ROBERT DOWNEY JR.?S wit and wisecracks are back ? and they?re the best things about ?Iron Man 2.? That?s no mean feat, considering that the red-and-gold armor-clad superhero?s action sequences have been tremendously amped up in his new starrer.
This time around, intimations of mortality and an uncertain future hover like dark clouds over Tony Stark?s emotional horizon and almost overwhelm the reassuring aura of invincibility that the gifted actor, via Jon Favreau?s 2008 big-screen incarnation, infused into Iron Man?s traditionally dour persona:
Unknown to many, as the movie?s script tells it, the armor?s titanium alloy-coated palladium core that sustains Stark?s heart is also increasing the level of toxicity in his body ? and it?s only a matter of time before he completely succumbs to it!
Real identity
And, now that the world is aware of Iron Man?s real identity, he also has to fend off mounting government pressure to share the suit?s advanced technology with the US military.
But, they?re the least of Tony?s worries: The vengeful and brilliantly menacing Ivan Vanko aka Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) ?who?s scarier than most villains in the comic-book universe ? is raring to get his deadly hands on the vulnerable Stark!
Tony?s life spins out of control as he becomes increasingly inebriated and self-destructive, even with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), James Rhodes aka War Machine (Don Cheadle), S.H.I.E.L.D.?s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson, who sizzles in a superhero suit) around!
Their support isn?t enough to reassure the tortured superhero that his life is nothing but an epinephrine-pumped, comic-book fairy tale.
Invincibility
The humongous Iron Monger is no longer around, but in his place are countless robots that are just as formidable as Iron Man and War Machine! Their collective presence guarantees a dizzying flurry of action scenes that test our protagonist?s narcissistic pronouncements about his vaunted invincibility.
Does ?Iron Man 2? measure up to its predecessor?s trailblazing triumph? Alas, far from it. The movie?s thin storyline eventually becomes tedious and reiterative. It spirals from a hip and snappy opening to a meandering middle part ? the development of Whiplash?s story gratingly takes longer than it should and drags down the exposition. The film feels more like a deafening repetition, and wears its dramatic aspirations on its sleeve a little too smugly.
Despite its imperfections, however, action fans will have a grand time immersing themselves in its fight scenes, as well as the explosions that come with them. What holds the production together is the amusing interplay between Downey and?well, his uncanny sense of humor. He gamely latches on to Iron Man?s psychosis as he effectively lightens up Stark?s emotional baggage ?and successfully transcends the script?s caricaturish characterization.
For instance, Downey?s thespic gifts are sparklingly showcased in the scene where he single-handedly defends Stark?s decision to guard his privacy, property and propriety. With his dry wit and superb comic timing, who needs superpowers?
