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A surprise mega-success, Iron Man became the undisputed hero of the box office in 2008 re-launching Robert Downey Junior with a performance that seemed almost too easy for him to play and a simple story, but action-packed.
Marvel’s latest cool kid on the block of Superhero hit flicks made an Iron fist impression and it seemed only the start for Tony Stark.
The film picks up two years later and Stark Industries is in disarray since its leader became the saviour of world peace behind his own weapon of mass destruction.
But like all good superheroes, a secret dilemma rages behind the mask and it appears that Iron Man is poisoning Tony Stark.
To concentrate on his mission to counteract the poisoning Stark hands over the reigns to right hand aid, Pepper Potts.
Meanwhile a new public threat to Iron Man takes the form of Ivan Vanko or Whiplash as he’s known on the F1 track.
A heavily Russian accented Mickey Rourke packs an electrifying punch as the new villain and joining forces with the smooth Sam Rockwell to bring down Tony Stark and Iron Man, the latest Villains both seek a personal revenge against the name of Stark.
So far, so good. Two plotlines threatening Iron Man and Stark.
Perhaps this is where Tropic Thunder scribe Justin Theroux got a little over ambitious and taken his audience for granted.
The first Iron Man won a lot of fans that are not avid comic readers and know nothing of the Avengers / Captain America / Thor storyline’s that tie into Stark’s story.
So when an eye patched Samuel L. Jackson and a very beautiful scantly clad Scarlett Johansson enter teasing audiences with titbits about “Shield†and “recruiting Iron Man, but not Tony Stark†audiences can be left to wonder why they were even in this movie.
Johansson and Paltrow seem to serve as the mould for female stereotypes used throughout the film; sexy, bad gal there to be seen and not heard or over bearing mother figure, there to clean up in the wake of our heroes’ destruction.
Sort it out Favreau. Let’s see more of Johansson’s acting abilities, less of her pouting abilities and a little more fire in Pepper’s Pott.
Despite the over-zealous plotline, Theroux’s script is delivered with some great one liners and explosive CGI sequences accompanied by equally explosive tunes from AC/DC, who have been the sequel’s band choice to replace Black Sabbath.
Carrying the film through with ease and an air of cockiness that only he can, Downey dreamboat manages to recover the flailing plotline and saving the day for Marvel Studios.
The 15 seconds of after credit footage has created a curiosity for more caped crusaders and with the sequel blasting the box office a third instalment must be suiting up already.
http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Picturehouse_At_Fact/