If you’re like me, you wasted no time getting to the theatre to see Iron Man 2 this weekend. Maybe you even braved the midnight showing the night of May 6th. You’d been tracking the casting planning for over a year, watched every trailer the minute it was released, and didn’t even get pissed when Robert Downey Jr.’s appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con’s Iron Man 2 booth, brought the painfully difficult traffic on the dealer floor to a complete standstill. So, was it worth it?
Well, Iron Man 2 didn’t disappoint in many areas. It started off with pyrotechnics, scantily-clad cheerleaders, and an entrance few superheroes have the ability, or ego, to pull off. The special effects were every bit as spectacular as we’ve come to expect from our modern superhero films and the new suits were well done, especially the ultra-portable one in the briefcase. The action sequence at the racetrack that unveils this new suit technology kicks some serious ass, but is only a teaser to the action sequences to come later in the film!
Robert Downey Jr. reprised his role as Tony Stark flawlessly, as believable in his moments of excessive self indulgence as he was in his flashes of genius and self realization. Gwyneth Paltrow brought back Pepper Potts smoothly, although the character felt marginalized to me, as though quite a bit of her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps they’ll include them in the DVD bonuses. While Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, and Scarlett Johansson’s Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff were as well cast as they were played, the writers chose to introduce so many new characters at such a breakneck pace, that many of them tended to get lost in the chaos, regardless of how good their performances were.
Which leads me to my main complaint; Iron Man himself was cheated! The film had a good storyline, which offered ample subplot options of its own, without trying to introduce 10 new superheroes, 5 new secret organizations, and 7 new villains. I mean I get it, Thor, Captain America, Nick Fury, andThe Avengers are all on the near horizon, and I’m as excited as the next geek, but did they have to give a cameo to every upcoming Marvel film? Those of us who followed the comics all know what’s coming, so trying to cram it all in was just distracting, and those who didn’t follow the comics had to be left scratching their heads in confusion. A little deeper explanation of one or two of the myriad characters and organizations would have been a much more useful and intriguing approach. Ironically, the one cameo I did look for I apparently missed! I failed to catch Stan Lee anywhere in the film, although I know he had to be there somewhere.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed the film despite the writer’s attempts to distract me. The main characters all managed to grow and evolve, Tony Stark especially, although I think the recasting of Lt Col Rhodes was a mistake. The Iron Man/War Machine action sequences were superb and Mickey Rourke’s portrayal of the actual bad-guy, IvanVanko, was surprisingly good. I plan to see it again as soon as the opening week crowds die down, and perhaps on second viewing it will seem a little less chaotic. I recommend seeing it on the big screen for sure, and be sure to stay until after the credits finish rolling.
ComicsOnline gives Iron Man 2 4 out of 5 palladium cores!
