Lacking compared to the first film but still a thoroughly decent sequel

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2014)

The first Iron Man was a great film, smart, exciting and classy with a powerhouse performance from Robert Downey Jnr. Iron Man 2 is not as good and is lacking in places, being not as classy, irreverent or exciting though it is not devoid of those qualities. The characters are not as interesting or as well-realised, Vanko is a little one-dimensional for a villain, Pepper's character is so reduced that what made her so endearing in the first is lost here and Natasha/Natalie's motivations are not as clear as they could have been. The story at times is over-familiar and cluttered with parts of the film that would have benefited from not trying to do too much and it could have had a tighter paced beginning. The script is certainly not bad with some amusing moments and one that make you think, but that of the first film has smarter humour and more intelligently structured, the film could have been longer perhaps with some subplots being explored more, the characters better developed and a little less time on some scenes, Gwyneth Paltrow was fun in the first but because of how Pepper was written she isn't anywhere near as much here and Jon Favreau's performance is rather annoying and unnecessary. Like the first film though the film looks great, with very stylish cinematography and editing, vivid location work and special effects that show a lot of time and effort and don't feel like over-load. The gadgets are also great fun and the Iron Man suit is still awesome. The music works very well, not quite as good as that of the first but it adds to the action without over-powering or bogging the pace down. The story while having a little too much going on and being over-familiar still does compel, is not too convoluted and it flows smoothly pacing-wise, and has a couple of note-worthy set pieces. There isn't a lot of action but what there is has thrills and fun aplenty, Vanko's entrance at the Grand Prix race is very dramatic and what follows is equally as thrilling and the climax while not as long as it could have been still outdoes that of the first. Favreau's direction still continues to be clever, with a mix of nostalgia for comic book fans and themes and such that would be currant by today's standard. The acting is fine, excepting Paltrow and Favreau, and there is great chemistry between them all. Robert Downey Jnr's performance is not quite a power-house but he still has the zany comic timing and the ability to give off the emotional depth needed for one of Marvel's most interesting and multi-faceted characters. Mickey Rourke is menacing and a lot of fun as Vanko, Scarlett Johansson shows how well she can play fearless and Sam Rockwell plays a real weasel and does so to hilarious and sleazy perfection. Don Cheadle also performs with authority. In conclusion, not as good as the wonderful first film but is still a thoroughly decent sequel that gets most things right. 7/10 Bethany Cox