Iron Man 2 Review

Rating: 6/10 (26 July 2010)

Iron Man 2 is the 2010 sequel to the amazing 2008 film Iron Man. It stars Robert Downey Jr, Gywneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Mickey Rourke. The film was a huge success at the box office, making over $600 millon worldwide.
The plot revolves around our hero Tony Stark, who is refusing to hand over the Iron Man technology to the United States government. A new nemesis, Ivan Vanko, is working on a suit of his own using the same technology to get revenge against the Stark family for what they did to his own. Tony has to wield his armour once again to stop Vanko once and for all...
I would like to point out first that I believe this film is inferior to the original. That film felt a lot more developed, serious and more realistic. Iron Man 2 is a great movie filled with action and some witty dialogue, but in the end it falls short of the seriousness of the original movie. This film also abolished the responsible Tony Stark seen at the end of the original film, turning him back into his arrogant, boastful self once again. I also didn't like the villain choice. The villain was tough and epic, but at times was boring, uninteresting and just came out of nowhere.
The action sequences also felt inferior. The original had Iron Man flying to a war zone to kill terrorists and then flee from F22 raptors. Now, we get a far too quick fight on a race track and a comedic battle to the tune of Another One Bites the Dust by Queen. It seems as if the creators wanted to play around the CGI equipment, resulting in the action sequences becoming far less serious and significant to the plot.
Speaking of the CGI, it is also really inferior. The Iron Man suit looks a lot more plastic like. The metallic details present in the original don't seem to be here, and as a result the CGI looks a lot less convincing. Nevertheless, it's still good.
The movie is also riddled with several (but very minor) plot holes, such as Colonel Rhodes sudden knowledge of how to activate the Iron Man suit. Speaking of Rhodes, the recasting of him was partially successful in my eyes. They made the character the same, only in this movie he also seems to be a bit of an asshole, but I think the sheer difference in appearance between Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard make it difficult to recognize him as the same character. I believe appearance is a major factor when it comes to bringing characters alive. You associate actors with characters, so changing actors creates an odd feeling.
The film isn't all bad, however. It does lack some action like the original film but does use it's talking scenes to develop the plot, so it's not all a waste. The inclusion of War Machine was awesome, though he could have had more screen time, and the final battle was also great fun but a little too short and abruptly ended.
Though it contains some flaws with character development, CGI action scenes, over the top comedy and some minor plot holes, Iron Man 2 is an entertaining super hero movie that will delight fans of the invincible super hero. Don't expect it to be as serious and moving as the original, but still expect an enjoyable, appealing summer movie.
I give this film a 6/10.