Climbing Higher Pictures

Tony Stark has been having a bit of a day. In the aftermath of his announcement to the world that he is, in fact, Iron Man, he’s got a Russian scientist recreating his chest plate, a government poised on forcibly removing him from his suit, a company in disarray, and the harassment of somebody who looks a lot like Samuel L. Jackson. That would drive anyone to drink, right? For fans hoping to see the film adaptation of the famous Demon In A Bottle, they’re going to come away a bit disappointed. For everyone else, it’s two more hours of Iron Man… what could go wrong?

Iron Man 2 Review

By Ryan Hamelin

Movie Grade: B+

Alright, deep breath. You’ve probably heard the early buzz about the sequel to the commercial and critical smash hit Iron Man as it’s been out in worldwide release for over a week now. Most of it hasn’t been all that great. People have labeled it a “disappointment”, and unworthy to follow in the steps of its predecessor. Granted, a movie that made over $580 million worldwide is the kind of project that deserves a terrific sequel, and we’ve been spoiled with no fewer than 3 of the best movie sequels of all time, all of which have come from the superhero subgenre. Between X2, Spiderman 2, and The Dark Knight, you have to be truly special to stand out from the pack, and Iron Man 2 was never really about that.

This is a film which is a classically trained sequel, a movie that continues with the same themes, tones, and general plot progression of the first film for an additional two hours. It gives you precisely what it thinks you want, and delivers sporadically on upping the ante from the trial run two years ago. But at the end of the day, is it memorable enough to make an impact in a Hollywood system where sequels and comic books have become an ever-expanding cash cow?

In search of an answer to this question, we have to look at the overall picture. In a year’s time, we will have a summer movie slate that includes Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. While The Incredible Hulk was a modest success, it will come down to those two films to decide the legacy of Marvel Studios. Iron Man is a tried and true formula, and has done the bulk of the groundwork for the extended Marvel film universe. Soon, however, Robert Downey Jr. will no longer be enough. In the summer of 2012, Joss Whedon will bring us The Avengers, possibly the largest and most anticipated film franchise crossover of all time. In preparation for a movie with that kind of gigantic hype, a lot of the standalone elements of traditional superhero sequels had to fall by the wayside. Is Iron Man 2 an extended trailer for The Avengers? No. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t make use of a lot of outside help to keep its narrative flowing.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Samuel L. Jackson as much as the next guy. But with this film being set chronologically before The Incredible Hulk, it just doesn’t seem right that the impetus for the 2^nd and 3^rd acts are delivered by an outside organization. S.H.I.E.L.D. will get their own movie to grow in the future, and I don’t see why they had to be such a key player so early on. I will make a concession here on account of Scarlett Johansson being exceptionally attractive in this film. Like, oh my god. Though she’s never actually referred to as “Black Widow”, her character is surprisingly one of the sequel’s improvements from an ensemble standpoint. She complicates a lot of different things that were pretty black and white before, and that, in turn, creates opportunities for interesting storytelling.

Robert Downey Jr. is clearly “the man” and this is yet another example of him holding up an entire film purely on his own charisma. No one denies that this is the role for him, and that it’s been written almost to perfection. The crackling energy of the dialogue carries over well, and his interactions with other people make for some of the strongest moments. He’s one of the only superheroes who you enjoy watching more when he’s out of his suit, than when he’s in it, and it’s interesting to see the filmmakers play with that dynamic.

In reading other reviews online, you’re going to see many people reference the first film as some sort of towering achievement. Luckily I managed to watch the first film again before the screening of the sequel, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s not really as good as everyone seems to think it is. The entire climax of the movie makes very little narrative sense, and gaping plot holes all but swallow the dramatic conclusion. You didn’t care, however, because you were having so much fun watching it, and though you may have been aware that the finale was sort of weak, you went with it anyway. Here there aren’t any gaping plot hole issues, it’s just that the ending feels almost empty of emotion.

“Anti-climactic” would be my term to describe the sequel, not “disappointing”, because I feel like there’s an awful lot of set up for what could have been a really incredible last couple of scenes. Instead we have yet another not-quite-satisfying ending to an Iron Man movie which leaves me thankful that another director took the reigns for The Avengers. If any movie needs a satisfying ending, it’s that one, and I hope that the lack of energy to wrap things up here is simply the calm before the storm. Otherwise, it’s signaling a beginning to a fun yet utterly disposable set of franchises which will continue to rake in the box office while not managing to rise above what came before. Iron Man 2 ends as solid superhero flick, and an adequate sequel, but not a revelation. Depending on what you were expecting, it’s either playing it safe, or doing exactly what you wanted.