The reason that I enjoyed Iron Man (I) was because it had everything that I enjoyed in the original comic. A repentant Tony Stark trying to make up for his past deeds by inventing a suit of armor that's also keeping him alive. Unfortunately, the sequel loses sight of this somewhat.
That's not to say that the sequel is bad. It is similar in style to the original. Robert Downey Jr is as entertaining and snarky as ever playing himself, and the quirky chemistry between his character and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is still there. Even newcomer Don Cheadle should be able to win over Terrace Howard fans, for his portrayal of James Rhodey, who is torn between his loyalty to his friend and his country. All that Method acting paid off for Mickey Rourke as the main heavy, but Sam Rockwell seemed more Owen Wilson than Peter Cushing in his role of arms dealer Justin Hammer.
The story itself is not really the problem. Its focus is on Tony Stark and his problems, which are plentiful. This isn't a dumbed down, explosion-soaked "summer blockbuster." We watch as Stark crumbles under the pressure of his problems and his ego, only to pull himself up again. Unfortunately, the way the movies goes about this is often convoluted and not very straightforward.
There are three new armors in this film, one for each of the fight sequences in the film. But rather than see Stark actually design these armors (such as the first film), they all just appear on screen as if prepackaged and shipped from China. One of Stark's strengths is that of an inventor, but the film glosses over it.
Still, there's a lot of fun "Easter eggs" for comic fans, including one at the end of the credits. It's a fun movie, even if the script's a bit flawed. B
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