Iron Man 2 (2010)

Directed by: Jon Favreau | 124 minutes | action, science fiction, adventure | Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jon Favreau, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Leslie Bibb, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, Don Cheadle, Olivia Munn, Helena Mattsson, John Slattery, Stan Lee Clark Gregg, Garry Shandling, Tim Guinee, Anya Monzikova, Natalina Maggio, Jennifer D. Johnson, Davin Ransom, Keith Middlebrook, Nicolas Pajon, Philippe Bergeron, Karim Saleh, Mathew Lorenceau

There are usually three kinds of sequels: mediocre projects that derive their sole raison d’être from the commercial value of their predecessor, successful sequels that come close to or even equal the original, and films that deserve to be judged on their own account. Iron Man 2′ is clearly one of the latter category, so the statement that friend and army commander James Rhodes is played by Don Cheadle this time suffices as the only reference to Tony Stark’s previous adventure. Charismatic Terence Howard and Marvel were unable to settle their dispute, forcing the studio to look for a replacement. Cheadle did say in an interview that he would not renew the character, but would elaborate his role in detail on Howard’s work. Something the ever-trustworthy, Oscar-nominated actor succeeds well in, by the way, allowing Lt. Col. Rhodes is another strong supporting actor.

Director Jon Favreau has also made the choice to leave the story of the original alone as much as possible and to make this episode its own film. The history is recounted in an effective introduction before the opening credits are over, in step with the ominous entrance of Ivan Vanko (Rourke) as the new opponent. Before you really start the adventure, it is therefore already clear what the situation is in Tony Stark’s world, and who he will have to deal with this time. In ‘Iron Man 2′ the alter ego of superhero is no longer a secret from the public, so that he – unlike most caped crusaders – cannot hide behind his mask like Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker do. A refreshing angle, because while the heroes of X-Men are not hidden behind capes and curtains, they are reviled as dangerous mutants. Stark, on the other hand, is folk hero No. 1, who brought the world the longest war-free period in decades. By privatizing peace with Stark Industries, as he puts it, his Iron Man is what nuclear weapons were during the Cold War: a threat of force. Be kind to each other, or the iron man will come to pay you a visit. A fact that works as long as potentially hostile nations don’t come up with their own variants of Stark’s finds, which he says could take years.

The US military, of course, sees it differently and wants to exploit Stark’s weapons and technologies. The efforts of Senator Stern (Shandling) and weapons expert Justin Hammer (Rockwell) are two of the main storylines in a plot rich in references, potential openings to further sequels in the franchise, and a random selection of interesting supporting characters. The first gives Stark the chance to play the crowd as only he can (read: the way only Downey Jr. can), the second leads irrevocably to boss Ivan Vanko, who, with the help of Hammer, finds the means to fight to engage the protagonist. The Starks’ family history, which plays a role in introducing Vanko, is referenced later in the story to further work on an invention that Stark Sr. (played by John Slattery) decades earlier. In both cases it remains somewhat undeveloped, but it provides sufficient basis to put the mainly silent or otherwise in Russian / flawed English schmish Rourke to work.

Sam Rockwell in addition, who was in the picture a few years ago for the lead role, shows with his laconic portrayal of direct competitor Hammer that he could indeed have handled that suit. Although in this film it becomes clear again that Tony Stark – as a hero, playboy and believable center of a comic book world – with Robert Downey Jr. Couldn’t have cast better. Which is in equal parts a reflection on both his playful and clearly enjoyable contribution to Favreau’s second successful approach and on the impressive company of supporting actors, who, thanks to their often more serious roles, provide a good balance. Support and support Pepper Potts (Paltrow) and Warmachine-to-be Rhodes contain the inimitable Stark enough to keep him on his toes in the battle with Vanko, one of the already familiar figures to fans who passes in review in this part. The dangerous Russian, which script writer Justin Theraux based on Marvel characters The Crimson Dynamo (who can control electricity with his suit) and super villain Whiplash (with a loaded whip as main weapon) is thanks to Rourke an enrichment of the series. The same goes for Natalie Rushman aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson in tight suits) and the now more widely used Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, who signed a mega contract to play Fury no less than nine times). Another salient detail: Before Scarlett Johansson was recruited for her supporting role, Emily Blunt, Jessica Biel, Gemma Arterton, Natalie Portman, Jessica Alba and Angelina Jolie were on screen for the portrayal of Black Widow; a nice film in its own right, you could say. Perhaps Favreau, who gives his own supporting role as friend, driver and boxing partner Happy Hogan some more scenes this time, will still have room for these ladies in a sequel. One can only hope.

The Marvel universe as detailed in ‘Iron Man 2’ has pretty much everything for action buffs in general and fans of the comic book genre in particular. An animated Downey Jr. takes us through a second adventure of a multi-level comic, thanks to an excellent cast, successful action entertainment and a varied plot full of humor and original angles, which extensively uses the world of Stan Lee and his followers. Favreau successfully expands the franchise with ‘Iron Man 2’, which means that we will undoubtedly see a lot more from Stark, Rhodes, Hammer, Black Widow, Nick Fury and – according to the synopsis of part three in 2012 – Mandarin and his terrorist organization The Ten rings. Enough to look forward to, but for now ‘Iron Man 2′ offers more than enough distraction: an action spectacle that invites you to watch – at least – a second time.