MOVIE REVIEW: IRON MAN 2

The summer season is officially here, and to kick it off we start with the follow up to the 2008 surprise smash hit Iron Man. In the follow up, Tony Stark faces many new challenges as he has now revealed to the public that he is Iron Man. First is the government. They feel as if the Iron Man suit is a threat to the public and wants to take it from him and use it for their own purposes. Secondly, Justin Hammer, an engineering rival to Stark is trying to create a copy of the Iron Man suit so he can create an army for the U.S. military. And finally, Ivan Vanko, a man whose father worked with Stark's is bent on revenge for supposedly stealing the fame and ideas of his fathers.

Iron Man 2 delivers the same high energy pace that the original did such a great job doing. So many films these days have a good plot or have a nice cast, but ends up falling on it's face due to lack of script. It is so nice to be able to go and sit through a film that has had a lot of effort put into the writing of the film. Justin Theroux delivered a phenomenal script with this film and really made it a clever, charming film to watch. Jon Favreau did a great job taking that script and turning it into something real. What makes these films successful, is the knowledge the people working on them have of the material. These guys knew the comics, knew the characters and knew exactly how to adapt them to the big screen.



The cast in this film is truly a wonderful ensemble. Robert Downey Jr. gives an even better performance in this film than he did in the original. When you are watching the film, you can really tell that he cares about the character he is playing. I am not sure if there has ever been a better casting job than the one to make Downey Jr. Iron Man. When you watch him in interviews it as if him and Tony Stark are one in the same. Then you have Gwyneth Paltrow who is a fantastic companion to Downey Jr.. Their chemistry in this film is fantastic. The quick dialogue between the two kept the audience laughing throughout the entire film. Don Cheadle came on board to replace Terrance Howard after Howard and the studio couldn't work out a deal regarding his pay. I enjoyed Cheadle a lot more as James Rhodes than I did Howard's portrayal. He seemed a lot less of a whiny character and more of someone who wants to stand up and take charge. He was a good edition to the series and really took charge of his character. Then we have Sam Rockwell who might be one of the most underrated actors in hollywood right now. In the film, Rockwell plays Justin Hammer. Hammer is a younger rival to Stark. He took the part and really made it his own. He starts off as trying to be a tough guy, but after being put in his place he tries to adapt into a more Stark like personality and in the end shows his true colors. Rockwell did a great job of changing personas throughout the film.








As for the action in the film, it was done very well. I think what kills big summer movies a lot of times are the over the top action they try and shove at you. They made it to where it was fun and exciting, but at the same time, they kept it believable.








The film however, is not without it's flaws. I think they completely missed on Mickey Rourke's character. They gave him absolutely nothing to in the film. This was a really waste of character, especially since the almost didn't land him do to financial negotiations. What little of the movie he is actually in, he is given horrible lines and no real purpose. At the end of the film, I felt as if he never really was a threat to Iron Man at all. So not only do they give him nothing to do throughout the entire film, but once the final showdown occurs between him and Iron Man, it is over and done with after three short minutes. It was if the film built up and built up, and then sizzled out at the very end.

Overall, Iron Man 2 was a great way to kick off the summer season. It had everything you needed to have a fun, successful film and I walked away completely satisfied and wanting more. I give it a four out of five.