"Yeah, it's called being a badass."
Six months after revealing his secret identity as Iron Man, life has become complicated for Tony Stark (Downey Jr.). Despite using the suit to bring about a time of peace and his immense popularity, not everyone is happy or impressed with Tony's antics. He is under pressure from the U.S. government, led by Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), the military, and the press to turn over the Iron Man suit. His best friend, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Rhodes (Cheadle), is under orders to take one of the suits for the military to study and arm for use in battle.
Russian Ivan Vanko (Rourke) uses the same technology to create his own armor with electronic whips. His father worked on the original technology with Tony Stark's father (John Slattery), and Ivan comes after Tony seeking revenge. After Tony subdues Ivan and sends him to prison, Ivan is rescued by Tony's rival, Justin Hammer (Rockwell). Hammer is sick of losing everything to Tony and hires Ivan to create an army of Iron Man suits.
Meanwhile, Tony learns that the Iron Man suit, powered by the reactor in his body, is killing him. He has been trying unsuccessfully to find a solution. He gives control of the company to his assistant, Pepper Potts (Paltrow), and hires accountant Natalie Rushman (Johansson) to replace her. With Nick Fury (Jackson) from S.H.I.E.L.D. checking in, can Tony find the cure and defeat Ivan?
Sequels can be hit or miss... a good concept that delivers a great movie can be hard to duplicate and improve without boring the audience. While the first Iron Man film was great, this film is just o.k.
The action sequences are great. Executed well without being overly done or hard to follow.
The cast is good. Robert Downey Jr. continues to bring charm and believability to the screen. This film isn't as kind to Tony, he has problems (and dives into alcohol), but somehow the audience still cheers for him. Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes and is a good fit for the role. He has easy chemistry with Downey and makes you forget that anyone else portrayed the character. Mickey Rourke brings the creepy and malicious as Ivan, and Sam Rockwell is perfect as the slimy Justin Hammer. Gweneth Paltrow is good... And then there is Scarlett Johansson's Natalie / Natasha. Is there any point to her character other than an excuse to put a woman in a skin tight outfit? Otherwise, the casting is excellent.
**This film is the third in the Marvel Comics film franchise (Iron Man in 2008, The Incredible Hulk in 2008). While each film stands on its own, they all tie together to culminate in the 2012 Avengers movie. The final scene of Iron Man sets up the S.H.I.E.L.D. Initiative with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury who tells Tony Stark about the Hulk. Downey appears in The Incredible Hulk as Tony Stark. This film shows Captain America's shield (Captain America: The First Avenger will be released this year) and the final scene, after the credits, sets up the next film (Thor also set to release in 2011). All of these superheroes, plus a few that haven't had their own films yet, will be the Avengers. Smart move Marvel: creating your own world of interconnected film. Savvy business / marketing. I do look forward to seeing these films... I probably should have seen The Incredible Hulk prior to seeing this film, but that character does not interest me as much.
Not awesome, but still a decent action / superhero pic.
Iron Man 2 (2010) 124 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
Don Cheadle as Lt. Col. James Rhodes / War Machine
Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko / Whiplash
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
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