Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • May 19, 2010
‘Iron Man 2’ works as popcorn flick, character study
by Dennis Seuling At the end of “Iron Man,” Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) announced to the world that he is Iron Man, thus abandoning a great deal of privacy and making him the biggest celebrity on earth. “Iron Man 2” provides a solid look at Tony’s life six months later. Tony enjoys the spotlight and trumpets the fact that he, personally, has kept the world safe because of Iron Man’s deterrent value. He is not above verbally dueling with a U.S. Senate committee chairman (Garry Shandling) concerned that the Iron Man technology is in the hands of one man and not the United States government. Director Jon Favreau spends a good deal of time on Tony Stark, whose core values have remained essentially unchanged though his outward behavior might be more flamboyant than ever. Tony enjoys the adulation, but it doesn’t transform him. Though the world has been quiet as far as armed conflict is concerned, some of the Iron Man technology has made its way to Russia and to the hulking, tattooed Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). Vanko has a score to settle with Stark and uses a variation of Stark’s invention -- a getup that includes long whip-like strands of electricity that can sever metal, toss cars aside like playthings, and create a virtual perimeter of death. Downey is still the anchor of this franchise. He plays Stark with a combination of humor, arrogance, and wit. The script by Justin Theroux, based on the comic book character, is especially strong on dialogue. The characters speak in conversational fashion. All except Rourke, that is, who grunts his lines through a heavy Russian accent. “Larger than life,” that old cliché, absolutely applies to Rourke as he appears in “Iron Man 2.” In “The Wrestler,” he elicited sympathy for his downtrodden character. Here, he is just the opposite -- a monster of a man/machine out to wreak havoc with the ultimate goal of destroying Stark. He is a believable, formidable adversary. Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role as Pepper Potts, There’s a battle between the two -- both clad in metal suits -- that has no real point but is fun to watch. Samuel L. Jackson is Nick Fury, head of an agency that serves as intermediary between superheroes and the United States government. Scarlet Johansson is Natalie Rushman, hired when Pepper is promoted. She blends into the background until a great sequence when she takes on a slew of bad guys the way Bruce Lee used to do, vanquishing them one by one with an assortment of martial arts moves. Though “Iron Man 2” is fun to watch, it tries too hard to outdo the first picture. There are too many characters stuffed into a two-hour running time. Often, their appearances are more vignettes than integral parts of a flowing narrative. I certainly would like to have seen Johansson’s character developed more and her screen time expanded. Rated PG-13, “Iron Man 2” will undoubtedly be one of the box office champs of the summer and the year. It looks as though Downey is having fun with the role, and his nervous, sometimes impatient delivery underscores intended gags and finds humor where none may have existed on the page. Action sequences are handsomely staged and the computer generated image work is effective. The film can be enjoyed as both popcorn flick and as an exploration of the effects of newly acquired power and celebrity.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. reprise their roles of Pepper Potts and Tony Stark in ‘Iron Man 2.’
Stark’s Girl Friday, who is given a promotion and takes her new job seriously. Her organizational skills and efficiency make her a clear choice for greater responsibilities but she also remains Stark’s right hand gal, only with a tighter grip. Sam Rockwell plays Stark’s rival Justin Hammer, a guy whose business ethics make Bernie Madoff look like a babe in the woods. And Don Cheadle takes over the role of Tony’s friend in the military, “Rhodey” Rhodes.
2010
K A S S C H AU
MEMORIAL SHELL
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