Review: Iron Man 2

bill bodkin reviews the first summer blockbuster if 2010

Iron Man leaps out of a plane, dodging fireworks and lands on a stage, throngs of people chanting his name. The suit recoils and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is revealed, soaking in the adjulation of his devoted followers, Rockette like dancing girls gyrating behind him to an AC/DC song. For the film audience it’s the perfect to kick off the sequel rock ‘n’ roll fueled comic book film franchise — the glitz, the glamor, the devil-may-care attitude. Within second Stark is clutching his chest, he’s looking at a monitor and it’s reveal that the palladium that is keeping him alive, is also slowly poisoning him. Within seconds audiences realize that this is not just going to be a popcorn flick sequel — depth, emotion and internal conflict, the signs of a good script, will also be in tow.

In the months leading up to the film’s release interview upon interview with the cast and director Jon Favreau have revealed their desire to create a sequel that will be a successful commercial enterprise but one that the fans of the comic and first film will enjoy as well as making something that has a creative and artistic value that they can be proud of. This was a tall order and they accomplished their goal on all levels.

Iron Man 2 is fun, fast and rock ‘n’ roll with amazing visuals and tense action sequences (something lacking from action films these days). However, what really drives the film home is character and conflict. We are allowed to go deeper into the troubled heart of Tony Stark — both literally and metaphorically. We see are able to see the wounds his absentee father (Mad Men’s John Slattery) left and the hedonistic death drive he throws himself into when he finds out he’s dying from palladium poisoning. Outside of The Dark Knight, we haven’t seen a sequel delve so far into a character’s psyche. In fact Stark’s internal conflict is more interesting than the plot of the entire film.

The weakness of the this film is there’s a little too much going on — leaving some characters less developed than one would have hoped. Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko and Don Cheadle’s Jim Rhodes seem to have their immense talent underutilized in this film — however their sheer presence on screen were welcome additions (and in the terms of Cheadle- a huge upgrade). Meanwhile, the ladies, Gwenyth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson also seemed to have more scaled back screen-time than their roles seem to have demanded.

Yet, the less screentime for these talented actors allowed ample time for the brilliant Sam Rockwell to nearly steal the entire films as the bumbling weapons expert Justin Hammer. Spewing hyperactive hyperbole in a near post-modern performance; this random, idiosyncratic and hilarious performance was the perfect foil to Downey. In fact Hammer is the uncool doppleganger of Stark. When Stark zigs, Hammer falls on his face. Stark has swagger, Hammer stumbles through life. It’s brilliant.

Also look for expanded roles for Samuel L. Jackson as the crusty SHIELD agent Nick Fury and Jon Favreau in a near slapstick performance as Stark’s driver Happy Hogan. Both are limited in their roles, but bring a whole lot to this film in terms of humor.

If Iron Man 2 is the kick-off to the summer movie season, then the cast and crew has kicked it out of the park. Audiences are presented with a layered human drama chock full of glib one-liners, bone crunching battle sequences and enough intensity to wash away any ennui you might have in your system.