Two of the hottest commodities in Hollywood over the past few years have been comic book based films and actor Robert Downey Jr.. However with the highly anticipated sequel to 2008’s Iron Man, both Downey and the genre take a small step backward.
Iron Man 2 returns us to the world of Tony Stark and his alter, yet publicly known, ego Iron Man. This time around Tony not only continues to battle copy cat villains trying to use his own technology against him, but he must also find a way to stop the life-saving tech inside him from poisoning his body at the same time.
Jon Favreau returns to direct the second installation of the Iron Man saga and does manage to replicate the same mixture of comic book action, ultra realism and authentic characters the audience can get behind. What Favreau was not able to replicate with this film was a coherent story. In 2008’s Iron Man it was rumored, and actually confirmed by Jeff Bridges, that most of the script was written on the fly. The fact that it all came together as well as it did was a miracle in itself. Sadly this time there would be no miracle, and if Iron Man 2’s story and script was not written as the film was produced, it definitely gave off that appearance. This film moves along like a Ferrari in a supermarket parking lot with extra speed bumps. The scenes are rushed and the editing is choppy, almost as if the movie was a big-budget junior high project, thrown together the night before it was due.
The film is not without its merit though. Robert Downey is just as good in his reprise as the eccentric Tony Stark as he was in the first film, however last time he had a superior script backing him up. Downey remains the truest embodiment of a comic book protagonist ever brought to life. And in a surprising step up from her performance in the original, Gwyneth Paltrow actually jumps into the character of Pepper Potts as deeply as some of her more acclaimed roles. In the first film it felt like Paltrow was just phoning it in, but in Iron Man 2 Paltrow really seems to believe in Potts, reaffirming her as an important staple in the overall canon of Iron Man. This also could have something to do with the fact that the character of Pepper Potts is the only one to actually have stronger material to work with in the sequel than in the original film.
The new additions of Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson as Ivan Vanko and Natasha Romanoff, are more flash than they are substance. Neither actor gets to show any real chops and are used more like flavor enhancers than a great side dish. Ditto for Don Cheadle as he replaces Terrance Howard as Lt. Col. James Rhodes. Sam Rockwell did manage to animate the staleness with his portrayal of Stark rival Justin Hammer. Hammer is very much an extension of Rockwell's performance in 2000’s Charlie’s Angles as bad guy Eric Knox. This was a welcome addition as Rockwell does smarmy better than anyone alive and every time he and Downey shared a scene, a master’s class in charisma ensued. Unfortunately this happened far too seldom in the film.
Among the mess of a script, there is a shining star in the story . . . the technology. Science fiction has engulfed its audiences with so much outrageous tech throughout the years that fans have become very jaded, consequentially making it very difficult to have a real “wow” factor to new ideas. The fictional Stark Industries truly does feel futuristic, but even more importantly it feels realistic. This film displays some fantastic special effects for technology that is both awe inspiring and gives a sense of feasibility during the next decade.
Perhaps Iron Man 2 had too high a wall to climb, but falling a little short of its predecessor would have been forgivable had the story and script not been so far below the standard it help to stabilize in the genre. Some great dialogue does manage to get squeezed into the cut and paste scenes, and there’s nobody better in the business to deliver witty quips and banter than Downey. Also, Favreau included some fantastic comic book easter eggs, which is very important and appreciated by the genre’s hard-core fans. Unfortunately, dedication and respect for the source material was not enough to overshadow the obvious problems with the script and a very anticlimactic ending.
Story: 6.0
Acting: 7.5
Writing: 7.0
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.5
Total = 7.0
