FILM REVIEW: IRON MAN 2 (12A)

IRON MAN 2 (12A)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L Jackson
Running Time: 2 hrs
Director: Jon Favreau

IRON Man solidifies itself as one of the best super-hero franchises of all-time in this entertaining sequel which is every bit as good as the original.
Again, Robert Downey Jr steals the show – even though Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell also shine – with another charismatic turn as Tony Stark, as the world is now privy to his double identity as ‘Ol Shellhead.
Unfortunately he has multiple problems to deal with: his arc reactor which keeps his heart beating is poisoning him to death, the military want his technology, corporate adversary Justin Hammer (Rockwell) is trying to bring him down, and disgruntled dual whip-wielding Russian Ivan ‘Whiplash’ Vanko (Rourke) is looking for revenge after his father’s mistreatment by Stark Enterprises.
To top if off – and with Stark worrying his time is nearly up – Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is made CEO, his best buddy ‘Rhodey’ (Don Cheadle) considers double-crossing him (but later becomes Iron Man mark II War-Machine) after a drunken Stark birthday party rage – and we’re fed with more info for the impending release of the 2012 The Avengers film.
But despite so much going on, director Jon Favreau (who gets more screentime himself as Stark Enterprises’ top bodyguard) still somehow manages to make the two hour run-time bright and breezy, with snappy one-liners, fluid action set-pieces and some notable villain turns (even though at the expense of Paltrow and Cheadle, who are bit-part players).
To the uninitiated, the use of undercover agency SHIELD, with both Samuel L Jackson and Scarlet Johansson starring in supporting roles as leader Nick Fury and agent Romanoff (aka Black Widow) could be deemed to be a distraction, but for fanboys – and nods to Captain America and Thor (in an after ending credits sequence) – this really whets the appetite for things to come.
Johansson has a particularly fantastic action set-piece herself – where she takes out around ten security guards – which will leave fans salivating.
You could easily argue with the lack of originality and the busy screenplay this could be deemed a tad disappointing for some – it’s not a Dark Knight or Spider-Man 2 sequel that bettered the first films – and really is more of the same.
But that unequivocally isn’t a bad thing with the important ingredients of humour and entertainment in abundance – making this a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt.
When The Avengers movie is out of the way, hopefully the third instalment goes one stage further – but as the first major blockbuster of the summer it still pushes the pedal to the metal.

ESP RATING: 4/5

Gavin Miller