Iron Man 2 (2010)

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Iron Man 2 (2010)

This time Tony Stark is facing a new foe Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) after his triumphant performance in The Wrestler (2008) where he basically plays a similar meat head tattooed character with seemingly savant abilities in electro engineering technology. Plus he has a passable Russian accent. There really is not much to this plot. There is also a thinly veiled link between the old Cold War days with a modern twist. Mr Vanko could be well placed to say on behalf of Russia and himself “thank you America for ruining my country’s economy, social system and taking my Dad’s scientific ideas!’ Basically Ivan wants revenge facilitated by Tony Starks bumbling lesser competitor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who provides liberal doses of humour to the movie.

There is also a subplot where Mr Stark’s mini-arc reactor is contaminating his blood. What is keeping him alive is also killing him. The veins are spreading from his heart like a mini nuclear reactor leak or bodily Chernobyl. This fatal flaw in his own technology is possibly the main driver for Tony Stark’s reckless fatalistic behaviour as he parties like it is his last day on earth. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and this time Lt Col Rhodes (Don Cheadle) trying to keep him together through regular interventions. This eventually leads to a showdown with Ivan Vanko’s remote control drone-like robotic army.

Like the first Iron Man movie there is gratuitous product placement for Audi and an expensive Maybach car that is cut up by Ivan Vanko with his electro whip gloves. I was also hoping Ivan Vanko could possibly endorse Smirnoff or Pepper Potts Dr Pepper soft drink but it was not to be.

Robert Downey Jr is as crazily cool as his first performance. He nonchalantly carries the movie on his back. There are also small parts for Scarlett Johansson as the feisty Natasha Rushman/Romanoff/Black Widow and Samuel Jackson as the imposing Nick Fury. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) is again present in the film as he is in all Avenger series movies as the pivotal linking character. 

The special effects are blended well into the movie and it is the interaction of the various characters that takes precedence. Jon Favreau’s direction keeps the movie moving at an exciting pace but the freshness of the first version is now gone. This feels more like one of the second series of George Lucas special effects laden Star Wars movies. 

There is an amusing Senate enquiry scene where Garry Shandling plays Senator Stern who is shown up when Justin Hammer’s robots malfunction in hilarious ways. It is this sense of humour and fun combined with Robert Downey Jr’s eccentric performances that give the Iron Man series their edge and uniqueness, particularly in the superhero genre. 

The standout music scene is at the start of the movie where ACDC is again played with dancing girls and a stadium full of adoring Iron Man fans. 

There is a grungy sordid feel to this movie whether it is the Russian setting in the cold and decrepit looking apartments, Ivan Vanko’s gold capped teeth, tattooed body and bedraggled hair or seeing Iron Man drinking like a fish and shooting weapons at stationary objects like a second rate cowboy. These are not the actions of a hero let alone a superhero. Seeing Dan Cheadle in another Iron Man suit somehow takes away from the unique nature of the superhero. Is it the suit or the person within who makes the hero? The final sequence where Iron Man disposes of the robots one by one is fairly mundane and filmed at night with innocent women and children in jeopardy. 

Iron Man 2 is following in the footsteps of Spiderman 2 (2004) but pales in comparison. Both movies show the vulnerabilities of the main character when his power and self-belief are at their lowest point. Yet Tony Stark looks like a spoilt broken man while Peter Parker fights all the way.
It is fine to show a hero’s frailties but don’t turn him into someone the audience does not want to support.

More Alcoholic man than Iron man. (2.5 out of 4 stars)

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