Cast : Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke
Direction : Jon Favreau
Genre : Science Fiction/ Superhero
Rating : Iron Man
With much regret we have to say that the highly awaited Iron Man 2 comes as a disappointment for the ardent fans of the franchise. The sequel has bigger stunts and some heavy weight additional star cast than its predecessor but in terms of story and screenplay, it fails to simply hold your interest.
The film begins with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) revealing to the world that he is the Iron Man... in Tony’s trademark style, ‘the one-man army responsible for world peace’. Tony assures that Iron Man is good enough to keep America safe, although the US military is on a different tangent. They find themselves being overshadowed by Stark’s booming fame, popularity and power. They foresee Iron Man becoming an outlaw, owing to his extraordinary knowledge of technology. They also cannot replicate his technology which is why they demand Tony Stark to turn over his hi-tech creations which he refuses. Somewhere in Moscow Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) silently watches Stark’s friction with the US military on tv as he himself is busy readying an evil robot with an intention of destroying the Iron Man. On the personal front, Tony Stark is now thinking of a steady relationship with assistant Virginia 'Pepper' Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Iron Man 2 does not begin with a high octane action sequence as one would expect, which is fine but the wait just doesn’t get over! The only superb fight sequence you get to see throughout the film is when Ivan attacks Stark on a Formula One race track in Monaco. Stark then opens a red brief case in style which then on its own unfurls into his super sexy Iron Man gear, a la Transformers. Barring this action scene, no other sequence appeals to you enough, including the climax where the Iron Man fights battles it out with about hundreds of bad robots which Ivan activates, inevitably emerging victorious. The scene looks like a video game which puts you off.
The film looks spaced out, in pieces with each piece seeming disconnected with the other. It only manages to hold grip when Mickey Rourke comes to picture. The actor keeps mumbling in Russian most of the time but its his body language and dangerous looks which makes him a perfect opposition for the Iron Man. As one would normally expect from a sequel, the characters and their relationship with each other don’t really evolve either.
No sparks fly between Stark and Pepper this time around. He makes her the CEO of Stark Enterprises and she becomes a responsible head who won’t respond to his flirtatious advances. Paltrow looks old and disinterested in Stark. There is no chemistry between Robert and Paltrow as in the previous installment.
Scarlett Johansson is wasted as she barely has any stunts or dialogues. She although gets a lot of opportunity to show off her curvy derriere.
It is Robert Downey Jr who is the saving grace of the film. Just like Iron Man who is one man army, Robert too is the same when it comes to this film. It is he who makes this film some what interesting, thanks to his eccentric charm and ability to deliver witty one liners without losing his wicked sex appeal. He portrays a playboy, a superhero and a man beneath the superhero mask he wears, who knows he is dying (due to his weak ticker which has toxic side-effects) with absolute conviction. Hats off to this charismatic actor, it is his presence which covers up for most of the drawbacks of the film, including its narrative shortcomings.
Iron Man 2 and Tony Stark lacks that spark this time around, although if you are a fan of Robert Downey Jr, this one’s a decent one time watch.
