Drunk With Power

Blockbuster sequels always seem to catch the eye of audiences, especially when it follows one of the most exciting superheroes in the Marvel Universe. However, the downside to sequels is that they often do not live up to the previous film. This can be said for “Iron Man 2,” which was supposed to be the biggest summer blockbuster this year, but turns out to be a huge dud.

Billionaire Tony Stark [Robert Downey Jr.] returns as Iron Man, picking up six months later where the first film left off. As we know, Stark reveals that he is Iron Man which causes a huge stir because now the United States Government wants him to handover the suit and technology that he created. Ivan Denko, AKA Whiplash, played by Mickey Rourke [“The Wrestler”] eventually duplicates Stark’s technology, which allows him to create his own weapons. This obviously creates new obstacles for Iron Man.

Starting off very slowly, with limited action scenes, “Iron Man 2” is a frustrating drag. With a lack of action and a uncompelling story, there just isn’t enough here to keep both casual moviegoers and hardcore comic book geeks hooked.

If that wasn’t enough, the character development is lackluster, focusing on a dialogue that was only made to be comical, often shying away from the basis of the plot itself. There are moments during the film where you are left scratching your head and saying to yourself, “Is this really a superhero movie?” In the end, it just did not have that Iron Man feel like the first film did.

Rushed and unpolished, “Iron Man 2” is a hodgepodge of several missed opportunities, creating an explosion that just never goes off in the way you’d expect.

Like a drunk Stark with a beautiful lady, all the money in the world can’t change the final outcome.

This film shoots blanks.

Even worse, the new characters in this film do not shine and light up the screen like you would expect, especially in a big blockbuster action superhero movie like this one. Although Rourke’s portrayal as whiplash looks cool physically with his electrical lashing whips, not to mention his spot-on Russian accent, his personality was dull and boring and his role as whiplash seemed extremely limited.

Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer was not very impressive. He seemed like the obnoxious nerdy suit and tie corporate villain who is all talk, and has his men do his dirty work for him, especially Denko.

Simply put, Don Cheadle’s portrayal as the War Machine was cheesy. His replacement from Terrence Howard did not live up to the hype. It seemed as if he wanted the spotlight and take over the film.

The role of Nick Fury [Samuel L. Jackson] was also short-lived. He appears in a few scenes giving some funny one liners, especially one involving his eye which got many laughs. You would think that the Avengers initiative would play a big role in the film, meanwhile it was not talked about very much which would seem to be a major part of this film.

Unfortunately, after a ton of hype as well, Scarlett Johansson’s role as the Black Widow was decent. Other than her sexy looks, her karate moves seemed overly exaggerated.

Thankfully, Robert Downey Jr. is his usual witty self, portraying his comedic personality to go along with his cocky arrogance. That alone makes him that much more likeable as a character. His performance alone was the only positive aspect of this film.

“Iron Man 2” is one of those films that had more attraction from the trailer in thinking it would be an all out action extravaganza, but ends up being a disappointing snooze fest. The hype that this film creates seems to slowly evaporate once you realize that you are trapped in a world that had the potential to be an all out war zone of fun, but ends up being noting more than a feature with no energy and effort which it ends up lacking.

When you seem to get more action from a film such as a disaster the likes of “Batman and Robin” not to mention more entertainment, it can only mean one thing.

Disappointment, which is what “Iron Man 2” was full of.