by Brett Parker
Jon Favreau's Iron Man, with its hedonist's bravado and bruised heart, was the best superhero movie I'd ever seen. While the film contained familiar strokes from the superhero genre, Favreau brought a sense of quirky humor and Altmanesque formalism that elevated the material. Of course the key to the movie's charms lied within the main performance from neurotic goofball Robert Downey, JR. While most superhero characters come across as comic misfit sweeties, Downey made his Tony Stark a narcissistic, womanizing, hard-partying cynic in desperate need of redemption. While most actors use skilled method techniques to bring superheroes to life, it appears Downey merged his inner-demons and character defects within the comic book archetype, and the result was spellbinding. While most superheroes draw us along with their flashy costumes and amazing powers, it was the hurt behind Downey's eyes that hooked us from start to finish.
It's such a disappointment, then, that Iron Man 2 doesn't build on the wonderful momentum set forth by the first film's originality but chooses instead to be a slam-bang popcorn ride. It's all too content with it's pop funkiness, and it sidesteps the strong character strokes and subtle drama of the first film to pile up on action thrills and big effects sequences. The blockbuster junkies will certainly eat this serving up, but those who cherished the uniqueness of the first film will feel that something is seriously missing this time out.
Tony Stark (Downey) has certainly been busy since the last time we've seen him. Since he revealed his secret identity as the combat robot known as Iron Man, he's been policing injustices of the world to apparently great success. It is vaguely hinted at that world peace has been materializing quickly and that Stark Industries is flourishing prosperously. Stark has appointed his personal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to be the new CEO of his company while Stark assures the U.S. Government that his technology cannot be duplicated.
While Stark basks in his newfound superhero status, trouble brews on the horizon. An evil Russian genius named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) believes that the Stark family stole powerful ideas from his father and he plans to take Tony out with a deadly pair of electric whips. A weapons tycoon named Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is also jonesing for a way to defeat Stark and thinks an alliance with the brilliant Vanko just might benefit them both. Tony's best friend Rhodie (Don Cheadle) wants the Iron Man technology to fight as the War Machine. Stark's mysterious new secretary named Natalie (Scarlett Johansson) also brings him unease. With everything going on, Tony must also contend with the fact that the very life source that's keeping him alive may also be poisoning his blood, killing him bit by bit.
Iron Man 2 is by no means a bad sequel, it just seriously derailed from the sensibilities that made the first one feel so significant. It suffers from that Hollywood habit of making sequels more bloated and outsized than the first film. New faces and several subplots are stuffed into the plot and the film never slows down long enough to develop things significantly. Favreau no longer has a grip on the patience and elegance he possessed the first time around and now frantically bounces around trying to keep every subplot afloat. Things never get boring and there are certainly very impressive action scenes, but it was scenes of attentive character details that made the first film so special. I'm reminded that for all the explosions, robots, and fights the first one contained, it was Stark being nearly brought to tears explaining his newfound ways that proved to be the most exciting moment in the entire movie.
The sequel has attracted a lot of famous faces to play iconic characters from the comics, but so busy is the plot that we never get close enough to care about any of these new additions. Scarlett Johansson radiates with sexiness as Natalie Rushman, and she has killer kung-fu movies, yet she is given zero character depth; she's merely window decoration. Terrance Howard was wonderful as Rhodie in the first film, yet this time he's been replaced by Don Cheadle. It's a long and complicated story behind Howard's departure, but essentially Favreau did not like his performance in the first film. I don't know what Favreau was thinking, for Howard is one of the most interesting actors we have and, with his physique and demeanor, he was born to play War Machine. Howard had a grace and command with the character that his replacement fatally lacks; Cheadle is humorless and lifeless in the role.
The most exciting addition to the cast turns out to be the film's biggest disappointment. The newly-resurrected method darling Mickey Rourke shows up as the vengeance-ridden Russian badie Vanko, in what is essentially a stroke of casting brilliance. Rourke's lived-in and brooding shell is perfectly suited for a villainous exterior, and Rourke worked extra hard to research Russian criminals and their lifestyle, but the performance is wasted. Rourke fought to bring layered depths to a one-dimensional character, but the screenplay won't allow them in. Vanko is given rather little to say and he is curiously absent from most of the film. The script also fails to flesh out the apparent tension between Stark and Vanko. These are damaged geniuses, bounded by the sins of their fathers, yet their relationship never elevates beyond cheap comic book psychology.
The most livewire and satisfying addition to the cast is the energetic Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. Rockwell seems tuned to the offbeat humor and peculiar emotions of the first film and jolts things up everytime he's on the screen. He revels in being a conniving slimeball and he gets high on his character's spoiled antics. A hilariously-grabbing scene shows Hammer spewing a bratty temper-tantrum towards Vanko over his failure to deliver a perfect breed of Iron Man suits. Vanko is a scary man to behold, yet Hammer never flinches in his adolescent rage. In the role of a pure snake, Rockwell shines.
Iron Man 2 is one of those flicks where sparkling individual moments outshine the whole, as they say. Iron Man and War Machine have a breathtaking battle not only with each other in Stark's home, but with an army of sharp-looking Iron Droids courtesy of Hammer. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) wonderfully scolds Stark in a Donut Shop in a scene that resembles a high school principal chewing out a classroom bad boy. I enjoyed the heartfelt and poignant riddle Howard Stark leaves for his son in old film reel footage (John Slattery from Mad Men plays Howard, although James Caan should've been allowed to reprise this role from the first film. Caan would be a perfect fit as Tony Stark's Dad). My favorite moment is the final romantic moment between Stark and Pepper, fusing the quirky character play of the first film with the dewey-eyed sweetness of the Superman-Lois Lane romance.
Iron Man 2 holds steady thanks largely to the wildly-appealing performance from Downey. His hard-living, hellraising billionaire is one of the most original superhero characters to ever grace the screen and this merging between damaged actor and comic icon is a silver screen wonder to behold. I'll follow this Tony Stark into any cinematic territory, even a mediocre sequel. I just hope when it comes time to make Iron Man 3, Favreau returns to the first film and realizes what made it work so wonderfully.
BY THE WAY: Remember how Iron Man had a really cool scene placed after the end credits? So does the sequel and it's also worth waiting to check out after all the credits have played. You thought you were fired up for the Avengers initiative before? Wait until you see this!
It's such a disappointment, then, that Iron Man 2 doesn't build on the wonderful momentum set forth by the first film's originality but chooses instead to be a slam-bang popcorn ride. It's all too content with it's pop funkiness, and it sidesteps the strong character strokes and subtle drama of the first film to pile up on action thrills and big effects sequences. The blockbuster junkies will certainly eat this serving up, but those who cherished the uniqueness of the first film will feel that something is seriously missing this time out.
Tony Stark (Downey) has certainly been busy since the last time we've seen him. Since he revealed his secret identity as the combat robot known as Iron Man, he's been policing injustices of the world to apparently great success. It is vaguely hinted at that world peace has been materializing quickly and that Stark Industries is flourishing prosperously. Stark has appointed his personal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to be the new CEO of his company while Stark assures the U.S. Government that his technology cannot be duplicated.
While Stark basks in his newfound superhero status, trouble brews on the horizon. An evil Russian genius named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) believes that the Stark family stole powerful ideas from his father and he plans to take Tony out with a deadly pair of electric whips. A weapons tycoon named Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) is also jonesing for a way to defeat Stark and thinks an alliance with the brilliant Vanko just might benefit them both. Tony's best friend Rhodie (Don Cheadle) wants the Iron Man technology to fight as the War Machine. Stark's mysterious new secretary named Natalie (Scarlett Johansson) also brings him unease. With everything going on, Tony must also contend with the fact that the very life source that's keeping him alive may also be poisoning his blood, killing him bit by bit.Iron Man 2 is by no means a bad sequel, it just seriously derailed from the sensibilities that made the first one feel so significant. It suffers from that Hollywood habit of making sequels more bloated and outsized than the first film. New faces and several subplots are stuffed into the plot and the film never slows down long enough to develop things significantly. Favreau no longer has a grip on the patience and elegance he possessed the first time around and now frantically bounces around trying to keep every subplot afloat. Things never get boring and there are certainly very impressive action scenes, but it was scenes of attentive character details that made the first film so special. I'm reminded that for all the explosions, robots, and fights the first one contained, it was Stark being nearly brought to tears explaining his newfound ways that proved to be the most exciting moment in the entire movie.
The sequel has attracted a lot of famous faces to play iconic characters from the comics, but so busy is the plot that we never get close enough to care about any of these new additions. Scarlett Johansson radiates with sexiness as Natalie Rushman, and she has killer kung-fu movies, yet she is given zero character depth; she's merely window decoration. Terrance Howard was wonderful as Rhodie in the first film, yet this time he's been replaced by Don Cheadle. It's a long and complicated story behind Howard's departure, but essentially Favreau did not like his performance in the first film. I don't know what Favreau was thinking, for Howard is one of the most interesting actors we have and, with his physique and demeanor, he was born to play War Machine. Howard had a grace and command with the character that his replacement fatally lacks; Cheadle is humorless and lifeless in the role.
The most exciting addition to the cast turns out to be the film's biggest disappointment. The newly-resurrected method darling Mickey Rourke shows up as the vengeance-ridden Russian badie Vanko, in what is essentially a stroke of casting brilliance. Rourke's lived-in and brooding shell is perfectly suited for a villainous exterior, and Rourke worked extra hard to research Russian criminals and their lifestyle, but the performance is wasted. Rourke fought to bring layered depths to a one-dimensional character, but the screenplay won't allow them in. Vanko is given rather little to say and he is curiously absent from most of the film. The script also fails to flesh out the apparent tension between Stark and Vanko. These are damaged geniuses, bounded by the sins of their fathers, yet their relationship never elevates beyond cheap comic book psychology.
The most livewire and satisfying addition to the cast is the energetic Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. Rockwell seems tuned to the offbeat humor and peculiar emotions of the first film and jolts things up everytime he's on the screen. He revels in being a conniving slimeball and he gets high on his character's spoiled antics. A hilariously-grabbing scene shows Hammer spewing a bratty temper-tantrum towards Vanko over his failure to deliver a perfect breed of Iron Man suits. Vanko is a scary man to behold, yet Hammer never flinches in his adolescent rage. In the role of a pure snake, Rockwell shines.
Iron Man 2 is one of those flicks where sparkling individual moments outshine the whole, as they say. Iron Man and War Machine have a breathtaking battle not only with each other in Stark's home, but with an army of sharp-looking Iron Droids courtesy of Hammer. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) wonderfully scolds Stark in a Donut Shop in a scene that resembles a high school principal chewing out a classroom bad boy. I enjoyed the heartfelt and poignant riddle Howard Stark leaves for his son in old film reel footage (John Slattery from Mad Men plays Howard, although James Caan should've been allowed to reprise this role from the first film. Caan would be a perfect fit as Tony Stark's Dad). My favorite moment is the final romantic moment between Stark and Pepper, fusing the quirky character play of the first film with the dewey-eyed sweetness of the Superman-Lois Lane romance.
Iron Man 2 holds steady thanks largely to the wildly-appealing performance from Downey. His hard-living, hellraising billionaire is one of the most original superhero characters to ever grace the screen and this merging between damaged actor and comic icon is a silver screen wonder to behold. I'll follow this Tony Stark into any cinematic territory, even a mediocre sequel. I just hope when it comes time to make Iron Man 3, Favreau returns to the first film and realizes what made it work so wonderfully.
BY THE WAY: Remember how Iron Man had a really cool scene placed after the end credits? So does the sequel and it's also worth waiting to check out after all the credits have played. You thought you were fired up for the Avengers initiative before? Wait until you see this!
1 comment:
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