Ironman 2 Review

Ironman 2 (2010)

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Written by: Justin Theoreux

Starring by: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlet Johansson, etc.

 

After such major unforeseen success of the very first Ironman film, it's no wonder Kevin Feige moved forward a more ambitious second adventure for Tony Stark's return as the metal suited superhero on the big screen.  If the film has any faults tho, is that while it's also telling its own story, you can tell returning writer Justin Theoreux and director, Jon Favreau were not only given the task of telling a new story regarding Tony's progression as a hero but building the world of the MCU at large.  And it shows! I'm not gonna lie, "Ironman 2" is in no way near as fun and refreshingly superb as "Ironman 1".  The movie spends too much time juggling Tony's latest dilemma while setting things up for future MCU films and while it's awesome to see more of characters that will play a MUCH bigger role in the future of the franchise, it kind of undermines Tony's own story here first and foremost. I guess I should start with the good tho??? Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark and you can just feel the overwhelming enthusiasm and genuine excitement he has for being back to play such billionaire mastermind of a prestigious company while also protecting the country as the metal suited superhero. After Downey's charismatic, smug performance from the first film, here, Tony comes off far more obnoxious and arrogant in the sequel here.  Doesn't really put his character in a positive light for the majority of the film because of that.  The US government is far too concerned with obtaining Tony's Ironman tech and he's all too proud to NOT let them get their hands on it.  But also, he is dealing with much darker issues, especially when he realizes the arc reactor that he built to keep him alive is actually killing him and he has no way of creating a more substantial one that requires a new element to power it.  It's hard but understandable to see Tony behaving in a manor that is not helpful to his cause in the long run and he certainly pays for it during a scene where he too concern with living his best life drunk and uninhibited during his birthday party than actually telling anyone about his current condition.

Taking over for Terrance Howard's Colonel Rhodes is Don Cheadle and he actually makes for a decent replacement.  In terms of chemistry, not much is different between the two of sets of best friend but I guess it's just nice to have a more reliable actor on set moving forward with the franchise.  We definitely get more Rhodes in this film, especially when having to be between his best friend and the US government trying their best to obtain the Ironman tech to boost their weaponry as well as the army itself.  And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact Rhodes puts on the suit for not only a hilarious brawl with Tony at his California mansion but in fact becomes War Machine in this film toward the end of the film where he and Ironman must team up for the first time during the concluding battle.  Another returning character, Pepper Potts, played by the lovely Gwywneth Paltrow is given a bigger role here as Tony appoints her as the new CEO of Stark Industries. And I love how it gives Pepper more of powerful position than being just Tony's secretary and damsel in distress during the third act of the movie. But of course, the romantic tension between them builds here as Tony grows knowingly more dependent on her without her knowing why he's acting the way he is.  It's rather dumb to be honest not telling her right away but it's good to see by movie's end that the two are finally giving into their feelings for each other. But like I said, this isn't just Tony's story, but also a stepping stone for the Marvel cinematic universe at large so we are reintroduced as well as introduced to more characters having to due with S.H.E.I.L.D. There's Agent Coulson of course and leader of S.H.E.I.L.D., Nick Fury, played with the usual flare and delightful bada$$ presence of Samuel L. Jackson.  But the most entertaining without a doubt is Scarlet Johnasson in her debut as Natasha Rominoff aka Black Widow.

On duty and undercover as Tony's replacement secretary, Natalie Rushman, after promoting Pepper, she steals nearly every scene she's in, including a surprising and thoroughly entertaining fight sequence where she takes on a bunch of security guards with some remarkable fight choreography that still amazes to this day.  Hard to believe there was a time where Black Widow's incredibly inventive fighting style was such a visual marvel (Can't help it! :P)  to watch for the first time onscreen but definitely was an awesome taste of things to come with her character.  It's no wonder people were dying for a Black Widow solo film since then, how unfortunately we had to wait 11 years later for a film lead by the Russian spy that wasn't as great as it could of. :(  As for the villain(s), we get two for the price of one, yet the problem of the weak enemies rears its ugly head again.  One is Mickey Rourke's Whiplash, son of a former Soviet Union scientist who's work was apparently stolen from his dad by Stark Industries before deferred back to his country.  Rourke gives an solid performance for sure, convincing as the slimy scientist turned hitman after Tony Stark but there isn't much depth or connection between him and Tony.  Even during their first confrontation, the tension isn't as intense as it should be for a man who just tried to killed Ironman in broad daylight.  Even the final battle is yet another suit vs suit brawl with the villain wearing a MUCH bigger suit than Tony and Rhodey before proceeding to kick their a$$es. I mean I like his electrical whips visual as his signature weapon, but when the villain himself isn't much to talk about, it doesn't leave as much as an impression as it should.  The secondary villain is Justin Hammer, Founder of Hammer Industries, who is trying so desperately to compete with Stark's advanced Ironman tech but realizing he can't until getting his hands on Whiplash to upgrade his technology to take his company far beyond Stark Industries' capabilities as well as destroying the company in the process.  Meh! It's your typical bad guy business man in a tie as Sam Rockwell does his best to make Hammer intimidating but there's nothing different from him and the usual type of role he is playing.  

He honestly comes off as more of an arrogant child than a major leader of a rivaling company, especially when of the movie's punchlines is about how much his tech sucks; making him look more incompetent than a legit threat for Tony. While the villains are a major disappointment as usual, the action remains strong and in typical sequel fashion is bigger than the first which didn't have nearly as much.  The third act final battle is definitely a showstopping spectacle with both Ironman and War Machine having to deal with Hammer Industries' army of Droids during a harrowing extended flight chase but the cherry on top is without a doubt the major fight fest between Ironman and War Machine against the Droids in that elegant park where the special effects in particular are still stunning beyond words.  I also love how much fun Tony and Rhodey are having fighting side by side, like two friends playing a shooter game together and comparing how many they got while fighting. lol  But at the end of the day, "Ironman 2" gets the job done in being entertaining and fun enough to enjoy the ride even if the story elements are mashed together not so well and the villains don't live up to expectations as much as the heroes.  Tony just should have been more at the heart of the story and while he does get some development of course, it's mostly at the expense of his character actually like a irrational jerk for most of the movie given his impending demise.  I just wish we had more scenes like Tony finally creating his own element to create a much more powerful source for his arc reactor or that unbelievably touching scene where he watches a video left for him from his father. :_)  But if you're looking for an MCU movie that feels more like an MCU movie than a solo Ironman film than the first, this film should be just fine for you.  I just wish it was an improvement over what worked so well in the first film that was so brutal, visceral yet inspiring and consistently hilarious throughout. Oh well....

"As the second film in the Ironman trilogy, "Ironman 2" is a decent follow-up to the first film that tries its best to tell a gripping story of Tony Stark's latest adventure as the metal made superhero while also throwing in more elements of the grander universe being built by introducing more characters as well as bringing back others to set up things to come from this epic franchise.  It only works half the time and the villains don't exactly leave anything memorable to really seem like much of a pivotal threat to Stark himself as both genius inventor or his high tech armored hero.  But thanks to some incredibly fun additions like Scarlet Johansson's Black Widow and Rhodey's first outing as War Machine, we get some dazzling action sequences with some tremendously well choreographed fight scenes."

Final Film Score: C+