(Long Island, N.Y.) Wow! My 100th movie review for Long Island Exchange and it’s Iron Man 2! Considering how much I was looking forward to the sequel to the 2008 Marvel Comics superhero movie, I’m overjoyed to be marking the history-making milestone that is my 100th review with it! And I couldn’t have done it with out you, my millions and millions of loyal readers. Here’s to the next 100…
So, do I really need to recap the plot of Iron Man? Didn’t you see it? Didn’t everyone? What? You didn’t? Well, okay…since we’re such good friends, I’ll fill you in. In the first Iron Man movie, we were introduced to one of the most unconventional and charismatic super heroes of all time: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a playboy billionaire industrialist and arms manufacturer who is captured by terrorists and is forced to construct an invincible yet clunky mechanized exo-suit to effect his escape. Once back home he realizes he’s onto something, starts tinkering around in his workshop, and eventually refines his design into a sleek, high-tech, red and gold suit of armor. Tony uses this armor to protect the innocents suffering under terrorists using his company’s weapons, and soon comes into conflict with an evil business associate with an even bigger, meaner suit of metal duds. Iron Man was a movie that not only was a loyal adaptation of the comic it was based on, but an excellent movie when taken on its own, with equal parts personality, character development, and action.
Of course, Iron Man made tons of dough, which leads us here: to the inevitable sequel, again effectively directed by Jon Favreau. After outing his secret identity as Iron Man at the end of the first movie, Tony Stark’s life has become rather complicated: the government wants the designs for his armor; the magnetic arc reactor imbedded in his chest (the only way to keep his heart beating after an injury in the first movie) is slowly poisoning him; Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a crazy Russian with a vendetta, manages to re-create Stark’s arc reactor tech and comes gunning for him; and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), head of a secret government agency called SHIELD, keeps bugging Tony about starting up this little superhero group called The Avengers. Needless to say, Tony’s having a rough time, and to give himself a break he appoints his former personal assistant and current possible romantic interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as CEO of Stark Industries.
However, things grow even more complicated when a rival weapons manufacturer named Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) teams with Vanko and gives him the resources to take on Iron Man head-to-head. The deck seems stacked against Tony, but help comes from his long-time friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard), wearing his own suit of armor: a heavily modified version of Tony’s older suit, known to comic book fans as “War Machine.” But can even the armored duo stand up to the deadly forces poised against them?
Overall, Iron Man 2 is a great follow-up to the original. Sure, it loses a bit of that “breath of fresh air” feeling the first movie had, but that’s to be expected; after all, it came out of nowhere and was a wonderful alternative to all the moping, gloom-and-doom superhero films going around at the time. Here we had Tony Stark, a hard-drinkin’, hard partyin’ guy who actually loved the idea of being a superhero. He was a genius and rich beyond words, but at the same time he had all-too-human frailties; in the comics, Stark is an alcoholic, and this malady is again hinted at in Iron Man 2’s narrative, just as it was in the first film. I can only assume that this is all a set-up for some kind of downfall for Tony in the third movie, which would make for some very compelling cinema indeed, as readers of the infamous “Demon in a Bottle” comic book story can attest to.
Again, the center of an Iron Man movie is not the action, or the fancy special effects (although they are really, really nice); it’s the ACTORS and their personalities. I can’t tell you how refreshing that is in this day and plastic age of style-over-substance. Robert Downey Jr. again gives a command performance in his role as Stark- he’s arrogant, thrill-seeking, a jerk, but somehow Downey Jr. manages to make him loveable, not despite his flaws, but actually BECAUSE of them. And worry not…his chemistry and playful relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow is just as endearing as ever. Mickey Rourke does a fearsome job portraying Ivan Vanko, with his authentic prison tattoos, the muscles left over from filming 2008’s The Wrestler, his accent, and his overall wacked-out appearance. Word is that Rourke did his “method actor” thing and spent time in actual Russian prisons to get into the part, and it shows; he’s real scary.
A lot of hoo-ha was raised in the press about Terrence Howard getting the heave-ho from the sequel and Don Cheadle taking his place. Howard said they didn’t honor his contract, Favreau says Howard was a pain to work with, blah, blah, blah. Whatever the reason, the fact remains: Don Cheadle is an improvement. First of all, he actually looks much more like the comic character, and second, he plays the role with a bit more conviction. Howard was fine, but he came across as somewhat weak and wishy-washy to me in the original. Moving on…Sam Rockwell was fun, and I’m glad to see him turning up in more big-name movies lately. If you’re not familiar with him, he made a flick a few years back called Moon; I highly recommend giving it a rent. Meanwhile, Samuel L. Jackson plays Samuel L. Jackson playing Samuel L. Jackson. You know, like he always does- no surprises from this man.
Iron Man 2 also features more of other things made the first movie popular; adventure, explosions, cutting-edge effects, fight scenes, and amazing tech design work courtesy of the late, great Stan Winston’s studio. The pace slows in parts, especially the middle, but while ADD-riddled action junkies might start squirming in their seats, the rest of us will realize that the movie is giving us some more of the great character-building moments that the first Iron Man delivered in spades. A highlight is a birthday party scene that possibly hints at drama to come in the sequel. But don’t worry, junior, something will blow up real pretty-like…and soon, I promise.
One thing about Iron Man 2 I feel I must point out: at times it feel like an extended ad for The Avengers film due to come out in 2012, with hints and references dropped every so often. For those that don’t know, The Avengers are a “super team” made up of Iron Man, Captain America (his movie is currently filming, starring Chris Evans), Thor (his movie’s filming too, directed by Kenneth Branagh), and The Hulk (his movie was released in 2008, starring Edward Norton). Previously, such a cinematic team-up was impossible because the movie rights to so many of Marvel Comic’s characters were owned by different studios. But now that Marvel is producing their own films, the idea of creating one whole Marvel film universe is becoming a reality. Sam Jackson’s Nick Fury will also appear in The Avengers, as will Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow, whose character makes her film debut here in Iron Man 2.
So, Iron Man 2: is it as good as the original? That’s hard to say, but I think the answer is yes. And considering how good the original was, that is one impressive feat indeed. Highly recommended, even if you’re NOT a comic book fan. By the way, remember to stick around until after the credits, kids…
