Iron Man 2

IRON MAN 2

Directed by: Jon Favereau
Cast: Tony Stark/Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr.
Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes - Don Cheadle
Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff - Scarlett Johannson
Pepper Potts - Gwyneth Paltrow
Justin Hammer - Sam Rockwell
Ivan Vankov - Mickey Rourke
Nick Fury - Samuel L. Jackson
*The following review may contain spoilers*


"Oh, it's good to be back!" This line is one of the taglines for Iron Man 2, one of 2010's biggest expected summer blockbusters. And, oddly enough, it sums up my feelings about this poor, little, semi-neglected blog of mine! As such, I apologize, dear readers, for waiting so long to update it. Hopefully I will be able to better keep up with it over the summer! But for now, here's my review of Iron Man 2.

Robert Downey, Jr. returns to the big screen as Tony Stark/Iron Man for round two of the comic-book-based movie franchise. But, before we jump into the film, why don't we begin with a little history of Iron Man.
Iron Man was created by Marvel comic writer/editor, Stan Lee, in 1969, making his first appearance in an issue of Tales of Suspense that same year. Initially, the entire point of Iron Man's character was to allow the comic to explore more current/reality-based topics. Tony Stark runs a weapons company (Stark Industries) left to him by his deceased father. As shown in the first Iron Man movie (2008) and true to his comic book roots, Iron Man was created after his alter-ego, Tony Stark, suffered a near-fatal heart injury from some enemy captors. His captors then ask him to create a new type of weapon for them, but he instead builds a superhuman suit, which he then uses to escape captivity. Afterwards, Tony quickly decides to use the suit to protect people, becoming Iron Man.

In the 2008 adaption, Tony was captured by a group of Afghanistan terrorists, due to America's situation in Afghanistan at that time. Similarly, in his debut, Stark was captured by Russians during the Cold War. And thus, Iron Man began as a way for Stan Lee and the comic books to explore more current themes and, hopefully, boost the American morale.

Stan Lee used Iron Man as a straight-laced, do-gooder, focused entirely on protecting the United States, and never dealing with any personal problems of his own (you won't find any Spider-Man type angst in these comics). He was, literally and figuratively, a robot, programmed to boost the nations spirits with quick-witted one-liners and cool, terrorist-zapping lasers. Iron Man was a hero without a soul, a perfect protector. But all that is about to change...

Iron Man 2 begins 6 months after the conclusion of the first Iron Man movie. Our heroic tale begins in Russia, as we witness a depressed and half-drunk Russian guy, named Ivan Vankov, helping his ailing father. But, not surprisingly, daddy kicks the can after a few minutes of coughing. BUT WAIT! Turns out, the old croaker is an ex-business partner of Mr. Howard Stark (our leading man Tony Starks own father and founder of Stark Industries) and just so happens to have these plans for the super-mega-awesome power generator that Tony Stark built and placed in his chest in the first movie and that now powers the Iron Man suit. Papa dies, and as the opening credits roll, Ivan begins to work on his own generator and what appears to be another Iron Man suit.

Next, we cut to Tony Stark as he kicks off the Stark Industries weapons expo in New York. And even though he's surrounded by cheerleaders and alcohol, all is not well in the world of Tony Stark. *SPOILER* Turns out, Tony's dying. The generator that is keeping him alive keeps burning up and leaking toxins into his blood. And the generators burn up even faster when he uses the handy-dandy Iron Man suit. However, in typical superhero arrogance, Tony refuses to tell anyone what is wrong, searching for his own cure. On top of all of that, he also has the federal government cracking down on him, demanding that he sell the Iron Man suit to them. However, Tony "assures" them that he can handle anything the world can throw at the U.S.

Soon after, Ivan shows back up, sporting a fancy new generator and an semi-upgraded Iron Man suit that features two energy whips. Catching Tony off guard, he ends up whooping him pretty bad for a few minutes, all in front of the press, thus shaking Tonys arguments that he is the "only weapon America needs" to pieces. Needless to say, Tony is losing control of his newly formed superhero-world and learns he doesn't know how to handle it.

After his Ivan encounter, the toxins in his blood get dangerously high and Tony begins spinning out of control after trying everything he can think of to slow down or reverse his condition but with no luck. He soon excepts that he is going to die and cannot stop it, so he decides to party like there is no tomorrow. The breaking point comes at his birthday party, when he gets drunk and uses the Iron Man suit for party tricks and ends up wetting himself, still in the suit. It's at this point that his best buddy "Rhodey" steps in. He takes a previous generation Iron Man suit and audiences are granted a "clash of the Iron Man's" battle throughout Tony's Californian estate. After the battle, Rhodey takes Tony's suit, and flies straight to the government, forcing Tony to realize that he is out of options, friends, and time.

*SPOILER* In comes S.H.I.E.L.D., the superhuman law-enforcement team (the founders of the Avengers; they have had cameos in both the original Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk) with the answer to Tony's problem. They give him a box that belonged to his father and that contains several diagrams, blueprints and designs. And all of them say that they are the key to the future...and that only Tony can figure them out. After watching an inspiring old video in which his father literally speaks to him, Tony begins figuring out the plans and crafts a new element, one that will solve his problem of burned out generators.

This is as far as I will take my plot summary, so as not to spoil the ending. Keep in mind I've left out a few characters that are rather crucial so as to stick to the main point of the plot. Now, onward to the summary!

Summary:
Personally, I loved this movie. Not only were the visual effects astounding, the plot and acting was great as well. Early on in my review, I mentioned that Iron Man was originally a robot, never dealing with his own problems. This movie changes that and Hollywood proves that not every change in a superhero movie is a bad one.
With all the struggles Tony faces throughout the movie, audiences see that, despite his fame, genius and money, he's still just a regular guy, struggling to keep up with the demands of a superhero life. Hollywood humanizes Iron Man, and I personally like the change.

The plot of this movie was rather excellent by superhero-movie standards. There was a lot more going on than just battles and supervillians. Characters were deepened, relationships were strengthened and partnerships were formed. There was a great deal of character exploration done in this film. Pepper Potts, for example, grew in her role and we began to see just what her goals, thoughts, and motives are, as well as her true feelings for Tony. With all this growth, I have high hopes for the already rumored Iron Man 3 (2013).
Marvel also did an excellent job of tying in many underlying elements that tie the superhero world together, helping to make Iron Man 2 the launch pad for the Avengers that it is supposed to be. But all of these details are covered in my in-depth, spoiler-filled Avengers Movie post.

As for the Sexual Content in this sequel, it was much less than I anticipated. Considering the several awkward scenes in the first movie, I was honestly expecting to be bombarded with sexual innuendos and content throughout the film. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. With the exception of Scarlett Johannson's character, the film significantly lacked anything resembling the first movies content. The one scene I feel even mentionable is the first Iron Man scene at Stark Weapons Expo where Iron flies down and lands on the stage surrounded by a group of "Ironette Dancers", who sport low-cut tops and short-shorts as the dance onstage for about two minutes.
The only other problem in this area comes from Scarlett Johannson's character, Natalie Rushman, who sports low-cut, cleavage-baring dresses throughout the film. She also turns out to be a S.H.E.I.L.D. agent and her uniform at the company is a skintight leather getup that still somehow allows her to flaunt her flexibility. Also, while once changing into aforementioned costume in the back of a car, audiences see her sporting a white, yet rather un-revealing bra for several seconds.

Drugs/Alcohol is also pretty scarce here. Several characters drink at a few parties and Tony gets drunk at his birthday party and holds a bottle of champagne for most of the scene.

Well, there you have it folks. Iron Man 2 in a very large nutshell. I give this movie a 8 on a scale of 10 and highly recommend you check it out in the theaters. Also, be sure to check in on the Avengers Movie post after you watch to catch up on all the hidden things you might have missed!
Hope you enjoyed this review and I should hopefully see you in the next couple weeks with a review of Robin Hood.

Peace!
Spencer Stephens

Category Ratings (1-10pt scale)
Plot: 8.5
Sexual Content: 3.5
Drugs and Alcohol: 2
Violence: 7
Spiritual Elements: 0