A Review From A Former MCU Hater

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2019)

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Marvel Cinematic Universe #3
Director: Jon Favreau
Now onto the third entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the second Iron Man movie, I find myself very surprised.
Why?
Because when I first watched this movie, it was the beginning of the end of my interest in the then still developing MCU, and of superhero movies at large. But I rewatched this tonight, the best part of a decade later, and loved it.
The humour remains intact, and it has a surprising amount of warmth and blunt humanity about it that keeps me engrossed in the smaller conflicts and personal drama, which is something I didn't find particularly evident in the second MCU movie, The Incredible Hulk.
Tony Stark is now a huge celebrity. He is a big name brand, has a huge media presence, is revealed early on to be the instigator for the brining about of world peace. But he is also dying, the technology he uses to keep him alive is slowly poisoning him. And what's more, his technology, celebrated for bringing together the world in harmony, has been stolen. This is revealed spectacularly in a massive showdown with Mickey Rourke's intimidating (but strangely loveable) Russian villian Ivan Vanko.
The film thus follows a similar narrative arc to that of the first, and thematically and structurally there are no major surprises.
And yet I absolutely loved it! The bickering between Stark and Pepper Potts (once again charmingly acted by Gwyneth Paltrow) remains endearing and relatable. But the most fun element for me is the introduction of the supremely sexy Black Widow/Natalie Rushman: Scarlett Johansson oozes charisma and it is impossible not to be captivated by her screen presence. She initially appears to be a plot device to stir up Potts and Stark, but the film handles her role with surprising skill.
Throughout the movie, you get the sense that various elements are building towards something much bigger than we could have ever realised at the time. I was positively gleeful when I noticed a battered Captain America shield, I loved the nod towards Thor in the post-credits sequence, and the further information about S.H.I.E.L.D. raises a lot of intriguing questions.
Robert Downey Jr though helps keep the film focused and balanced. His performance is edgier than it was in the first, and watching Stark battle personal demons as he tries to come to terms with his own mortality, struggles with creating an alternative power source to keep him alive, and learning more about his father touched me.
I know this film has its weaknesses. It drags a little at times, and plotwise it followed almost all the same beats as the first. But it was loud, fun, oddly touching and truly exciting. The amazing fights (the car race rudely interrupted by Whiplash and the massive showdown between him and Stark with help from Jon Favreaus fantastic driver is one of the most fun fight scenes I have ever seen), the snappy dialogue and all round great acting made this the most fun MCU movie so far. It still doesn't quite match the first movie for the surprise affect or the originality, but it progresses this universe quite a bit further, and does so brilliantly.
After the frankly awful The Incredible Hulk, the MCU franchise got back on track in absolute style.
7/10