R W
Posts: 268
Joined: 23/6/2006
|
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Justin Theroux
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johnasson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson
Synopsis
Six months have passed since his worldwide reveal of his superhero alter ego Iron Man, billionaire Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends, as well as new enemies including Whiplash (Rourke), a Russian ex-scientist who seeks vengeance towards the Stark family.
Review
As a fan of the first Iron Man that was released two years ago, I was determined to see this follow-up at an advance screening. Having gotten up at seven in the morning, I took an early train to Manchester to see a 9AM showing. This was the same approach when I went to see The Dark Knight, although in the case of Marvel’s metallic hero, I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece, but I was expecting a whole lot of fun.
Director Jon Favreau’s first outing towards Tony Stark may not have been perfect, but it was special for many reasons: it was the start of a new franchise, it gave a massive mainstream return for its lead star and it was the beginning for a trend of films by Marvel Studios in which they were to be big blockbusters that stayed faithful to their source material. So with its predecessor becoming the success it was hoping to be, Iron Man 2 has to deliver in a much grander scale.
If you had seen the first film then you should know who Tony Stark is and his purpose on becoming Iron Man, which is to destroy weapons of mass destruction to achieve world peace. So in the beginning of this film, he has somewhat achieve that as he becomes a worldwide sensation bigger than let’s say Tom Cruise. However, if he’s hoping for the perfect life, there are some disadvantages.
As well as the United States government trying to take the Iron Man armour and a new bunch of villains (who I will later get onto), he is succumb to his time as a self-centred, impulsive celebrity which causes him to drink heavily (a homage to the Demon in a Bottle storyline from the comics) and is rejected by the people close to him including Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle’s Rhodey.
Also, with the appearance of one of the villains in the form of a tattooed Mickey Rourke with a Russian accent, who explains a bit of his back-story to Stark, the protagonist does question his own past including the legacy he has to follow after the death of his late father who was quite the reclusive scientist.
Screenwriter Justin Theroux (who co-wrote the Ben Stiller-directed Tropic Thunder) definitely has a talent on solely focusing on his characters particularly the role of Tony Stark, in which he explores his flaws on such a dramatic level as well as the responses from the other players. As a sequel that is just as long as its predecessor, it can feel a bit baggy as there are many plot threads to cover and some of them aren’t fully executed such as the involvement of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D.
To show that Iron Man 2 is bigger than before, director Jon Favreau (who has more screen time as Stark’s bodyguard/chauffer Happy Hogan) truly cranks everything up in both scale and action. Despite the many plot threads, Favreau successfully gives us something fast-paced, laugh-out loud funny and full of action set-pieces. The last half-hour does turn into boom bang, but it earned the right to do so as it is pure funtastic pleasure.
One can’t deny the fact that the best aspect of the first film was the incredibly charismatic performance by Robert Downey Jr., who carries on this level of brilliance in this, but all the credit shouldn’t go to him. Many of the best scenes are from the quiet moments between Downey and his co-stars Gwyneth and Don, in which their chemistry is full of humour and drama. By the way, your jaw will drop once you see Don Cheadle as Iron Man’s sidekick War Machine.
As for Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson, she does seem like a quick add-on (although she might get a larger role in the upcoming Avengers movie along with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury), but as someone who kicks ass and is dressed in tight leather… well what can I say?
On the dark side, we have a nice set of villains. If you are looking for a great portrayal of a mad scientist that makes you forget about Arnie’s awful performance as Mr Freeze, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash is quite the individual who looks like he was ripped from the pages of a comic book. Sam Rockwell is top form as a scene-stealing corporate antagonist who is on the edge.
Verdict
It does have its shortcomings, but Iron Man 2 carries on the same vibe as its predecessor but also goes into greater detail in terms of characterisation and popcorn thrills. If you do see this, stay on your seats until the finish of the end credits, it’s a little treat for what’s coming in the future.
|
Printable Version
RE: Better than they say - 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread