Review Iron Man 2

Plot: It's been six months since Tony Stark shouted to the world "I am Iron Man!" and the world seems to be on the fast track to peace. However, Mr. Stark has more pressing concerns on the agenda. The government wants his suit, the power source for his metal masterpiece is slowly killing him, and even his good friends Virginia "Pepper" Potts and Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhoades are increasingly frustrated by Tony's narcissistic attitude. Throw in a pissed off new nemesis with major daddy issues and a competing weapons industry company CEO looking to outdo Stark Industries and you've got one hell of crisis for the man of metal.

Review: Iron Man 2 is a satisfying if not earth shattering follow up to Jon Favreau's 2008 original. While the film sports some strong performances, good action, and witty dialogue, Iron Man 2 in some respects feels like a six inch veggie sub at Subway: you just want more. Although by necessity the film is centered around Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) it seems that the character overshadows his supporting cast, if that's possible. Even though Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) is the main villain in Iron Man 2 he wasn't nearly in it as much as I was expecting, which is sad because Rourke is perfect for the role. Showing off black prison tats and an authentic Russian accent, Rourke brings a gritty grimy realism to this character ala Randy "The Ram" Robinson from the excellent movie The Wrestler. His malevolence is palpable. Helping him out is Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell ) a rival weapons manufacturer. Although Rockwell delivers some excellent lines in the film, his character is too two dimensional for even this excellent actor to provide a memorable performance.

Replacing Terrance Howard as Lt. James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine is Don Cheadle who is serviceable but whose character is almost regulated to sidekick rather than equal superhero status. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) really gets to shine in the sequel. Pepper is Tony's perfect foil; a tough, smart woman immune to Tony's ego driven charm yet at the same time deeply devoted to her boss. We also receive a flashy and entertaining performance out of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the one-eyed head of S.H.I.E.L.D. While Fury wants to believe in Tony, he sees him as a loose cannon incapable of working in a team based environment. Even Gary Shandling (who I typically cannot stand because he's usually so painfully unfunny) is hilarious as the smarmy snarky Senator Stern. The only real disappointing performance in this film is surprisingly Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Black Widow. While she is resplendent in tight black leather and her action sequences are some of the best in the film, Johansson approaches the role like a Buffalo Bills linebacker, tentative and ineffective. Thank God she's easy on the eyes.

The saving grace of Iron Man 2 is three fold: the action sequences, the dialogue, and the flawless performance of Robert Downey Jr. What Iron Man 2 lacks in quantity of action sequences, it makes up for in quality. Whether it is Whiplash blasting apart race cars or Iron Man and War Machine taking on some Hammer Industry Drones, the action is as well choreographed as it is visually stimulating. (In my opinion the best action sequence of the entire movie didn't even involve Iron Man!)

Iron Man 2 writer Justin Theroux has also penned some excellent lines in this film. The dialogue strikes just the right balance, not too comicbookesque to sound hokey and not to dark to lose the heart, humor, and realism. Kudos to him and let us hope he's on board for Iron Man 3.

And as for Robert Downey Jr, well as cliched as it sounds, some guys are just born to play a role. Downey is perfect in the part of narcissistic billionaire playboy Tony Stark. Stark can be an egomaniac with a flair for the dramatic and a disdain for authority, but at the same time he's a guy you root for. Stark is not an Iron Man in his personal life. His inability to relate to his long dead father, a dependence on alcohol, and not having a solid romantic relationship make him a relatable character. Downey brings all of those flaws to light. We get a unique insight into the larger than life superhero and the flawed man hiding within.

While Iron Man 2 doesn't outshine it's predecessor, there is definitely no rust on this sequel.

My rating 8/10