It may not feel like summer in my neck of the woods, but the summer movie season is upon us. The first summer popcorn film out of the gate is Iron Man 2. The sequel picks up where Iron Man left off; Tony Stark reveals himself to the world as the self made superhero and must defend himself against the government, new enemies, and himself. Helping Tony along the way is his trusted assistant Pepper Potts (the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow), his best friend Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) and a couple of new friends Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and Natalie/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).
This is what I love about Iron Man movies -- Iron Man is not a lonely, geeky, brooding, reluctant hero. He is a brazen, egomaniacal, playboy who enjoys the thrill and power that being a superhero brings. Who better to play that than Robert Downey Jr.? He can play any unabashed, cocky character and make you root for him. (If you haven't watched him in Sherlock Holmes yet, please Netflix/rent it now).
The new baddie in this movie is Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, played by Mickey Rourke, who speaks with a Russian accent and sports some funky teeth for this role. Ivan has a family beef with the Stark's and takes it upon himself to destroy Tony and the Stark legacy. Rourke does a fine job of portraying this menacing foe, but for me the real bad guy in the film was Justin Hammer, played deviously by Sam Rockwell. Mr. Hammer is one of Stark Industries major competitors and he joins up with Whiplash to annihilate any and all competition, but mainly Stark Industries. Sam Rockwell is one of those actors that fills the screen with his presence and usually plays the guy you love to hate. I think he is an intriguing character actor and definitely recommend you catching some of his older films (most notably Confessions of a Dangerous Mind).
A big to do was made about the choice to replace Terence Howard with Don Cheadle as Rhodes but the swap did not bother me one bit. Not only do I think Don Cheadle is a superior actor but I think he was a better match for the role. Cheadle's Rhodes is a no nonsense guy who doles out the tough love as opposed to Terence Howard's whiny, too cool for school take on the role in the original. Another bonus to the sequel is the inclusion of Scarlett Johansson's character Black Widow; she has a small but important role, along with Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury, in introducing and giving a little wink to the upcoming Avengers film. In her short time on screen Black Widow wipes the floor clean with bad guys and looks hot doing it. Scarlett makes for a voluptuous, kick ass female and I would definitely be interested in seeing a Black Widow franchise--little girls of the world need superheroes too.
This movie is not going to change your life but it was funny, action packed, and a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I think it definitely held its own against the first film. If that doesn't convince you to go see it maybe this will--after the climactic battle scene my son let out a loud "WOO-HOO" in the theater. My kid knows movies :)
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