Written by: Justin Theroux
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell
Rating: [2/5]
Even when running a good thing, studio interference has a way of putting a damper on things when they allow business interests to get in the way of a film getting properly made. An issue many sequels have faced and even the great Tony Stark fell victim to when seeing the results of Iron Man 2. A film that has far too much interest in introducing new characters in service of a larger story without taking care of the one audiences flocked to watch following the impressive preceding film.
Now with the world knowing he’s Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces a new threat in the U.S. government seeking to obtain control of his suits in addition to a strange Russian man named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). While having these external threats, Tony must deal with his own personal demons, as his celebrity status has grown to something much bigger than before.
With all the potential in the world and failing on pretty much all of it, Iron Man 2 found itself between a rock and a hard place. A film sought to truly launch the Avengers initiative but also continue the story of Tony Stark and a workable harmony never manifested. Instead, we get a deluge of half-baked ideas that fail to amount to anything truly worthwhile and without the action sequences to truly make up for it. The number of characters brought into the fold in this feature did nothing but dilute everything else occurring here where some felt underdeveloped while also drawing away from the characters that ultimately matter in this story.
While many deserve blame, the consensus mostly lands on studio interference with the pressure of churning out a sequel just about two years after the massive success of the first film. This put this film behind the 8-ball and without much room for error if a successful film would come of this whole experience, and not much of it truly works. In Ivan Vanko we have one of the most forgettable villains in a series of films that have a whole host of them and then whatever poor Sam Rockwell got saddled with in portraying the woeful Justin Hammer. All of this gets taken into account before delving into the inclusion of other characters solely for the purposes of getting us towards the Avengers initiative feels incredibly shoe horned as well. Therefore, we have a lackluster cluster of elements all hoping to make an entertaining film and it just does not come together successfully.
We get small sprinkles of entertainment throughout that display that no matter the boundaries placed on him Jon Favreau knows how to craft entertaining films. In those moments that shine, much like the scene at the Monaco Grand Prix, we see the best this film has to offer in addition to the scenes with Tony losing his marbles. However, we get bogged down on all of these other elements, it just further exemplifies the ways this film ultimately struggles in telling one coherent story.
Despite all the issues within this film, Robert Downey Jr. remains the bright spot and further exemplifies why he and Tony Stark will forever be written about together. The moments of vulnerability displayed in this film delve into something much more humane with this character, outside of all the glitz and glory that comes with his position. Downey, as ever, just nails elements and takes us along with this journey. Even when his own films undercuts his efforts to scratch and claw at success, he finds a way to still succeed. The less said about the other actors, the better, even if they cannot carry too much fault given the material they received.
Plenty of fingers to point and blame for the lackluster quality of Iron Man 2. A film that has its watchable moments and bits of entertainment but overall just feels rushed and not cohesively pieced together as it should have given the foundation built for this character and the world. It serves as one of the many victims within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe where the hope of building out the universe takes precedent and the singular film must carry the brunt of the issues that come with it.
Films with Josh 
