Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. And he’s back. You’ve probably been living under a rock if you haven’t seen the first Iron Man and the amazing performance of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. This time, RDJ carries the movie, which without him, would’ve been just another comic book action flick. I’m not saying that the rest of the ensemble didn’t perform well, but RDJ brings the best out of all of them and the back and forth between each character and Tony Stark is incredibly awesome.
Now that the world is armed with the knowledge that Tony Stark and Iron Man are one and the same, the eccentric billionaire is having fun with his ego on a global scale. As he puts it to the United States Senate, he has successfully privatized world peace and nobody is on his level. In fact, he believes that other countries and companies are still five to ten years from figuring out his technology. However, the son of the scientist who worked with Stark’s father to build the original technology has been able to replicate a lot of the tech and he sets off to avenge his father’s death and expose Iron Man’s flaws.
Tony Stark in his lab in Iron Man 2
In what seems to be a rehab for actors with drug problems and troubled paths, it’s Mickey Rourke’s time to shine in this franchise as Robert Downey Jr. showed the world how he turned around in the first instalment. Mickey Rourke plays Ivan Vanko, the son of the scientist mentioned and this movies’ main villain. He gives a great performance as a guy with one thing on his mind: revenge. As a physicist himself, he knows how to tinker in his lab and make weaponry for Justin Hammer, the CEO of Stark Enterprises’ competing company. Sam Rockwell plays Justin Hammer who is another eccentric rich guy that seems to always be a few steps behind Tony Stark and only cares about how fat his pockets are.
Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts but Terrence Howard is not back as Rhodey aka Lt. Col. James Rhodes. Instead, we’re blessed with Don Cheadle who I think is much better for the part. His first words in the movie are great and explain the whole situation: “I’m here. It’s me. Let’s move on.” With that, there are a bunch of tongue and cheek one liners and hilarious back and forth dialogue. The story is your typical domino action film where one event sets of another and your hero figures things out just in the nick of time. (A little pun for Nick Fury there played by Samuel L. Jackson and yes, his lines are as punny as mine.) Scarlett Johansson is another new addition to the cast and her beauty takes over the screen but her action scenes are pretty laughable.
Iron Man and War Machine face to face in Iron Man 2
All in all, this is definitely an action ride you should take. Iron Man continues to deliver as a clever comedic action movie that will please fans and capture new audiences. If it’s action you want, you’ll get it. If you want a good laugh, it’s here too. If you want to see some eye candy (for the men and women) you won’t be disappointed. The story is straightforward and even includes some unobtanium just like Avatar. The summer blockbuster season is officially open with the release of Iron Man 2 and the Marvel Universe will be sure to give us more and more films. Look out for a couple hidden gems in the movie and a special scene after the credits unveiling the next Marvel character to get his own movie.
Tags: Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Terrence Howard
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
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