Ironclad: Iron Man 2 rocks theaters
The Evolution of a Hero; the multiple variations of the Iron Man battle armor. (PHOTO CREDIT: www.shockya.com)
Admit it: as far as comic book superheroes go, Tony Stark / Iron Man is pretty freakin’ cool.
Think about it – he’s got money; he’s got fame; he can’t step out of his expansive California mansion without women fawning over him; and, of course, there’s the suit, that red-and-gold battle armor that has become an icon in such a short time.
Fortunately for audiences the world over, Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr, has retained all of these qualities in the sequel to 2008’s wildly successful Iron Man, which sees Stark pitted against Ivan Vanko, the son of his father’s business partner, Anton Vanko, who aims to exact revenge on Stark for Howard Stark’s betrayal and discrediting of Anton. After successfully defeating Stark’s claim that no one can replicate the technology present in the Iron Man suit and creating an arc reactor-powered weapon of his own, Vanko then proceeds to declare war on Stark and everything he stands for, allying himself with one of Stark’s rival weapons manufacturers and wreaking havoc on the general populace.
Of course, it’s up to Tony to stop him, and along with James ‘Roady’ Rhodes, who assumes the identity of War Machine, he is forced to once again engage his technological genius in order to combat this latest supervillain threat.
At first glance, all of the elements that made the first movie great are there: the flashy, hot-rod style special effects, the superb portrayals of Stark by Downey Jr. and his assistant, Pepper Potts, by Gwyneth Paltrow, and an engaging plot that’s rife with betrayal, corruption, and vengeance of the darkest variety. A closer look reveals a host of new characters, all of whom deliver their roles beautifully.
Chief among these are Don Cheadle, who replaces Terrence Howard from the first film in the role of Rhodes, Mickey Rourke, who offers up an cold, razor-sharp performance as Vanko, and Scarlett Johansson, who is just plain sexy as Natalie Rushman / Natalia Romanoff.
Beyond that, however, there’s little else – Iron Man 2 doesn’t do much to go above and beyond its predecessor, following in the vain of ‘two movies’ that have surpassed the series firsts, such as Spider Man 2, X-Men 2, and Superman 2.
But is doing that really necessary? Does the first movie really need to be surpassed?
The first Iron Man was a smash hit, and Stark’s second outing delivers everything that made the first movie all that it was. Delivering a series of memorable performances by Downey Jr., Paltrow, Rourke, and Cheadle, stunning visual effects, and an action-packed plot with more explosions than you can shake a stick of dynamite at, Iron Man 2 delivers a moviegoing experience that is well-worth the price of an admission ticket.
| Rating: | PG-13 |
| Starring: | Robert Downey Jr. Don Cheadle Scarlett Johansson |
| Location: | Theaters everywhere |
| Stars: | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
Loading ...