Iron Man 2

Right, seeing as it's been so very, very long since my last post I thought I'd make it a biggy. Iron Man 2 is one of the summer's most anticipated films, and a sure-fire blockbuster. But is it any good?

Yes. Yes it is. Again directed by Jon Favreau, the film, while not as light-hearted and witty as it's predecessor, is equally good. The story, not lumbered with an origin story for the titular character means there is more time to further the plot and character development. Following on from Tony Stark's (the ever-superb Robert Downey Jr.) admission to the world's press that he is Iron Man, the opening sees Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) creating his own power suit and weapons. Sam Rockwell, who was once considered for the title role before RDJ claimed it, as Tony Stark's corporate rival Justin Hammer provides much of the comic relief. Also featuring are Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau himself (oh, not forgetting there is the continuation of the traditional Marvel film game of 'spot-the-Stan', this time as Larry King).

The film moves along quite quickly, with a laugh every now and again. The set-pieces are well shot by Favreau and cinematographer Matthew Libatique and don't have the quick cuts that seem to be so prevalent these days, so it is very easy to tell what actually is happening. The characters move along nicely too, without any overly-sentimental moments while still developing the characters in the right directions. The acting ranges from solid (Rourke, Johansson) to the excellent (RDJ and Rockwell). Stark still has the same humour and wit, though I personally found Rourke's Whiplash hard to understand at times due to the Russian accent. The only major flaw I can find with the film is with Whiplash. With his power-armour he seems rather similar to the first film's Iron Monger. Perhaps a different kind of villain next time? Not being overly familiar with the Iron Man comics' world I can't even speculate as to what will happen in the final chapter of the proposed trilogy.

Iron Man 2 then, is a very good continuation of the original, and is still the opposite side of the coin to Chris Nolan and DC's Dark Knight. Which is as it should be. The Iron Man films have set the bar high for the Marvel films scheduled for the next few years, starting with Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger next year, leading up to the Avengers team-up in 2012.

★★★★☆