Iron Man 2

2010, Rated PG-13, 124 minutes, Directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Jon Favreau and many others, Screenplay by  Justin Theroux based on the Marvel comic book, Cinematograhpy by Matthew Ligatique, Original Music by John Debney

With: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Don Cheadle (Lt. Col James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine), Scarlett Johansson (Natalie Rushman/Black Widow), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko/Whiplash), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan)

The original Iron Man was considered a breath of fresh air in the superhero action movie genre. It was a surprise hit with a light hearted feel, great action, and wonderful and witty dialogue. Iron Man 2 comes with much higher expectations than the first one: bring more of the same fresh air but do it in a new and exciting way that does not stray too far from the original. While Iron Man 2 is an action packed movie with great new characters, it does not break out ahead of the original and even creates a much darker tone that gives it a much less original feel.

The dark tone is set immediately in the opening scene: a cold Russian setting with a dying man and a shady looking son who responds to his father’s dying wish as the TV in the background plays the press conference where Tony Stark admits that he is in fact Iron Man. The son, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) begins building what turns out to be his own arc reactor in a dimly lit, dirty lab deep in the underbelly of Russian culture. This tone, while it is not carried throughout the entire film, is a significant step away from the tone of the first film and does not fit as well in the world of Tony Stark. The tone makes the movie feel slightly off as it attempts to delve into the darker realms of human existence, morality, and power.

The movie introduces Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) at the opening ceremonies of the Stark Expo where he is his usual cocky and witty self as he proclaims himself the privatizer of world peace and, in essence, savior of the world. The US government, however, has a different opinion and summons Tony to a Congressional committee to demand he relinquish the suit to the American government. Tony, of course, suavely and sarcastically refuses to turn himself over as he and the suit are one and claims that no other country or person is capable of producing such a suit in the next 10 years.  He soundly puts competing weapons developer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) in his place and refutes the claims of Lt. Col. James Rhodes (now played by Don Cheadle) that he poses significant risks if he remains the sole possessor of the technology.

Things are not all that they seem however, as Tony is struggling to find a substitute for the palladium that keeps him alive but at the same time is slowly eating away at his body. And here the movie takes a turn to the reflective and morose. Tony Stark loses his spirit for life and hands over the reigns of his company to his assistant Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). Tony hires a new assistant, Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson), and continues his thrill seeking lifestyle. In Monaco, during a grand prix race, Ivan Vanko reappears and introduces the world to Whiplash.

Rourke does an excellent job as Ivan Vanko with his tough guy persona grown from the seedy underbelly of Russian society. The method actor reportedly spent time in a Russian prison to prepare for his role. After his defeat at the race track he is sprung from prison by Hammer and hired to build suits. Rourke steals the show with his acting as you can always see there is a lot more going on in the characters head than he says. He exhibits the conniving villain excellently as he continually manipulates, or simply kills, the people around him so he can gain control of a new Iron Man drone squad.

      The story dovetails after the race as Tony teams up with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and SHIELD to come up with a solution to his palladium problem; meanwhile Vanko and Hammer are working to complete the Iron Man drone in time to display it at the Stark Expo and the US army is weaponizing a forcibly obtained Iron Man suit. Friendships are severed, tensions are high, you can never really figure out Vanko, Pepper is stressed with running the company, and it all comes together again at the Stark Expo. It is an excellent final battle that features all the characters with Tony Stark and Iron Man taking the lead. The only real problem with the battle is that the final battle between Whiplash and Iron Man and War Machine is too quick. 

The plot is enticing and surprisingly tight. A frequent problem with superhero sequels is too many new characters and villains make the story confusing and too broad. Iron Man 2 does an excellent job of placing multiple characters into one story: Hammer and Vanko team up together while Natalie joins in with Tony and Pepper seamlessly.  The movie accomplished director Jon Favreau’s intentions for new characters very well: “the trick is to feather them in so they do not overwhelm the story and you do not suffer from villainitus...So we really tried to keep narrative flows going so that they did not get too convoluted.” (courtesy of CanMag). Their stories are easy to follow and significantly contribute to the overall story.

Much of the dialogue was left to the actors to do with it what they will which gives the film a more organic and natural feel (similar to the first film) and for the most part they all do a great job in their roles. Robert Downey Jr. continues to epitomize Tony Stark’s personality with his quick witted, sarcastic, cocky nature. He does not even have to try too much to be in character. Johansson was a surprising success in the film. Her persona and filmography of dramas suggest that she would be out of place as a secret agent super heroine. With this role, she has staked her claim in action as she somehow manages to play the role with equal subtlety needed for an undercover agent, confidence, and capable fighter. She actually convinced me that her character could be capable of taking out 12 men by herself. The only real disappointment in the cast was Don Cheadle. His somewhat lanky frame was ill suited for War Machine and no matter what they situation he always had the same emotionless expression on his face; a sort of sombre scowl. While Cheadle is an excellent and accomplished actor, he did not fit well into his role. 

The music in the film was great. It is not everyday that you get to hear AC/DC in movies and Iron Man 2 played it loudly and played it well. The original score was  better than the first installment which can be credited to new composer John Debney who downplayed the static electric sound of the first film and added a greater crispness to the sound that flowed well throughout the movie. My personal favorite musically related scene was the DJ AM mix at Tony’s birthday during his fight with War Machine. The music matched the fight punch for punch with the “fat beat” that Tony requested. DJ AM’s cameo is even more significant knowing he died two months after filming the scene. The movie in turn is dedicated to him.

The real problem with the film is its tone. Iron Man  made a name for itself by being different than the other superhero films. There was a light hearted and comedic flair that meshed very well with the action. Iron Man 2 tries to make itself darker as it deals with various issues such as mortality. The movie suffers from too much talking; this in interesting as the fast-paced, quick-witted, light-hearted banter is what made the first installment so great. The more somber tone of Iron Man 2 takes away from that original flair of dialogue. Some sequels, Dark Knight especially, benefit from a much darker tone.  The attempt in Iron Man 2 however, causes the movie to lose a lot of its original flair that puts it slightly under the first installment. 

Iron Man 2  is a fun film. We get to go deeper into the world of Tony Stark and the Stark family, and consequently get closer to the Avenger initiative (2012 approximate release date). It has a tight and engaging plot coupled with solid acting that makes it a great piece of cinematic entertainment. While it succeeds on many fronts, its attempt to change direction from a light hearted tone to a darker one takes away from the originality and causes the movie to fall just under its predecessor. It is however, a great launch of the summer blockbuster season and succeeds on many fronts in creating a wonderful and enthralling cinematic superhero experience. And one more thing: make sure to stay through the credits.

B

Content Advisory

action scenes with varying levels of violence, mild profanity use, and adult themed content

Food for thought/discussion

1. Tony Stark is forced to confront his own mortality. How does he handle the fact that he could soon die? Is this a common reaction among those faced with death today?

2. Tony Stark claims he has done more for peace than the US government could ever do. Does peace come from governments or from people? Are either capable of reigning in peace?

3. Ivan Vanko tells Tony Stark “If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in him.  There will be blood in the water and sharks will come” when he comments on the impact he has had on Iron Man. How does that play out in the movie? Does your conception of God include a God who can bleed? How does that impact faith?