Iron Man 2 (2010) – at AMK Hub. There’s a string of upcoming blockbuster films this and next month that’s gonna hit the theaters. The first was Iron Man 2 that we caught at a late morning screening over the weekend.
If there’s one thing that sequels to super-hero films tend towards, it’s the inclusion of more and multiple villains and main characters thrown in when just one such bad guy who had sufficed in the first films. The first two Spider-Man films had just one apiece; but the third film saw an explosion of three such. Chris Nolan’s Batman remake started with just one too, but in the second film there were two.
On the one hand, it makes sense because you expect the story to evolve in complexity. Since you’ve already established the groundwork and back story in the first film, you take the adventure to the next level by introducing more characters or have the existing ones grow in characterization. On the other hand, you get more variables thrown into the mix, and in theory less time for each character.
Iron Man 2 hasn’t quite gone the extreme of throwing in everyone in Marvel-verse associated with Tony Stark, but we do get the inclusion of three new characters: Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko – a disgruntled Russian scientist who successfully recreates Stark’s technology – the always fun to watch Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer – Stark’s rival-wannabe but without nearly the same technological prowess – and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.
Of the three, I thought Rockwell’s Hammer demonstrated the widest range while the other two were pretty much flat. Strangely, his performance here reminds me of the similarly quirky, frenetic and delusional character he played in Galaxy’s Quest as the proverbial Red-shirt. Rourke does what he always does best – play the role of a sneering villain, and he doesn’t even seem to be trying very hard to do a role well that he naturally already fits in.
However, while Vanko’s back story is introduced early in the film and elaborated upon mid-film by Fury (Samuel L. Jackson who doesn’t look nearly 62), the actual characterization in the film itself is inconsistent with that established motivation. Basically, you get this feeling that Vanko’s giving Iron Man the smack only because he’s got nothing better to do with his time, and not because he’s trying to avenge his deceased father.
Faring even the worse though is Johansson. Once one gets past those little gratuitous scenes of her awesome body exemplified by all those tight-fitting shirts and later leather suit she dons and the Catherine Zeta-Jone’esque poses she strikes when she’s beating up Hammer Industries’ security personnel, it’s not hard to conclude that her role in the film amounts to basically… nothing. Add to that trademark Johansson pout and that the actress seems uncomfortable with her action scenes you’re left wondering how much better Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria) who had to drop from the role because of scheduling conflicts would have done in this role.
On the upside; one of the best reasons to still catch Iron Man 2 is Robert Downey Jr., reprising the role of the eccentric egotistic billionaire-inventor Tony Stark/Iron Man. Like Rourke, Downey is playing a personality that isn’t different from the so many others he’s played in the last several years now aside from, as Matt remarks, when he’s playing a black dude. But he’s got such charisma that he remains a joy to watch. DC Comics’ equivalent of the billionaire-super-hero is Bruce Wayne/Batman, but while Christian Bale does a magnificent run as Bats, his day-time alter-ego of Wayne just doesn’t display the same kind of magnetism and hilarious flamboyance that Downey Jr’s Stark does.
Interestingly, while this sequel to the first Iron Man film from 2 years ago has been well-received at the box office, many online critics have remarked that the new film isn’t quite as good as the first. Much of the criticism center around the dialog-heavy and action-lite early and mid acts of the film, Don Cheadle taking over the role of Rhodey, and the diminished sexual tension between Stark and his ever-loyal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
I don’t think their criticism is entirely unwarranted. Cheadle as Stark’s brother-in-armor seems permanently stuck in pissed mode, unlike the actor he replaced for the role, Terence Howard, who despite all the ridiculous situations Stark put him in continued to display that twinkle in the eye and chuckle. That the middle act was action-lite doesn’t bother me too much – I like my superhero films to have a lot of exposition, and Iron Man 2 hasn’t disappointed in this aspect. That the oft and on light romance between Paltrow’s Potts and her boss from the first film seems to have taken a back seat in the sequel is indeed obvious enough to the discerning, but in return Potts has a better story arc this time. She reluctantly takes over Stark Industries as CEO, and in what was for me among the best scenes of the film confronts Stark about his irresponsibility in managing his own company and leaving her to have to clean up each time.
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So, not quite perfect but definitely leaning more on the positives. I liked Iron Man 2 better than the first film despite the weaker supporting cast. Oh yeah; for those who’ve yet to see the film – make sure you stay for the extra scene after the end-credits roll for a good look at a certain… hammer.:)
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