Review: Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

2.5

ACTION

U.S. Release Date: 05/07/10

Running Length: 124 Minutes

MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, Profanity)

Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg

Director: Jon Favreau

Screenplay: Justin Theroux

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique

Music: John Debney

U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Review by: Carter Moulton

05/10/10

Everyone seems to be saying the same thing about Iron Man 2. “Good, but not as good as the original; too many characters; rushed ending; good action." I mostly agree but have one contribution to add: Justin Theroux's script is weak. Robert Downey Jr. does a solid job retaining the snappiness of Tony Stark, but the content he spews from his rapidly-moving mouth isn’t as smart as it was in the first movie—and in turn, isn’t as funny. At the end of the first Iron Man, Stark seems a subtley changed man; in Iron Man 2, he’s more childish than ever.

Iron Man 2 has a mild case of Spider-Man 3 syndrome. This disease includes the following symptom: too many subplots and/or villains. Thankfully, we don’t have to watch an emo Peter Parker break dance this time around. I use Spider-Man 3 as an example, but really this problem has plagued superhero films for quite some time—just think of Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies.

Just glance at the cast: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, the narcisstic hero; Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Stark’s potential love interest; Scarlett Johansson as, well…it’s a secret; Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, an eyepatch-wearing superhero recruiter; Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, a rival to Stark Industries; Don Cheadle taking over for Terrance Howard as Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, a friend to Stark who becomes his own superhero during the film; and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko, or “Whiplash,” the main villain of the film. I see a lot of big names, and I see a lot of storylines to connect.

Director Jon Favreau tries his best, and, to be fair, he handles the chaos relatively well. The threads are all connected; they’re just rushed and underdeveloped. The ending is a prime example of this. Whiplash flies into the scene, and it’s him against our heroes, Iron Man 2 and War Machine (Lt. Rhodes). The fight begins. It’s really short. With the blast of a superhero high-five, the fight is over, and then, with the blink of an eye, the film is over. I was exponentially stunned at how fast the ending wrapped everything up—in a bad way.

It’s true, Iron Man is only a part of the Marvel Universe. We’ve already seen The Incredible Hulk, and with Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger due within the next few years, Marvel is bringing it's universe together. The Avengers, which will feature Iron Man, is set to be released in 2012. There’s about 25 minutes of screentime dedicated to this “Avenger” subplot. It threatens the pacing and focus of Iron Man 2, leaving it’s identity as a film suspended somewhere between Iron Man and The Avengers.

This film is still a single scoop of fun. The action scenes make the fights in Iron Man look like verbal skirmishes between a schoolboy and his mother—and Scarlett Johansson’s character does some amazing things with her legs. One scene that takes place on a racetrack is particularly impressive, both in visuals and in tone. Additionally, the cast does their part to keep Iron Man 2 afloat. Don Cheadle is better than Terrance Howard as Rhodey, and Mickey Rourke makes chewing on a toothpick look extremely threatening.

I was never bored during Iron Man 2. This is probably because I was already invested in the Marvel universe created by the original Iron Man. It was entertaining, and will serve as an apt beginning to the summer blockbuster months. It’s by no means bad enough to jeopardize the Iron Man film franchise, but the team working on the already-announced Iron Man 3 needs to be extremely careful. Still, things could be much worse, and you'll definitely enjoy it if you’re a comic book fiend or an action hound. Oh, and stay after the credits for an extra appetizer.