Cinema Verdict Review: Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

OPENING: 05/07/2010

STUDIO: Paramount

RUN TIME: 124 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

Opening Statement
With this release, Iron Man 2 joins some pretty elite company of fellow superhero films like The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 2. The similarity surrounding this trio? They’re all superhero film sequels that are even better than their respectable predecessors. Iron-Man 2 is absolutely awesome, no doubt about it.

Facts of the Case
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes) appears to have a great life. He’s every city’s salvation after saving the world with his Iron Man technology, he’s a young bachelor/billionaire, and he’s got a brain the size of the Grand Canyon. Well, books aren’t meant to be judged by covers, and in this case neither should people. Stark proves that appearances can be deceiving.

Behind all the glitz and glam, Stark is actually dying. The more he utilizes the Iron Man suit, the more toxins enter his blood. And with his time becoming shorter and shorter, life isn’t making things easy for him. The US Government is breathing down his neck, wishing to monopolize his Iron Man technology which they deem too dangerous for a civilian to possess. A Stark Company rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, Everybody’s Fine), is out for major vengeance after Stark humiliates him at a Senate hearing. And on top of that, a dangerous and ruthless new enemy has emerged out of Russia in computer savvy Ivan Ranko (Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler). Like Hammer, Ranko also wants Stark’s head on a spit, since he holds Tony and his father, Howard Stark, accountable for the death of his own father. With many scores to settle, and time running low; Tony Stark attempts to beat the odds, save the world, and ultimately save his own life in the process.

The Evidence
Since superhero movies are total cash registers, consider Iron Man 2 one of the modern day tricked out jobs, complete with electronic screen and bar code scanner. This movie is going to rake in a huge sum of money, and deservedly so.

It excels in everything, but first and foremost, Downey Jr. completely makes the movie. I can’t picture anyone else in this role. His constant witty behavior and comedic one-liners are absolutely fantastic. He makes a wonderfully cocky Tony Stark, and at the end of the day, I can’t decide whether I like him more in this role or as Sherlock Holmes. It’s a tossup all right. In addition to Downey, Rourke made a great adversary, acting very mysteriously and providing us with a very respectable, well done Russian accent. Personally, I didn’t care the Hammer character. I don’t think Sam Rockwell was the best choice for the role. He came off as too much of a nice guy, and I think a more sinister-appearing actor would have filled the part better then Rockwell did.

As far as action goes, it’s basically everything an action-loving junkie would want in his movies. Huge explosions, nice looking machinery, and ridiculously sweet action scenes. Even Scarlett Johansson (He’s Just Not That Into You) gets in on the action, beating baddies and taking names like a lucha libre professional. If you like action, you’ll be very pleased with this movie, I assure you of that.

But the beauty of Iron Man 2 is that it’s not all action and a weak story, like for instance From Paris With Love. The story is deep, the character development is strong, and the multiple storylines are intriguing and interesting. This is a very smart superhero movie; you’ve got to tip your hat to Jon Favreau and Justin Theroux. And in typical Iron Man fashion, there is a handful of foreshadowing of the story premise for Iron Man 3, INCLUDING A POST-CREDITS SCENE! So once the credits roll, do not- I repeat, do not- leave your seats!

And hey, what do you know? A good chunk of the film takes place in my old hometown of Flushing, New York! Now whether you like it or not, I’m going to give some selfish praise to the movie for using my childhood dwellings as a central location in the film. Of course they made it more or less unrecognizable, making it appear a good 97.4% more upscale then it really is, but I’m not complaining. Let’s Go Mets!

Closing Statement
With its great blend of action, comedy, drama, and special effects; count on Iron Man 2 to be a film made of, not iron, but steel (or any other type of alloy/element that’s tough and impenetrable). The movie is great, and absolutely lives up to the hype, in a way I feel most common folk moviegoers thought 2010’s other big release, Alice In Wonderland, did not. Go see it!

The Verdict
9/10

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