Summer entertainment at its finest

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2015)

After watching the first Iron Man and enjoying it, I thought that the second would be mediocre at best. Well, I can honestly say that didn't happen because I found Iron Man 2 be just as fun and action-packed as the first one.
The film starts off very nicely, with recordings from the end of the first film where Tony Stark tells the media that he is the man in the iron suit. The scene then cuts to Russia where we're introduced to our villain, Ivan Vanko watching his father dying. It appears that his father, Anton used to work with Tony's father, Howard, and somewhere down the road, Howard seized Anton's ideas and booted him to the curb and for this, Ivan swears revenge on Stark. Meanwhile, the palladium core of Tony's arc reactor that keeps him alive is slowly killing him and he can't find an alternate. He begins to become increasingly irresponsible and downhearted about his looming demise, and decides not to tell anyone about his ailment and appoints Pepper Pots as the CEO of Stark Industries and employs Natalie Rushman as his personal assistant. While racing in the Monaco Grand Prix, Tony is attacked by Vanko, but is able to fight him off. Now, Stark must get his life back together, build a new reactor and stop Vanko.
While most sequels try to up the ante, Iron Man 2 comes across as a brisk and harmless film that meanders along at an attractive clip, with emotional discomfort a distant thought which is very refreshing. In fact, Iron Man 2 is the total opposite of some other comic book films. For example, it's definitely not darker than the first Iron Man and also gives itself artistic freedom to extend on the impossible. Common sense simply does not work here and Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux have a lot of freedom with the chines of reality. While the first Iron Man was an origins story, the sequel had no lack of possible roads to take, so it decided to go with the characterization road and instead of developing its universe, the movie merely takes it's cast of characters and tosses them into circumstances grimmer than before, upping the stakes but at the same time echoing the spirit of the first one. The characters are well written, each quick conversation decided with a mature bleakness that differentiates from the illegitimate situations that the film features and while the movie could be labeled as a comedy, but the humor flows so perfectly that you get the sense that it would be out of the question to write this film and not have these characters joke with one another. There are a number of themes in this movie, the most notable one being one's legacy, of what we pass on when we pass away; the impact on those who follow us and how the consequences of past actions can ricochet down the line long after someone passes on.
The visual effects in this film are fantastic with lots of explosions, ear-jolting sound effects, stunning camera techniques and cinematography to keep the audience focused. As for the action, there's only a few scenes, but they all bring a lot to the movie by bringing the viewer a ton of excitement and delight, especially the finale, a 30 minute visual feast for the eyes and senses of Iron Man and War Machine battling Whiplash and his drones, which left me hungry for more. The soundtrack is darker than the first film and has some outstanding tracks along with a great soundtrack with songs by Daft Punk, Queen, and AC/DC.
The acting is incredible just as it was in the first film: Gwyneth Paltrow once again proves herself as Pepper Potts, bringing a lot of sadness to the role, but is by no means a damsel in distress, not to mention she and Downey have wonderful chemistry, Jon Favreau returns as Happy Hogan and gets to have more fun in the movie rather than just staying behind the camera, Sam Jackson pops up again as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury sowing the seeds for later MCU films. Don Cheadle picks up right where Terrance Howard left off in the first Iron Man as Rhodey/ War Machine, stepping into the role with certainty and proves himself to be superior to Howard. Scarlett Johansson is awesome as Black Widow, proving she is more than capable of being in an action film and while she isn't on screen for much of the movie, her flight scene in the hall does leave an impact. The villains of the film as just as important as our heroes and they don't disappoint with Mickey Rourke adding a combination of a contrived show person, arrogant mastermind and an overpowering monster, while perfectly personifying Vanko's rude visage while Sam Rockwell is complete comic fodder as Tony's business rival, Justin Hammer. Rockwell kills it in this role and is a joy to watch, either when he's losing his temper with Vanko or awarding his own creations with childish enthusiasm. But the true heart and soul of Iron Man 2 comes from Robert Downey Jr. He is the mind, heart and spirit of the man in the iron suit which makes me think if the film was written especially for him. When it comes to Stark's vain personality and sarcasm, he also shines there too, providing us with a ton of great quips and laugh-out-lord moments and while Downey does portray a selfish, egotistical playboy; he is still a likable character. Much like the first one, RDJ is and will always be Iron Man.
All and all, Iron Man 2 is a worthy successor to the first film, proving us with more of what we loved with more action, humor, a killer soundtrack, stellar performances and a great story. Definitely give this film a watch, you'll have a blast.