Falling Stark

Rating: 4/10 (5 May 2010)

Watching Iron Man 2 is kind of like observing a largely bloodless car crash while someone provides amusing narration. The plot is a wheeling mess, but the film is rescued by a lively, screwball script and some sharp improvisation from an ensemble of talented performers. Least amongst them is Mickey Rourke as the vengeful Ivan Vanko, in a performance that belongs to a far darker movie. Indeed, his scenes highlight the film's frequent lurches from breezy to black, which, combined with an apparent explosion at the on-set minor character-making factory, create an experience far less satisfying than its simple-minded predecessor â€“ which itself was an ideal response to the "darkening" of comic book adaptations brought about by the Nolan brothers.
This sequel is best when it focuses on verbal sparring. Because, while Favreau is a competent director, he has people scenes and CGI scenes; he hasn't the skill of Jackson, Cameron or Spielberg at blending the human and the virtual. This leads, after some mecha gunplay straight out of Halo, to a disappointingly perfunctory final confrontation.
After it's all over, one is left scratching one's head. What was the purpose of Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), besides laying multiple beds for multiple sequels? Why did Rhodes (Don Cheadle) overreact so dramatically at Stark's (Robert Downey Jr) birthday party? Was their ensuing bromantic tussle the sole trigger for Rhodes' subsequent robo-larceny? It all amounts to an overlong, overcomplicated, occasionally enjoyable disaster.