Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke,
Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language
As a young child, I idolized the superhero Iron Man as my favorite of the Avengers, thanks largely to the arcade game that my parents wouldn’t let me play. Because of this, I imagined (and wrote) many stories about Iron Man, most of which rivaled that of his newest film, Iron Man 2.
Don’t get me wrong, Iron Man 2 is not a flop like most superhero sequels. It has the action, jokes, and explosions that one expects from a high-profile summer blockbuster, but it is still missing the creativity and excitement that characterized the first film. It hardly had any action until the final fight at the end. The villains (one of which is the brilliant Sam Rockwell) had way too much screen time for their relatively shallow plans, motives, and plot points. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) was an active character in the first film, but brought nothing to the plot of the sequel. Scarlett Johansson’s character only added another star/superhero to the already crowded list of characters (which also gave more time to Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, and the director/actor John Favreau.) Even the charismatic and witty Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was rather stale, thanks to meaningless subplots about his health and father. Besides his senate hearings and drunken birthday party, Stark was relatively boring this time around.
Even the scale of Iron Man 2 seemed a bit off. While most superhero movies follow the hero thwarting situations bigger than themselves, Stark’s problems stem from his own last name. Hammer and Ivanko don’t care about world domination or terrorism; they simply want to rid the world of Tony Stark. And, while they blame it on his capitalistic family, one can't help but wonder if it's because screenwriter Justin Theroux couldn't think of a better reason. I know I could have.
No comments:
Post a Comment