Solid follow-up

Rating: 5/10 (15 November 2015)

Iron Man 2 was certainly a film that had a lot to live up to. The first film was a major success with both audiences and critics, helping to continue the surge in popularity over comic book films. The film tries to continue the development and issues faced by Tony Stark along with adding interesting characters, yet it also suffers from feeling like it is setting up for something down the line and it does feel like there are too many characters vying for adequate screen time. So while I don't think the film holds up to the original and does have some problems, it manages to provide sufficient excitement and delivers much of what it promises.
Story: With the world now aware that Tony Stark is Iron Man and the government pressuring him to reveal his technology, Stark faces a threat from a Russian with ties to his father and a weapons rival trying to recreate his technology. He also learns more about his past and is informed of a proposed superhero team by Shield. I think the basic story is good and the individual story strands are gripping, but I don't think it is executed that well. It gets very convoluted and not enough characters get screen time with so much happening. We have Stark struggle with his new life, the government on his back, his technology being copied, a falling out with Rhodes, learning about his purpose and having issues with Shield. That is a lot going on and none of it gets enough attention as a result.
Hero: Robert Downey Jr. continues where he left of by successfully making Stark a sarcastic and brash yet funny and lovable rogue. He gets a little more to do this film, doing a solid job at capturing the characters increasing struggles though a minor issue is that he might spend too much of the film moping around. However he certainly provides energy and laughs in abundance.
Villains: Technically Sam Rockwell as weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer is the main adversary. Rockwell always plays smug characters well and it's more of the same here, making Hammer arrogant and slimy in all the right ways. Maybe he's a little one-dimensional but it works fine. Mickey Rourke as Russian ex-con Ivan Vanko gets shafted somewhat. Rourke succeeds in making the character mysterious and tough along with a believable accent, but he simply doesn't get much to do and his role ends up feeling tacked on in the grand scheme of things.
Support: Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Rhodes and he does a fantastic job. Cheadle brings a lot of class to the role and has great chemistry with Downey Jr. as well as being believable in the action scenes. I still find Gwyneth Paltrow to be a little bland, though she does a passable job. Scarlett Johansson gets little to do as Romanoff and doesn't do much with the part except look good, but that may be down to the script. Samuel L. Jackson is excellent as always as Shield head Nick Fury.
Action: The action sequences are rather similar to the first film with plenty of impressive and exciting spectacle. It's always fun to see Iron Man in mid-flight whilst it's no different here and as always it is shot excellently. The fight with Vanko at the F1 arena is a lot of fun, though you could argue the action is too widely spread out. The climax is just an ever increasing battle against drones, but it is thrilling and is as massive an ending as you could want.
Music: John Debney's score suffers from being very bland. It's difficult to recall any interesting compositions and the heavy guitar sound that stood out so much in the first film is badly missed here. The pieces during the action scenes blend into the background and there is little from the score in the way of atmosphere as a result.
Production: For the most part the script flows well and most of the character motivations are made clear, with only a few out of place lines here and there. I think they could have played out Stark's struggles a little better and you could argue that it takes away the fact that he is such an upbeat hero, but I'm still glad that they tried to tackle such an issue. The film looks as stylish as the original and some of the ultra-modern technology used adds a nice touch, while Favreau once again shows that he is equally at ease when handling action or drama. The CGI looks fantastic and is used appropriately. The comedic moments are played down a little more here and that works during the more serious moments, yet it does take away some of the uniqueness and some of jokes are a little overblown too. As said the film did feel like a set-up with a lot of talk about Shield's plans and how Stark father had a purpose for him, which gets in the way of the story it's trying to tell.
Conclusion: Iron Man 2 certainly offers all the excitement and fun that you would want it to, but it doesn't compare to the original and its problems come from too much going on. When it focuses on its own plot it works fine with Downey Jr. enjoyable, most of the cast good and the action being very entertaining. However none of the side characters or villains get enough screen time and fail to make any impact as a result, whilst the film certainly feels as if its building up to something more instead of standing on its own. Having said that, when it concentrates it is a blast and shows that Marvel know how to provide enjoyment for its audience.