Iron Man 2
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell
My feelings for this are not as strong as the first one, which is probably one of the best Marvel movies to date, this one felt a lot like an Avenger’s propaganda film with so much pertaining towards the Avengers in the second act to the point of not focusing on the villain all that much. Aside from that I actually think that it is a well done film with some truly awesome action scenes, something that the first one missed, and some fantastic special effects. What is the most difficult is picking a villain worthy of Iron Man, he doesn’t have the greatest rogue gallery out there, but combining Whiplash with the Crimson Dynamo was a great idea and Mickey Rourke played the part perfectly. Sam Rockwell is the brightest spot here, aside from Robert Downey Jr. who is on par with the first film, he just makes an even cocky version of Stark but less intelligent and likable. The inclusion of Natalie Rushman, aka Black Widow, was not the best idea, it just felt that they were trying to add as many characters as possible, but Scarlett Johansson played the part greatly though I feel the story could have still worked without her.
As Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) owns up to being Iron Man before the world press, Anton Vanko lies dying in Russia. Years ago, Anton worked with Tony’s father to create a new source of energy. But greed got the best of Anton, and now as he slips away, his son, Ivan (Mickey Rourke), vows to make Tony pay for the sins of his father. Meanwhile, Tony fends off efforts from smarmy Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) and military weapons expert Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) to get him to divulge the secrets of his powerful Iron Man suit. The powers that be are concerned that Tony’s technology may fall into the wrong hands — fears that are soon confirmed when the cocky billionaire entrepreneur is confronted in front of the entire world by Ivan, who has built his own weapon using stolen Stark blueprints. Later, as Lt. Rhodes (Don Cheadle) wrestles with the decision to personally deliver Tony’s suit to the military, Ivan finds an unlikely ally in the quest to destroy Iron Man; Stark Industries legal consultant Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) reveals her connection to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson); and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) takes on some new responsibilities.
Though the film suffers from some minor flaws and a slow second act, I still found myself enjoying the adventure of Iron Man and I can’t wait to see the next movie and what he offers up in the Avengers.
8 out of 10
The Visionary Film Fanatic 