- Location: Cinemark Egyptian 24
- Who would have guessed that the Iron Man series would be more fun than any other set of superhero films? I admittedly haven't read any of his comics, but the idea of a wealthy alcoholic in a tin can costume just isn't all that intrinsically appealing. And his opponents? I'm sorry, but I have trouble getting excited about more metal-suited men with names like "The Crimson Dynamo" and "Iron Monger." And let's not even mention "The Mandarin," the world's most dastardly Asian stereotype. But enough about all the things that could, and by all rights should, have gone wrong with this series. Let's talk instead about all of the things that went right with Iron Man 2.
- The film's most obvious asset is Robert Downey Jr., who reprises his role as Tony Stark, the inventor and sole owner of the Iron Man armor. Downey is so energetic and convincing whenever he's onscreen that I have trouble objectively evaluating his lines. Is it funny when somebody claims to have privatized world peace? I'll tell you, it's damn funny when he says it. More impressive still is the fact that he's just as believable when the less appealing aspects of his personality manifest themselves. Downey is only helped by his brilliant pairing with Gweneth Paltrow, who plays his loyal and fawning assistant Pepper Potts. The two spend most of their shared time onscreen bickering in classic screwball romance style, but they are easily the most likable couple in the history of filmed comic adaptations. Less compelling, unfortunately, is the return of Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who proves that armor and actor improvements are insufficient to salvage a fundamentally dull character.
- But I never should have gotten this far in the review without mentioning the villains of the piece. The first and most memorable is a Russian engineer named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). Like Stark, Vanko is a brilliant inventor whose father left him a legacy, but his inheritance takes the form of a bitter vendetta against the Stark family. Stark's recent revelation of his superhero identity spurs Vanko into a rival pursuit in the form of a harness that powers a pair of energetic whips. While the Iron Man armor is sleek and streamlined, however, Vanko's contraption is all solder and sparks; a fitting accessory to complement his gilded teeth and tattooed musculature. The man is, in a word, intimidating, and Rourke absolutely nails the part. Funding Vanko is a clueless weapons manufacturer named Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who doesn't go five minutes without being inadvertently hilarious (my particular favorite is when he compares his smart bomb to James Joyce). Bringing up the rear is Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), whose villainy is of that particularly obtuse sort all-too-familiar to watchers of C-SPAN.
- At this point, you may have noticed that the film has a rather large cast. I haven't even mentioned the various interloping SHIELD agents, including that one-eyed master of espionage, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), or undercover martial arts machine Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Although Johansson's debut as an action star is surprisingly enjoyable, one gradually gets the impression that some of these characters were written in, much like Captain America's shield or Thor's Hammer, exclusively with fanboys and sequels in mind. Even director Jon Favreau gets in on the fun by casting himself as Stark bodyguard "Happy" Hogan, a character the film certainly could have gotten by without. But then I suppose that Iron Man 2, like Tony Stark himself, can be forgiven for its occasional excesses. The important thing is that we all had fun.
- Sam Rockwell reminds me of Joel from Mystery Science Theater 3000. It didn't help that he was stuck in space with his robot friend in Moon.
- Vanko pulls a "Predator" at the end.
- So, Tony Stark discovered a new element by building his own particle accelerator. That's a thing.
