If you’ve watched the first Iron Man you’re probably expecting a well paced action movie with explosions, guns and babes. Not much has been changed for the sequel. Ok, not a bad thing since the first was a smash with great reviews, but Iron Man two feels like it runs about 20 minutes too long.The storyline feels mostly made up of same story - different day with a sparing sprinkle of fresh ideas on top. The basic outline, villains and ending are what you’d expect. Good guy, bad guy, pseudo-good guy becomes bad guy, fighting, good guy rescues dame. Fin.
In fact I reckon that sums up the first films plot, too.
This time the enemies aren’t from Afghanistan, but Russia. A revolutionary twist. If that wasn’t enough, main character and hero Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) ends up fighting against altered versions of his own Iron Man suit. Does it feel familiar to the prequel yet? How about when Stark creates a new reactor-cum-heart, you’ll find that here too.
One thing that has changed is Terrence Howard no longer plays the character of Lt. Colonel James Rhodes. It is now played by Don Cheadle, much to the disdain of Terrence; "There was no explanation, apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on sometimes".
Throughout the film, the acting is ok but doesn’t stand out. The “special” effects are what you’d expect from any modern movie. The music is ACDC. Cool, but not everyone’s cup of tea. The ending is the same boss-fight scenario you’ve seen over and over again. Stark is in the grip of death but manages to overcome “Ivan Vanko”, the Russian antagonist played by Mickey Rourke. There is a distinct lack of tension throughout because you will know the feel-good, get-the-girl outcome before you’ve even watched the opening scene.
All in all it’s not a bad film, it’s just so. It’s run of the mill, mediocre, and will probably appeal to fans of the series more than newcomers.
To see stills from the movie, look at the slide show below:
