DVD Reviews

Iron Man 2 – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Oct 12, 2010, 19:35 GMT

Get the ultimate Iron Man 2 experience with this special edition loaded with bonus features that take you inside the suit, plus a digital copy of the film that you can watch anywhere, anytime! Now that Tony Stark’s superhero secret is revealed to the world, he must once again suit up in order to face his most dangerous enemy yet – but not without a few new allies of his ...more

Although the film tends to drag a tad in the middle, Iron Man 2 continues with the formula established in the first Iron Man and delivers the big action sequences you expect from the title.

The film also continues to build the blocks for what is to come – specifically the big Avengers film coming in 2012.

The sequel sees Jon Favreau returning as director and a screenplay by Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder). Robert Downey Jr. once again proves he is the only man that could handle the role of Tony Stark and his ego.

He is joined again by Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts - the woman who tries to keep Tony in line; Samuel L. Jackson as the mysterious Nick Fury, and Favreau as Happy Hogan Stark’s driver.

The film greatly benefits from Mickey Rourke's villain Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and Sam Rockwell as the slimy Justin Hammer. Stark’s pal Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes gets an upgrade to Don Cheadle and the massive War Machine.

The film pretty much picks up a few months after the first one with Stark attempting to save the world as Iron Man and keep the technology out of the government’s hands. He is having difficulty keeping his ego in check, and is dying from a side-effect of the palladium in the arc reactor. The device is keeping him alive, but slowly killing him at the same time.

Not willing to slow down, Stark launches the year-long event “Stark Expo" – where the brightest minds in the world (and Justin Hammer) can come to show off their inventions and learn from each other. The event was a dream of Stark’s father and seems to fuel Tony’s ego even further as he launches the opening day in grand style.

While maintaining his playboy lifestyle, Stark takes time to defy the government’s request to turn over the armor technology and pretty much makes Hammer and Senator Stern (Garry Shandling in an odd casting decision) look like idiots.

As the audience is starting to notice Tony is a tad full of himself (or more full than normal), the film jumps back to the cold washed out look of Russia as Vanko works on his own version of the arc reactor and a way to weaponize its power.

Vanko also does some research so that he can discover where Tony will be popping up next so he can settle a debt he believes that is owed by the Stark family.

It appears that Tony’s dad, Howard Stark (played with style by Mad Men's John Slattery), and Vanko’s pop (who dies at the beginning of the film) worked together back in the day, before Tony’s dad had him shipped back to Russia as a spy.

Vanko shows up at a race to have a chat with Tony – who has once again let his ego put him in a dangerous position as he took over driving duties for his racer. The chat is really kind of short since Vanko is slapping arc-powered whips around and basically trying to kill Tony. Luckily, Potts and Hogan show up with a portable suit of armor and the fight gets taken up a notch.

Stark and Vanko have another quick chat later so that some of the plot points are filled in, and Hammer does some under the table moves to get Vanko out of prison. Hammer wants Vanko to build him a set of armored warriors, and Vanko is willing to help out Hammer so that he can get access to finishing his revenge plan for Tony.

While Vanko is at work on his new army (and making friends with a new bird), Tony continues to spiral out of control which ends up seeing him put Potts in charge of his company and having a massive smackdown with Rhodes – who dons a set of armor that will later become War Machine!

The film drags a bit here as the pace slows to give more plot points about how Tony’s father was involved with SHIELD and further set up the upcoming Avengers movie.

As a proud comic geek, I loved all the references to the Avengers, Nick Fury popping up, and even the brief appearance of Captain America’s shield. However, this almost kills the movie as parts seem clunky and even the power of Samuel L. Jackson can’t make lines like "Sir, I have to ask you to exit the donut" not sound cheesy.

Luckily, the film doesn’t stall too long, and Tony is quickly back in the saddle and focused on taking down Hammer and Vanko.

Like the first movie, Iron Man 2 ends in a massive explosion of effects, CGI overload, and action. It is what makes the movie worth watching, and done to near perfection. I mean what is not to love about massive battle sequences where War Machine and Iron Man take on tons of drone robots while Black Widow (the incredibly hot Scarlett Johansson) takes out a ton of security guards while she is wearing a skin tight leather outfit?

Iron Man 2 is a fun movie and matches the vibe of the first movie thanks to the charm and swagger of Downey Jr., the steady direction of Favreau and solid effects works. If you liked the first film, you will like Iron Man 2.

Without a doubt, Downey Jr. is Tony Stark and it is impossible to see anyone else in the role. The actor seems to be having the time of his life letting Stark’s ego run wild, but the character is never pushed to the point where you start hating him. The supporting cast is still mostly window dressing to Downey Jr, but all the characters get expanded a tad more.

Rourke is a great villain for Downey Jr. to square off against, and the actor makes Vanko both vile and charming at the same time (I mean how can you not root for a guy that loves his bird so much). He is even cooler than Stark – if that is possible.

I am sure the character could have come off a bit weak with another actor in the role, but Rourke seems to be missing the part that this is a fun comic book action flick and plays the character like he belongs in David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises.

My biggest problem with the film is that at times it feels like it was made to hold the audience’s (and comic fans’) interest until The Avengers gets made.

I am all for little teases here and there (there is a great Thor tease at the end of the credits), but Iron Man 2 takes major time to continue to set up a film that is coming in 2012 and not part of the actual Iron Man franchise.

It doesn’t kill the film’s enjoyment, but it does slow it down. It will be interesting to see what the third film is like, and if they will continue to use it as a way to introduce upcoming projects.

Another example of the film being used to get fans ready for The Avengers is found in the special features of the Blu-ray. The disc is loaded with features and will be enjoyed by fans of the movie and Marvel Comics.

There are entire sections of the features dedicated to SHIELD and the upcoming Avengers film with bios on Bruce Banner/Hulk (funny enough featuring a picture of Edward Norton in the role since they use footage from The Incredible Hulk), and other members of The Avengers.

The features are great fun, but seemed to further illustrate this is a stepping stone to a bigger picture that is still to come.

Although the sequel might not fly as high as the first movie, Iron Man 2 still delivers in tone, action, and effects. The film is just as entertaining and does an excellent job expanding on the characters while laying groundwork for more things to come.

It didn’t leave me waiting in anticipation for Iron Man 3, but I am counting the days until The Avengers assemble!