Iron Man 2 review: Robert Downey Jr.'s excellent comic adventure

29 April 2010

John Howell

By now you may have read some negative early reviews of Iron Man 2, the sequel to Marvel Comics' first Iron Man movie starring the inimitable Robert Downey Jr. Empire claimed the sequel felt "inessential, over-busy and a little, well, mechanical", the Mirror stated that "Given the strength of part one, the sequel is not just a terrific failure but a terrific disappointment." Insanely, Variety declared that the "Visual and CGI effects are the best and worst thing about Iron Man 2. The film relies far too much on them. They catch one up in the action, but, unfortunately, nothing else does." The Hollywood Reporter said "Well, that didn't take long. Everything fun and terrific about Iron Man, a mere two years ago, has vanished with its sequel."

Well you can forget about all of these reviews right now. I'm serious, put them out of your mind. Burn them if you have too. They miss the mark completely. Actually, they're completely mental. These reviewers and many more had either blown fuses when they wrote their material (assuming they're robots), missed their media previews and had to write something in a rush to meet a deadline (and decided just to make the whole review up) or somehow they all slipped into a parallel universe and then slipped right back out again as the final credits rolled. I swear these guys were watching a completely different film.

Iron Man 2 is the most entertaining sequel I've watched in years, outperforming Version 1.0 by a light year. It's Iron Man squared in every sense. The CGI is not used excessively, the story is never clunky or slow, the dialogue is intelligent, fast paced, extremely funny, and even occasionally poignant. There are more on the mark jokes in this movie than a dozen recent Hollywood comedies (those films that declare they are "one of the funniest movies in years" or "a laugh a minute", etc.). Perhaps that was what threw these reviewers? Were they expecting a dark fantasy drama like The Dark Knight?

In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is at the top of the corporate game, but under pressure to hand over his super suit to a government worried that too much power is in his hands. As Tony Stark declares, in a great opening sequence before a Congressional Committee, he has "privatised world peace" and no one can match his technology. However, there are forces conspiring against him, including a crazy Russian scientist, Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke, who blames Stark Industries for his family's suffering (his father worked with Stark's dad in the 1960s), a conniving rival entrepreneur Justin Hammer played by Sam Rockwell, and the antagonistic Senator Stern played by Garry Shandling. When all these individuals join forces it's going to take a lot to hold Iron Man's world together. There's also the minor problem of the Iron Man power source stuck in his chest slowing poisoning his blood and killing him.

Robert Downey Jr. is born to play Tony Stark, the brilliant, eccentric egomaniac with a conscience hidden deep inside a complex personality. Just like his performance in the recent Sherlock Holmes movie, he's a funny, captivating, vital lead. Mickey Rourke as Vanko continues his acting revival, convincingly playing the raging, tattooed Russian with menace and power (where has he been all these years?). Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, now Stark's CEO, puts in a better performance than she did in Iron Man - and has a bit more to do this time round - while Stark's friend James Rhodes (Rhodey) played by Don Cheadle is excellent (although in contrast to Paltrow he doesn't get enough to do). Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer is his usual effervescent self, and the acting ability of Scarlett Johansson, playing Stark's beautiful assistant Natalie, continues to astound.

Unlike many blockbuster special effects films that keep throwing effects at the audience every time there's a moment of breathing space, Iron Man 2 is not afraid to explore and develop a back story, in this case Howard Stark's (Tony Stark's father), and for his plans for his son and company. Video footage from Howard Stark's days as the head of the company he founded and a mystery regarding the unfulfilled potential of the Iron Man technology add an extra dimension missing from the original. That's not to the say the effects are underwhelming, quite the contrary; the Formula One racing sequence and a final climatic battle in a park area are the best we've seen. Stark's gadgets and home computer displays are reminiscent of the Minority Report, and if we give Steve Job's another 20 years at Apple, a future version of the iPhone will probably look something like Tony Stark's translucent PDA.

Writer Justin Theroux and director Jon Favreau (who also plays one of Stark's assistants) have crafted a fantastic sequel that is a cut above the typical Hollywood CGI blockbuster and surpasses the original with style, wit, flair and intelligence. Don't believe the critics (at least the ones who don't like it). Iron Man 2 is an excellent science fiction mix. When you go though, make sure you watch until after the final credits role. There's a small surprise for the patient.

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