Iron Man 2 (2010) - Film Review
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle & Mickey Rourke
Screenplay: Justin Theroux
Directed By: Jon Favreau
Certificate: 12
The
original Iron Man was released by Marvel Studios in
2008 alongside The Incredible Hulk, and given the more
recognizable name, it was originally thought that the latter of the
two would be the bigger financial hit. However, when Iron Man
proved to be even more of a successful financial hit,
production on a sequel quickly commenced. Two years later, we have
Iron Man 2, which has the job of meeting high
expectations, providing two hours of entertainment, whilst also
setting us up for future Marvel films. Can it manage it all at once?
Following the events of the first film, Tony Stark is facing public pressure from the US government to hand over his Iron Man suit and technology. Tony's decision to announce that he is Iron Man has prompted Russian physicist and ex-convict, Ivan Vanko, to build his own arc reactor and take out revenge for how his father was disgraced by Stark Industries. Meanwhile, the palladium in Tony's arc reactor that keeps him alive and powers the suit, is starting to slowly poison him, leading to him behaving more recklessly and falling into depression.
Compared
to its predecessor, Iron Man 2 is more of a flawed
film, but seeing as there's still a lot to like here, it's worth
starting off on a positive note. The film itself does this, beginning
with what feels like a very believable reaction to the events of the
first film, as Tony has to resist pressure from the US government to
hand over the technology to his Iron Man suit. You can imagine this
happening in real life, as well as there being people in positions of
power that are after the technology for their own benefit. The scenes
involving Tony at the court hearing are great to watch, and it's
genuinely entertaining to see him get the upper hand. Tony's reaction
to the slow poisoning coming from his arc reactor, such as his
increased recklessness and lack of concern for his own safety, also
feel very real, and show several of the classic symptoms of
depression.
However, the portrayal of Tony's depression in Iron Man 2 also highlights what is probably the film's biggest problem – tone. Iron Man 2 is tonally inconsistent throughout, and it can be difficult to tell what the film is trying to make me feel. Tony's depression should feel like a serious issue but it doesn't feel like that when he's peeing the suit at parties, or eating donuts whilst sitting in a Randy's Donuts sign. Depression even drives Tony into a destructive fight with Rhodey, and seeing these two best friends turn against each other should feel dark and dramatic, but the fight itself just feels … strange. There are even moments in the fight against Ivan on the racetrack that feel out of place, such as when Ivan is being rammed by a car. The car door gets split in half, and keeps opening, closing and getting in the way, and then the airbag goes and deploys – am I supposed to be taking this seriously? The inconsistent tone isn't the only scriptural issue either, as there are a couple of moments that feel a bit too far-fetched. By far the biggest offender of this is how Tony finds the solution to the palladium poisoning, which only works on the sheer luck of a diorama built by his father still being intact more than thirty-five years later.
However, even though Iron Man 2 does suffer these problems, there are still a couple of areas where the film actually manages to improve over the original. Perhaps its greatest area of improvement are the villains, both of which mark a step-up from Obadiah, who was already a pretty solid enemy in the first film. Ivan and Justin Hammer make for a great pairing, and despite Justin believing he's the one pulling the strings, you can just tell who's really in charge here. Justin is definitely the more flashy and smarmy of the two, but with the exception of one ridiculous moment where he's dancing his way on stage, Sam Rockwell definitely pulls it off. Meanwhile, Ivan is delightfully villainous, and if we had got to see more action scenes with him, he had the potential to be even more memorable. Speaking of action scenes, the production values for Iron Man 2 maintain their high standard – Jon Favreau returns as director and does another admirable job. The CGI work on the intricate creations in Tony's lab and the Iron Man suit itself remains impressively detailed, and the electrical whips Ivan gets to use manage to feel very real and painful.
It
isn't just villains that get improvement here, as plenty of other
characters get more to do, and several new additions to the cast show
promise. Rhodey, this time played by Don Cheadle, gets a lot more to
do, even getting to pilot his own suit and help Tony in combat later
in the film. Just as with the first film, the relationship between
Tony and Pepper gets further gradual development, without going off
on its own subplot and becoming obtrusive. The responsibility of
managing Stark industries also falls onto Pepper as Tony goes through
his depression, and it's encouraging to see her play a larger role.
Scarlett Johansson joins the cast as Tony's new assistant Natalie
Rushman/Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and it's safe to assume that
she'll be appearing again in future MCU movies. Unlike the other
hints towards future Marvel films, Natalie/Natasha plays a role in
the actual plot of this film, and you'd be lying if you said that it
wasn't just brilliant to see her take down an entire corridor of
guards.
Unfortunately,
with the exception of Natalie/Natasha, the set-up for future MCU
films is another area where Iron Man 2 falls short.
Samuel L Jackson is also here as Nick Fury, and unless you saw the
post-credits scene of the first Iron Man (and let's
face it, there's a good chance you didn't), you'll have no idea who
he is, or what he's doing here, as the film takes so little time in
setting up his character. The rest of the time, fans are exposed to
hints and Easter eggs such as references to S.H.I.E.L.D, Captain
America's shield, or in a post-credits scene, Thor's Hammer. The
result is a film that's trying to set up a shared universe of future
films, whilst also balancing a story of Tony's depression, his
attempts to cure his palladium poisoning, his relationship with his
now-deceased father, Ivan's revenge, Justin's business rivalry,
resisting government interference, a breakdown in Tony and Rhodey's
friendship, Pepper's promotion etc. etc. It's just doing too much,
and it leads to a disappointing lack of actual action sequences, with
there only being about fifteen to twenty minutes of very brief action
in a two-hour movie.
But even though it's trying to do way too much, and doesn't really know what tone it's going for, can Iron Man 2 still be called a good film? Just about, yes it can. It's not able to fully match the strength of the original, but it is still an entertaining bit of cinema. If you can look past its problems, and enjoy what it gets right and even some of the stuff it manages to improve on, then Iron Man 2 is a solid successor.
Iron Man 2
7/10