“Iron Man 2” – Does it live up to the hype?

Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko (aka Whiplash) in "Iron Man 2." This image released by Paramont Pictures.

Rated PG13

Directed by Jon Favreau

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 2.75/5

Word of Warning: Corny, and I’m not talking about the kind that comes on a cob and is delicious with barbecue.

I gave “Iron Man” a rating of 4/5, so that should tell my readers a lot about the sequel. “Iron Man 2″ fails to live up to the hype and to the original movie, yet it’s not a complete bust.

In this movie, Stark Industries has become a powerhouse. The entire world now knows Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is Iron Man and Stark is relishing his enormous popularity. In fact, he’s been elevated to a kind of rock star status, but with stardom comes the haters and Stark has several.

His first detractor is fellow arms developer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). Hammer owns a rival company that manufactures weapons for the United State government, and he is working hard to catch up with Stark Industries new Iron Man technology. It seems Hammer will stop at nothing to reach the goal.

Stark’s other enemy seems more sinister, at least at first glance. Ivan Vanko is a tormented Russian with evil intentions towards Stark, but why? At first we don’t know, but as the back-story is slowly revealed we realize that Vanko is definitely up to no good.

The first “Iron Man” had a well-developed plot and surprisingly witty dialogue. This movie falls short on both accounts. The plot has Stark in danger, but he never really seems to be vulnerable to his enemies’ plans for his destruction. And although Sam Rockwell’s character has some hilarious lines, most of the dialogue seems more corny than clever.

Tony Stark’s assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), walks prettily in and out of scenes, but she’s like a cardboard character in a really nice dress. Scarlett Johansson is introduced in this movie as a knockout from Stark Enterprises’ legal department. There is little explanation as to why Johansson is involved in the story, and quite frankly, throughout most of the movies, she’s nothing more than eye-candy for those guys who love her big lips and endless curves.

This movie isn’t bad, but it just isn’t very good. The first “Iron Man” surprised me. I truly enjoyed it, but “Iron Man 2″ is a classic sequel – probably worth a matinee for those true fans, but don’t go to the theater with high expectations.

2 Comments


  1. I didn’t really like the first Iron Man…so I don’t think I’d like the second at all. Great review though.

    Reply

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