Iron Man 2

A mild improvement over its lackluster predecessor, Iron Man 2 follows billionaire-playboy-turned-superhero Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) as he attempts to battle both a terrifying new adversary (Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash) and a life-threatening defect in his artificial heart. Filmmaker Jon Favreau – working from Justin Theroux’s screenplay – offers up a tremendously entertaining opening half hour that boasts a number of enthralling interludes, with Stark’s hearing before an irate Senate committee and Iron Man’s first encounter with Whiplash certainly standing out as highlights (and indeed, such moments are more engaging than anything contained within the original film). It’s only as Theroux places an increasingly prominent emphasis on Stark’s health issues that one’s interest begins to dwindle, with the character’s self-destructive streak – eg he picks a fight with his old friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) – ultimately serving no real purpose other than to pad out the running time (there’s no law that says these movies have to be over two hours). The ensuing lack of momentum ensures that the film’s midsection is often dull and surprisingly tedious, and it’s not until the narrative charges into its action-packed third act that the viewer’s waning interest is (mildly) resuscitated. Having said that, Iron Man 2‘s relentlessly uneven sensibilities can’t quite diminish the strength of its positive attributes – with the movie’s most hypnotic aspect undoubtedly Sam Rockwell’s scene-stealing turn as Stark’s goofy, megalomaniacal competitor Justin Hammer. The final result is an passable sequel that breathes new life into this less-than-impressive franchise, with the unexpectedly involving and exciting nature of the film’s final few action sequences ensuring that the whole thing closes on an appreciatively positive note.

**1/2 out of ****

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