May 15, 2010
Iron Man 2
Q: Is it too clichéd to call this movie explosive? A: Not when it’s the most accurate description to use. The action comes in spades but it’s more than just enormous fireballs and thunderous, ribcage rattling bangs and crashes. There’s a good dose of comedy, predominantly to be found in Robert Downey Junior’s playing of Tony Stark, the tycoon billionaire and techno genius who, when all Iron-Manned up, is the single handed saviour of the US of good ole A, or indeed, as he likes to think, and regularly points out, the world. Tony, or at least his ego, is larger than life. RDJ, being somewhat of an eccentric himself, relishes the opportunity to transform his real life diminutive form into this screen filling arrogant entity, both in and out of the suit. Or should I say suits? There’s a boutique’s worth for Stark to select from. A particular crowd pleaser is the travel version, which fits snugly into a hand luggage size pack and unravels and reforms in spectacular fashion.
One key scene is a suit versus suit combat, when Tony’s friend commandeers one of the spares to take an unruly and slightly worse for wear Iron Man on, in an attempt to stem his self destructive behaviour. What ensues is little more than a metal clad fisticuffs between best mates who’ve had one too many. We’ve all seen it. Bladdered buddies fronting up to each other and slinging punches. In this case the punches, being turbo powered, cause untold collateral damage. It ends with one suit leaving t’other in a messy heap. I don’t think it’s too much of plot spoiler to reveal that the make-up is equally blokey. ‘Look, about that thing. Er. Sorry’, ‘Yeah. Alright’.
So, ladies, RDJ thankfully not only appears in some natty outfits, but also reveals some of that small but perfectly formed physique. He leaps around frenetically, all flexing biceps and glistening with the sweat of creativity. Get happy.
But fret not lads. This is no chick flick. What with the innumerable chase scenes, collisions, big guns, gadgetry and more than a test tube full of (ahem) science, oh, and slow mo Scarlett Johansson, kung-fu fighting in a black cat suit she appears to have been poured into, there’s plenty for the boys. Iron Man is in for a rough ride, facing not one but two baddies – or three if you count the US government, who really don’t like him, but really do want his toys.
Mickey Rourke plays a Russian, tattooed hunk of meat, fulfilling a lifetime personal vendetta. There’s something almost poignant in the irony of this brute, the antithesis of Stark’s suave gent, unleashing his own crude version of Iron Man technology on its creator to devastating effect.
Evil manifests itself in many forms and in Hammer, Tony’s wannabe arch rival, Sam Rockwell plays a man who, for all his sharp suited, smooth talking bravado, is nothing more than pond slime. Needless to say that fights are fought, battles won and lost, good is pitted against evil - and I’m sure you can work out how it all ends. We eagerly await Iron Man 3 for more of the same.