Iron Man 2 - Solid sequel

Yes, the original ‘Iron Man’ movie was Marvel’s ‘surprise hit.’ They were probably going to do a sequel anyway, but I’ll bet they never thought they’d be pushing so heavily towards this side of the franchise.  Anyway, it’s fair to say that a sequel needs to give ‘the same and more’ and, to be fair, ‘Iron Man 2’ achieves this.

It’s bigger, louder, more special effects and more heroes/villains added into the mix.  Personally, as a casual comic book-movie fan, I quite enjoyed it.  I always thought most people did, until I read the online message boards, where it turned out that opinions were pretty divided on its merits.

So, just to let you know that there’s a sizable proportion of people out there who will disagree with me when I say that it’s a pretty fun romp.  No, it’s not Shakespeare and it doesn’t really try to be.  I guess it’s supposed to appeal to young fans (dare I say male fans?) who will buy the obligatory Iron Man T-shirts, Iron Man lunchboxes and Iron Man pyjamas.  No, I didn’t buy any of those, but I still enjoyed the film.

Unlike other superheroes (think Batman, Superman and Spiderman), the ‘secret’ identify of our Iron Man isn’t that secret, for at the end of the original film billionaire playboy Tony Stark decided to reveal to the world that he was the man in the iron mask – so to speak.  Therefore, in 'Iron Man 2,' he’s an even bigger celebrity than he was simply for being the owner of a multinational arms manufacturing firm.  It’s actually quite nice to see an ‘alter-ego’ who’s actually more ‘ego’ than anything else.  Yes, he’s a bit of an idiot.  You probably wouldn’t see Bruce Wayne getting drunk wearing the Batsuit at a party and using his Baterang to slice watermelons thrown from an adoring crowd.  You see Iron Man's equivalant of that here.

Perhaps that’s Iron Man’s appeal – he’s a bit of a plank and we can relate to his love of adoration?  He is definitely a flawed – if very lucky – individual and he makes a change from the usual brooding hermit that most superheroes are portrayed as.

Naturally, it’s Robert Downey Jr’s charm that carries the film through, but it’s fair to give his supporting cast a mention.  Naturally, seeing as the film’s not called ‘Iron Man and Friends’ they have a lot less to do and a lot less material to work with.  But they do okay to play off the star.  If it’s not a bit odd to say that Sam Rockwell’s villain came across as a bit too ‘comic-booky’ for my liking (yes, I know it’s a movie based on a comic book) – it just felt like he was trying a bit too hard. I guess that's why they cast Hollywood heavyweight tough-guy Mickey Rouke as 'Whiplash,' i.e. to add a bit of muscle to Rockwell's weedy arms dealer persona.  However, as eventually became a trend with Marvel movies, both villains are kind of 'under-developed' and perhaps it might have worked better to only have the one, rather than trying too hard with the pair of them.

I know ‘Iron Man 2’ has its critics and I guess it’s not perfect, but it is fun.  It’s nearly two hours and I always think one of the true tests of a movie is whether if feels like its runtime.  And, in my opinion, 'Iron Man 2' flies by like a man in a yellow and red metal suit.

Bust out the popcorn and enjoy.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one