I remember the first "Iron Man" movie as being highly entertaining, full of energy and awesome action. I have to say, its sequel did not disappoint.
Oftentimes, sequels to big summer flicks flop due to too much hype and not enough content. For instance, I never even cared to see "Transformers 2." Of course, there are exceptions ("The Dark Knight," anyone?). This is not to say that "Iron Man 2" is in the same league as Christopher Nolan's phenomenal hit, because it is not. But as far as summer movies go, "Iron Man 2" is right up there with its predecessor.
Overall, the plot is decent. It's not mindblowingly complex; it's your typical superhero movie plot: hero fights evil, usually with some twists or wrenches thrown in. Add some cool rock music, incredible fight scenes, funny bits, and explosions, and you're in business.
Robert Downey Jr. returns as the rebellious, cocky, arrogant, son-of-a-bitch genius and entrepreneur Tony Stark, and proves once again that such a role fits him like a glove. You almost want to hate him, but you can't because he's just so COOL. He's got crazy new inventions, hot cars, and a lot of quippy lines. Also, this film endeavour scrapes below the surface and we see a different side to Stark that fuels much of the plotline.
Now that the world knows he *IS* Iron Man, Stark finds himself in high demand: everyone, particularly the government, wants him to share the technology that powers the Iron Man suit. Additionally, other billionaire inventors/weapons manufacturers crave the knowledge that would put them on top of the market, namely Justin Hammer, the head of Hammer Weapons, Stark Industries' biggest competitor. Sam Rockwell portrays this wordy, ambitious-yet-overly-confident sleazebag dandy in a role that is a lot of fun to watch (note: self-tanner).
More interestingly, the main villain in this flick is Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke. Vanko is a Russian physicist with an agenda against Stark, displayed through violent outbursts using nearly identical technology Stark utilizes. I thought that Stark's BAMF-ness was a little toned down from the original movie, but there was a valiant attempt to amp up the badassery whenever Rourke was on screen. Huge, covered in tattoos with gray streaks in his hair, Vanko is impressive as the bad guy. I feel like he should have had more screen time, actually, particularly at the end.
Gwyneth Paltrow reprised her role as Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's assistant and conscience. The banter between the two was not quite up to par, and I felt Paltrow, so capable of great acting, faded into the background. She was underplayed and upstaged by Scarlett Johansson, the newer, younger, ass-kicking model of personal assistant. With Johansson's incredibly influential character, Paltrow's appears weak and ineffective in comparison. It's too bad, but Johansson delivers a performance that is pretty awesome. Her character is somewhat (and probably intentionally) understated, but she got some of the best action sequences.
Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard as LTC James Rhodes, Stark's military friend who often finds himself between direct orders and his friend's best interest. The role doesn't require as intense of acting as some of Cheadle's past movies, but he did a good job playing the superhero's ally. He and Downey Jr. worked well together on screen.
I also appreciated Jon Favreau's role as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's right-hand man/driver/boxing trainer. But I think I appreciated it mainly because he's the director, so it's fun to see him in his own movie.
Stan Lee also had his typical cameo. See if you can spot him.
Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., the mysterious group that is putting together the Avengers Initiative, revealed after the credits of the first movie. Hints and clues for an Avengers movie were scattered all over "Iron Man 2," but they were subtle and comical.
Admittedly, I am not a comic book aficionada, so I do not know how much is actually based on Marvel plotlines and which were created for the movie, but I thought it all worked. Aside from the slightly disappointing role Paltrow played in the whole thing, I could not have asked for much more from a mindless (in the best sense) summer blockbuster. It was stylish, action-packed (with pretty neat special effects), funny, and entertaining. And the poster looks like the old-school Star Wars posters.
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