There is not much to like about Marvel’s made-up billionaire inventor Tony Stark. He is a rude and obnoxious womanizer, and has yet to realize that the universe does not revolve around him.
After traveling to the Regal Cinemas at Bridgeport in Tualatin to see Iron Man 2—an adventure that took more time for transportation than the movie was long—Stark was not really the ideal protagonist for me to spend two hours of my time with.
That said—fatal personality flaws aside—besides his one-liners and brilliant wit, there is one thing that redeems Stark in my mind and most likely everyone else’s: The gorgeousness that is Robert Downey, Jr. With wisecracks pulled off just so and the attitude of a proud playboy, Downey portrays the haughty billionaire to perfection.
The plot, however, is cause for some confusion. Stark’s heart is failing rapidly and his condition has been intensified by the use of the Iron Man suit. He is faced with the task of finding a way to save his own life, while trying to keep his suit out of the hands of the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, for reasons that remain fuzzy, a Russian man named Ivan Vanko wants Stark dead. And that’s not all. Justin Hammer, out to destroy the Stark legacy, is thrown into the mix, which has disastrous consequences (i.e., he empowers Vanko to have access to technology that he otherwise wouldn’t have had).
There is a lot going on story-wise in this film, and that’s exactly the problem. With so many pieces to the puzzle—even more than I mentioned—the film ends up being on the jumpy side. The transitions aren’t as smooth as they should be, and the viewer isn’t quite sure what pieces of information to latch onto.
A lot of the film appears to have been written to incorporate as much action as possible, and that is definitely part of the problem. It seems that screenwriter Justin Theroux asked, on more than one occasion, why show people having a disagreement when you can show people beating the tar out of each other and destroying everything around them in the process?
Ultimately, the fantastic cast saves the film. Downey somehow manages to make Tony Stark a likeable protagonist (if we didn’t like him, why would we root for him?). Gwyneth Paltrow joins him to reprise her role as Pepper Potts, Stark’s endlessly patient love interest and devoted employee.
Don Cheadle gets more time to shine as Rhodey, his long-time friend-turned-sidekick. Sam Rockwell, who is able to pull off the desperate wannabe-Stark nerd, plays Justin Hammer. Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson even make appearances—and are as wonderful as they usually are, with Johansson playing a sexy secret spy and Jackson a one-eyed mystery man—as they help Stark discover how to find the cure to his condition.
But it is Mickey Rourke’s appearance in the film that has been most talked about as of late. Starring as Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash, Rourke successfully downplays the rage of the villain who is avenging the perceived injustice against his deceased father.
Watching Rourke’s stellar performance as the Russian physicist, it is easy to forget that his is the least developed character as far as the story line goes. He is smart, pulls off more than a few one-liners, and is deliciously evil in the way that all villains ought to be—though, admittedly Stark, aka Iron Man, is able to defeat him much too easily.
When it comes down to it, though, the crew of magnificent actors doesn’t quite make up for the choppy plot. Because of this, Iron Man 2 is less of a powerful sequel and more of an acceptable second chapter.