Iron Man 2

Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke
Opening in cinemas: 29 April 2010
Rated: M

The man of steel bounces back into a cinema near you for a second dose of the Iron Man formula which proved so popular on the first round. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his tongue-in-cheek role aided by an all-star cast and a barrage of special effects. The question is, does the sequel live up to the original - most sequels don’t, usually being eclipsed by the innovation of the first movie. Well, despite some slow moments of plot explanation and a fair wait for the first big fast action scene, Iron Man 2 ticks most boxes and should be a crowd pleaser.

The film opens with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr.) in megalomaniac mode as the tycoon who keeps the world safe through his Iron Man technology - “I’ve privatised world peace”. Big celebrations surrounded by high kicking chorus girls endorse his position of heroic status. A congressional hearing however has other plans for Stark’s technology; they believe it should be used as a defense weapon for the US military.

Stark battles the aggressive Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), and his jealous commercial rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) as well a serious blood condition - but they're all nothing compared to the sudden grungy appearance of psychotic Russian physicist Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who is determined to pulverise the Iron Man into rusty waste metal.

The film really kicks off with a smartly timed and exciting sequence at the Monaco Grand Prix where the mad Russian seems to be a lightning conductor providing Iron Man with a few unpleasant shocks. From here on the convoluted plot takes us in different directions but ends up with a massive showdown between Iron Man his loyal sidekick Rhodey (Don Cheadle) and Rourke’s electrifying Whiplash together with an army of deadly machine clones.

This drags on a bit, but we are blessed with Scarlett Johansson (Vicki Christina Barcelona) bursting out all over as Natalie a.k.a. Black Widow, who revives Emma Peel (The Avengers TV) in her energetic fight sequence. The vivacious Gwyneth Paltrow (Running with Scissors) again plays Pepper Potts, and early on Tony anoints her as CEO of the Stark Corporation, leaving her suitably bewildered over a glass of champers.

New writer Justin Theroux adds a layer of complexity to the proceedings but the strengths of Robert Downey Jr. from his previous incarnation are largely retained. Downey (Sherlock Holmes) has to share the acting honours with Mickey Rourke, just escaped from the set of The Wrestler, who gives hefty menace to the Russian nutcase. Rourke even grabs a few sharp lines - “When God bleeds, people lose faith”. Jon Favreau is once more at the helm, and he keeps the film on track as well as managing some great action sequences. Special effects impress, as do the set pieces enlivened with eye candy wherever possible. There’s also realistic use of overlapping dialogue.

Much credit has to go to the other members of cast, all talented actors in their own right. Sam Rockwell (Moon) seems to be channeling Gary Oldman as Stark’s rival and unscrupulous industrialist Justin Hammer. Samuel L Jackson (Black Snake Moan) sports eye patch and Don Cheadle (Traitor) appears to enjoy the experience; as do most of the players, allowing themselves greater freedom than in more serious roles. At times they appear to be sending themselves up. Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t quite reach the humorous moments of the first film, but maintains the humanity of the super-hero to unique advantage.

The whole thing is handsomely mounted with cinematography by Matthew Libatique, production design J. Michael Riva, and visual effects Jenek Sirrs. There shouldn’t be many complaints about this comic-strip action adventure giving fans their money’s worth.

John Bale