If the professional critics are to be believed, Iron Man 2 has finally broken the trend of super-hero sequels in that, arguably, it is not as good as the first one. The Dark Knight, Superman 2, X-Men 2, Blade 2, Spider-Man 2, even Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer are all better movies than their predecessors. By that logic, Iron Man 2 should have been showered with praise. As it stands, its reception has been mixed, middling, not great. Convoluted said some, bored said others.
I, personally, did not get any of this. Whilst the original came out of nowhere to become a massive sleeper hit in 2008 (a feat considering Iron Man does not have the same level of recognition as many of his Marvel contemporaries), for the most part, the consensus was that it was good, not great and I would be inclined to agree. It is a film that starts off very well only to be squandered by a rushed and very weak climax. As my friend David Camp said, it is a film that coasts on the charm of its lead and without Downey Jr as Tony Stark, the film would not have worked as well. It is a solid 3/5 experience that is never boring but also never elevates itself to become part of super-hero movie pedigree.
Unlike the professionals, however, I felt Iron Man 2 was a step up in almost every regard. It does throw anything it can at the audience (Sam Rockwell's rival arms manufacturer, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, the testing of loyalties between Stark and Rhodes and Tony Stark's alcoholism to name a few) but it manages to balance the various plot threads with ease and, like the original, coasts along on the charm of its star despite delving into some seriously murky territory. I haven't even mentioned Mickey Rourke yet.
By casting it's net wide, the only major beef that comes of this is that it is not quite as polished and tight as the first, and with so much on offer, there are long segments in the middle that feature minimal action and much-o exposition-o. So after the rather fun show down at the Monaco Grand Prix (some forty minutes in), there is nearly a full hour of brooding and personal conflict as Stark succumbs to alcoholism and pushes away those closest to him. But The Dark Knight this is not. Despite touching on darker territory (a pre-requisite for super-hero sequels it seems), Stark still remains as jovial as he is enjoyably self centred and much of the second act is very funny, causing much of this brooding, to some at least, to come off as forced. I, however, figured it wouldn't be Iron Man without the witty banter.
One chief complaint about the original, was the handling of the action, of which what scenes there were, were brief and somewhat cack handed. Despite the sequels lack of said set pieces, when they arrive, they're extended and more self assured. The jury's out as to whether Favreau's beefed up roll as Tony's driver is entirely necessary (he gets a lot to do during the scenes of conflict) but, like Christopher Nolan's leap between Batman 1 & 2, the action beats are drastically better. The climax trumps anything its predecessor had to offer, with Iron Man and War Machine (yes, I geeked out when he rocked up) shooting seven shades of shit out of Sam Rockwell's battle drones. The ultimate boss fight with Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) may be lacking but considering the carnage that came before it, I found I didn't mind too much.
It's messy, that's a given, but Iron Man 2 is very, very fun. You don't feel like anyone's in any real peril and it could've done with trimming a few characters (Scarlet Johansson, despite giving the guys in the audience a raging stiffy, is needless) but it's the first bonafied blockbuster of the summer and it delivers. Despite it's mixed reception, I preferred it to the original.
I cheered when Stark used the suit-case suit. It reeked of awesome.
4/5
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