IRON MAN 2 2.5*** (more like 2.75***)


The sequel to “Iron Man”, the surprise hit of 2008, is bigger, louder, brasher and totally over-the-top with whiz-bang action and stunts..But is it better? No, not in my opinion mainly because of two things: First, this sequel lacks that wonderful sense of "fun" and “charm” that the first film had. This is sadly lost for the most part because in IM 2 both the main character, Tony Stark, and the story take on a more serious,darker tone with more complex themes. Second, Mickey Rourke is badly miscast as the villain…they could have done so much better. But at least the action is high-octane. Special effects are top notch and add a lot of sizzle to the razzle-dazzle of the story.

The basic story is that Stark reveals himself in the opening of the film as Iron Man and he receives much adulation for his bringing about world peace. But he also receives a lot of scorn from the USA Government, Military and Industrial Complex for not sharing his inventions with them. Also, there is a bitter, revenge seeking Russian in Siberia by the name of Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) who is working on his own super-duper Iron Man suit. Of course, as you can guess , this sets up what will be an ultimate showdown between Iron Man and Vanko.

Robert Downey Jr was the best reason to watch the first “Iron Man” and the same holds true here. He is perfect for the role of Tony Stark, the ultimate narcissist who also happens to be brilliant, brash and, beneath it all, big-hearted. The beautiful and perky Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Stark’s faithful assistant Pepper Potts..the perfect “girl Friday”. Adding Scarlett Johansson as the striking Natalie Romanoff was an incredibly welcome treat. I re-fall in love with Scarlett every time I see her on the screen and she does a fine job here especially with a few outright stunning karate style ass-kicking stunts. ( As an aside, there was one time when Paltrow and Johansson were in the same scene looking gorgeous……I didn’t know till then that I could hold my breath for 5 minutes which was the length of their scene). On the downside, casting Mickey Rourke as the dastardly villain Vanko, just didn’t ring true for me. He comes across as a retread of his “Wrestler” character, and while smarter and meaner, he’s even more sloven and unkept here . Iron Man deserves a better villain and, besides, Rourke frustrates the viewer by constantly mumbling his lines.

“Iron Man 2” is good, could have been much better but is worth a viewing. It’s PG 13 with intense sci-fi action and violence. By the way, there WILL be an Iron Man 3.

Clark