The original “Iron Man” was the surprise hit of 2008, making over $315 million. And it re-launched Robert Downey Jr.’s career. Two year’s later Downey returned in “Iron Man 2” and it got the summer of 2010 off to a nice start.
The DVD comes 3-ways: Single disk, 2-disk digital copy edition and the 3-disk Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. For fans of the series, this is a no-brainer.
This sequel picks-up 6 months after the original ended. Tony Stark in the king of the world, having used his powers as Iron Man to create world peace. But Stark has two new enemies to deal with: a Russian named Ivan Vanko (played by Mickey Rourke), who’s father once worked with and was fired by Stark’s father and wants revenge, and a defense contractor (Sam Rockwell), who is jealous of Stark’s success and power.
And the U.S. Government isn’t happy with Tony, either. The government wants him to hand-over his Iron Man suits so they can be used by the military.
Meantime, Stark is dying and needs to discover a new energy source to stay alive. And there are new characters to deal with, including a new assistant, played by Scarlett Johansson, who ends-up being much more than that.
Needless to say there’s a lot going on in “Iron Man 2”. The good news is, most of it works.
All of the performances are solid, led by Downey Jr. who is perfect in this role. Don Cheadle takes-over the role of Stark’s buddy “Rhodey” Rhodes from Terrence Howard, and he sees plenty of action. Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts, and she has a much bigger role this time. Comedian Garry Shandling has a funny cameo as a U.S. Senator. And Jon Favreau is back as director and, again, he plays Tony’s manager, with a much bigger role this time. Favreau’s direction is top-notch.
The dialogue is smart and witty, and there’s more of it than in the first film. But there are still plenty of action scenes.
There are a few minor problems with the film: There are a few scenes that go on a bit too long, a couple of stretches when there isn’t much going on, and there aren’t a lot of surprises in the story.
“Iron Man 2” is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some adult language. It’s appropriate for kids 9 and up, and if you enjoyed the first one you should enjoy this as well. It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s a perfect way to kick-off the summer movie season.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Iron Man 2” gets a solid B.
I also gave the original a “B” back in 2008, but I enjoyed “2” even a little more. But I still think there’s an “A” “Iron Man” movie to be made. Mr. Favreau?