(You are warned, this is pretty long review. If you have no patience, feel free to read my shortened review at http://dunnonfilm.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-jon-favreaus-iron-man-2.htmlI've been putting off reviewing Iron Man 2 until I could finally make an overall summary of the film. The first time I saw it, it was straight after I had watched Iron Man 1 and I felt that even though the overall experience was enjoyable, I needed to rate the sequel on it's own. However, since being made to watch it several times as part of my job (horrible job right?) I feel that I now have a firm grip on my thoughts on this graphic-novel inspired sequel.
Iron Man 2 starts immediately where the first film ended; Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) delivering a press conference announcing to the world that he is Iron Man, then we skip six months in the future and Iron Man is beloved by everyone, citing himself to be the cause of global peace.
However the device in Stark's chest is slowly poisoning his bloodstream, the government wants his Iron Man suits for themselves to be used as weapons of warfare, and a rival businessman (Sam Rockwell) enlists a dangerous Russian physicist (Mickey Rourke) to help him knock Stark off the top spot.
I feel that all of the points I have to raise with this film could come across like an essay which may put off a few of you readers, so I think I will amend it to be in bullet-point form to make it easier on you.
1. STARK'S STORYLINE
- As is typical with the second film of a proposed trilogy, Iron Man 2 seems to 'get darker' than it's predecessor by Tony Stark succumbing to the chest device slowly poisoning his bloodstream. He reacts to this in 'very destructive' ways: driving in the Monaco Grand Prix and getting drunk on his birthday in his Iron Man suit. Hardly having suicidal tendancies. However, to me, Iron Man isn't really thought of as being as 'realistic' as other comic-book films, such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. It's a light-hearted version, as Stark is an arrogant, self-centred playboy superhero, not the tortured soul like Bruce Wayne. So when Iron Man 2 tries to get serious, it doesn't feel right.
- A comic-book movie is only as good as it's villain. If you get an actor on the rise back to the top like Mickey Rourke, you give him some material fitting his talent. Vanko has an early fight scene with Stark in which he seems to be beating Stark, however he is easily apprehended and then never given any opportunity to be villainous until the finale. It made him seem an non-threat, something Stark could easily overcome.
- If you put an exciting fight scene some 30 minutes into your film, you make sure that isn't the only one until the end of the film. This is supposed to be an action film!
- Rourke has the overall look of a villain and had the potential to be a character that is the opposite of Tony Stark. It is mentioned that Vanko is the 'other side of the coin', and that is what could have made their rivalry interesting. In the film, Stark is the modern-day poster boy for America, coming from a background of money and opportunity. Vanko, on the other hand, was forced to grow up in poverty due to Stark's dad shipping Vanko Sr. off back to Russia. His motivation to attack Stark and destroy his legacy isn't really explored and given the chance to be fully developed.
- The incredibly short final battle has Whiplash vs. Iron Man and War Machine. How is this a disadvantage to Stark? Aren't we meant to feel that he can't overcome Whiplash, so we can cheer in victory when Iron Man does win in the end?
- Vanko's main attack seems to be wrapping his electric whips around his opponent's necks, but it doesn't affect the heroes at all. They just seem mildly inconvenienced, then they start chatting about how they are going to defeat him. Pretty weak for the Big Bad's main strategy of the final fight.
- Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is the shining light of Iron Man 2. He is given all the best lines, and Rockwell just enjoys being the character, stealing the scene everytime he's on screen. However, by allowing him to share the film's comedy with Stark, as well as introducing him as incompetent, he nevers feels like a threat to Stark even with Vanko's help. Eventually when Vanko does take liberties with Hammer's good nature, Hammer does shout at Vanko and takes away his precious cockatoo. However, you don't believe the anger as Hammer isn't built up to be an angry guy.
- When you watch a slighty-ensemble film like The Dark Knight, you see how everyone has equal screen time and it felt like a balanced film; Bruce Wayne had his personal battle; The Joker was given adequate screen time to build up an imposing threat; and the side characters of Dawes, Dent and Gordon also had their chance to build a third dimension to their characters. Unfortunately this wasn't shared in Iron Man 2
- Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) was hardly in the film and when she was, her role was of the buzzkill to Stark's party lifestyle. She was the shoulder of support in the first film, and her decreased role made the final scene where her and Tony finally kiss feel flat. There had been no build-up to it through the film, and if you hadn't had seen the first film, you wouldn't know there was any budding relationship at all.
- Natalie Rushman/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) was used as eye-candy, which she did very well, but could have been used more than just that role. Her fight scene was another scene that worked very well, and I might have fallen a little bit in love with her there too.
- James Rhodes' (Don Cheadle) actions in the film weren't really explained. He was concerned for Tony's health and the safety of his suits, but at the first sign of trouble, he dons the Iron Man Mark II suit and has a fight with him. He then flies off with the suit, gives it to the government and alters it to become War Machine. I felt that as long as he became War Machine, then his storyline would be complete, and it didn't matter how it happened. Despite Stark taking a good amount of time testing the suit and working out how to fly it, Rhodes was able to use the suit from the get go, good enough to have a fight with Stark. It just didn't make sense. Plus after Stark and Rhodes' tussle, it ends with a poignant shot of two emotionless robot faces looking at each other, leaving us non-the-wiser as to what kind of emotion was meant to be conveyed.
- Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) was only in the film for a couple of scenes, but I felt that his character wasn't treated with the weight it should have done. His first appearance is in quite a light-hearted scene with Stark at a donut shop. The scene is quite light and humourous, but Fury sticks out like a sore thumb. His appearance is straight out of the graphic novel, and borders on the ridiculous as it is: black leather trenchcoat and an eyepatch. If he is not treated as a serious character, he just seems unrealistic in a film that's trying to be more serious.
If I were to sum up Iron Man 2 in one word it would be "Rushed". Whilst watching it, I felt that Favreau and his team felt they had made a mistake announcing a release date so far in advance after the original Iron Man was such a success back in 2008. Having a deadline date couldn't allow Favreau to go back and reshoot some scenes, or allow more time to work on the script, which I felt it needed. The scenes with Hammer and Whiplash were quite abruptly cut short, I feel to make more time for Stark's descent into depression with his impending death. However instead of concentrating on the all-important storyline, they pushed it to the side and made them seem superfluous. The storylines weren't given the right amount of time to grow and be resolved.
Tony Stark begins his speech at the beginning of the Stark Expo saying that it's not about him, or us, it's about Legacy. I feel that unfortunately Iron Man 2 has affected the Iron Man legacy and Iron Man 3 will need to up it's game if it is to return to the form that Iron Man 1 set two years ago.
Rating - 5/10
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