While it slips for the original premise Iron Man 2 still flies solid!

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2010)

I think I could find a lot wrong with Iron Man 2. The first film really surprised me as being an amazing super hero origins film and I knew that a second movie or any future instalments would likely fall short. But for everything I could say I didn't like about Iron Man 2 I also think they did a pretty decent job for a high flying summer action flick. There is plenty of new and original ideas and perhaps the only glaring issue is that they take the amazing performance by a great actor and over do it a little bit making the hero of the story seem weaker in some ways but then that is also the basic premise of this sequel. Certainly every great hero needs a great villain and the villain they bring to the big screen for the sequel is quite simply amazing. I had low expectations of who they might put up against Iron Man for the sequel but I was truly blown away. Despite replacing a main character in the story they still managed to carry on terrific chemistry with the cast. Even though some of the characters are a little overblown this time around and the story doesn't have quite the same strength the action and special effects do bring it altogether nicely.
Robert Downey Jr. takes his iconic role as philanthropist Tony Stark and Iron Man to new heights and goes through some real emotional moments. The problem is his breakdown in the film is overdone. You almost feel annoyed with his over the top antics to the point where he seems childish. He is still Tony Stark though and no one else could lead the character the way he does. Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts in a more significant role this time around. She was terrific in the first film and is still great this time around. She is the grounding force to Downey's Stark and they still have great chemistry despite the story arc putting a wedge between them. This is a strong character for Paltrow. Don Cheadle takes the role of Stark's closest friend from Terrence Howard. I don't think the character was very well explored in the first film but they certainly give Cheadle more to work with and of course his own Super Hero persona as War Machine. War Machine is cool but is he entirely necessary...not in my opinion although that being said some of the great scenes in the film are featuring Cheadle as War Machine. Him and Downey also have great chemistry. Also new to the cast is Scarlett Johansson in a mostly introductory role to the future Avengers cast. She doesn't get much more than other than to allow Downey's Stark to hit on her mercilessly however she does get one incredible action scene where she stuns and amazes as she kicks her way through a group of baddies. I'm not quite aboard this Mickey Rourke craze train but I must say he is an awesome bad guy in the form of Ivan Vanko. They don't give him a lot of actual lines in the film (which is a bonus) and he looks awesome and kicks some serious ass. He is an awesome head villain for the film. Samuel L. Jackson and Sam Rockwell round out a supporting cast in good solid roles.
While I don't believe the story is quite as good as the first the action is full throttle. There is some truly some great scenes that will put you on the edge of your seat. Jon Favreau is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the directors chair. Iron Man is probably his best project to date. The cast and the over the top characters make this a high flying adventure. Certainly the first film was downright amazing and to follow it up with a solid entertaining second film is worth it. As much as I love a good sequel I think it would be smart to end the Iron Man saga here in favour of The Avengers which I hope they will do a good job with. 8/10