MOVIE REVIEW ...
IRON MAN 2
There's always the temptation for sequels to be bigger and louder than their predecessors. While Iron Man 2 is certainly gigantic in scope, it resists the urge to sacrifice characterisation over battles. With actors of the calibre of Robert Downey Jnr and Mickey Rourke provide a solid base upon which to show off its techno wizardry.
Having revealed himself to be Iron Man, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) enters the next phase in life. Knocking back offers to create similar armoury for military use, he enjoys the attention fame has given him. Spoiling his party is business rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who, with the help of Ivan 'Whiplash' Vanko (Mickey Rourke) plots to destroy him once and for all. Battling new foes while grappling with various personal demons, Stark attempts to re-discover the man inside the iron suit.
Those eager seeing buildings knocked down and guns blazing will find plenty here. Others wanting some grist amongst the spectacle will also find that as well. In fact Iron Man 2 mostly succeeds in balancing these two with a confidence a bigger budgeted sequel offers. Due to a script focussing on a small number of characters and fine acting, you're able to fully believe their motivations. Hammer's eagerness in destroying Iron Man's reputation by ruining the man inside is an intriguing angle in a complex story. The choices Stark makes define his beliefs and in turn creates the legacy left by his iron creation.
With a central narrative exploring the arrogance of power, Iron Man 2 benefits from its more engrossing tale. Sadly lacking is any genuine menace from the villains with Hammer more of a sleazy opportunist than true villain. Rourke is left to handle the baddie duties and while he does a great job, he's not on screen often enough to capture the imagination. Overall however the film has an excellent comic book flavour in which to mix its skirmishes and at least tries to offer something new than simply re-hash what worked before.
Directed with a snappy confidence by Jon Favreau, Iron Man 2 is the more satisfying of the films. Although the pace could have been a little faster, it's provides more than you'd expect for a second outing in the ever-growing superhero genre.
Movie Review Rating 7 / 10
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
Iron Man 2 released in Australia on Thursday 29 April 2010.
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