A fantastic movie which defies the preconception of the sequel.

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2012)

Whenever a stand-alone movie becomes a sequel, frequent moviegoers cannot help but cringe at the idea of having their favorite films ruined by the mere greed of movie studios. Thankfully, fans of Iron Man were able to have greater hopes than those of other movies turned sequel due to the abundance of material available via the original Marvel comics, thus giving birth to the illustrious sequel that is Iron Man 2. This superhero flick opens up as a Russian television set portrays Tony Stark(brilliantly portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.) revealing himself as Iron Man during a press conference. Moments later, the setting contrasts itself dramatically as the film captures the final words of an elderly Russian man towards his son, Ivan Vanko(Mickey Rourke). With the assistance of his father's blueprints, Ivan creates his own version of Stark's Arc Reactor with the intent of weaponizing it for his own purposes.
Anybody who has seen the film can more than happily realize the fact that Robert Downey Jr. was a phenomenal choice for the portrayal of Tony Stark. While watching the movie, it appears as if he has completely become Tony Stark, possessing every single quirk that the billionaire playboy shows. His lines move naturally with a tone of voice one would expect from the overly arrogant Stark. However, what truly stood out to me in Downey's acting style is his portrayal of Stark's descent into a state of weakness. Without revealing further pieces of the plot, I can assure any moviegoer that Downey allows you to feel a conflict between laughing at Stark's actions and feeling absolute sympathy. I can firmly state that, without Downey, the character of Tony Stark would not have captivated me nearly as much as it does now.
When it comes to costumes, anybody can agree that we would all pay an extremely large amount of money to obtain one of Stark's suits. They are simply some of the most interesting pieces of technology we can even imagine, while also looking simply fantastic. In Iron Man 2, we are introduced to Stark's different models for his Iron Man suit, each showing a different taste which I greatly enjoy. Also, we are introduced to the creation of Ivan's 'suit', which consists mainly of two electrified whips with an amazing capacity for destruction. All in all, the ability for the costume designer to transform the original drawings of these suits from the comics into these realistic suits of metal interests me to no end. If there is anything to take from the movie, it is the ingenuity that is put behind every small detail.
In its entirety, Iron Man 2 was an amazing movie which defied the preconception of the typical sequel. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first movie, and especially to those who recently saw the amazing movie, The Avengers. As my favorite Avenger, I could not possibly see myself enjoying the movie itself without first both experiencing and loving both movies of the Iron Man series. In my opinion, Iron Man 2 deserves an 8.5/10 as it may not be perfect, but it is truly an amazing film.I shall be anxiously waiting for the release of Iron Man 3 in 2013.