maybe I’ve become used to comic adaptations having better special effects with successive films. There had to be a time when the genre slowed down, and it definitely does with the action in Iron Man 2.
Now that the complaints are aside, praise has to be heaped on Robert Downey Jr. for his tremendous portrayal of Tony Stark. Iron Man is a CGI character that blows stuff up and flies around. Tony Stark is a multi-faceted character that is fleshed out with great skill by Downey Jr. He’s mischievous and arrogant, but also witty and caring. His love for his friends and humanity is obvious through every second of this film. It’s a shame that Marvel saddled Iron Man 2 with the baggage of other films. Two hours of pure Tony Stark would have been fantastic.
In summary, lower your expectations for Iron Man 2. It’s fun and breezy with the requisite big moments for summer popcorn goodness. Director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. make the most of what they were tasked to do. I sincerely hope that Marvel allows Iron Man 3 to be its own film than the crutch that other franchises lean on.
