Good sequel but it doesn't live up to the first...

Rating: 5/10 (29 April 2010)

Ah, yes, it's that time of that month again. Summer is here. The season for school holidays, fun in the sun, and cineplexes filled to the brim with bid-budget, CGI-laden blockbusters, most of them either superhero movies or sequels. "Iron Man 2" is a sequel to the 2008 superhero smash hit and while it delivers in spades action and well-executed CGI, I felt that it was not as great as the first.
But first, the pros. Robert Downey, Jr. is still Tony Stark. He has an endless amount of charm, wit, suaveness and one-liners that makes him an extremely like-able whenever he's on the screen. Gwyneth Paltrow also returns as (un)lucky assistant Pepper Potts who again does a good job in contrasting Stark's happy-go-lucky personality with her straightforward behavior. New performers are here as well: Mickey Rourke is, as always, excellent as the villain, as per Sam Rockwell who gives a somewhat hilarious but smart villain, and Samuel L. Jackson just drips coolness whenever he appears.
The special effects are very well-rendered and the action sequences are well-directed with high energy by Jon Favreau (also playing Happy Hogan, whom I am glad gets more screen time here). Also the music score by John Debney is suitable for the movie.
However, the film has its cons as well. While Don Cheadle does an okay job at playing Rhodes, he just doesn't have that charm that Terrence Howard had in the first movie. To me, it seems as if he feels awkward in that role. Scarlett Johansson proves that she can kick ass if she really wants to (and looks gorgeous doing it at the same time), but her screen time is relatively short and unimportant compared to other characters.
Also, the action in this sequel seems somewhat rushed, especially in the third act where it almost falls apart. It's as if screenwriter Justin Theroix doesn't really know how to end this thing, and as such we get quite the muddled ending. Also, I felt like the story took a detour from the realistic setting of the first to a more comic-book/sci-fi-like setting and some pretty cheesy villains if you ask me.
Having said that, what was lost in action, was returned in the character exploration of Tony Stark. We see a great deal of character study in this film, more than in the first. Tony Stark is not perfect, he is not exactly an ideal superhero, and this is really proved in the middle of the film during his birthday party. We get to know more about Tony and what motivates his actions. We get to know what makes him tick, what makes him scared.
So, overall, it's still fine entertainment, but those looking for it to exceed the original, or have high expectations, will be disappointed. I really wished it had more action as well as the character study (just look at "The Dark Knight"). However, this summer is off to a good start, and I expect more entertaining fluff to come.
I still have faith in the series. Bring on "Iron Man 3".
Overall value: 7/10