Iron Man 2

And so summer 2010 looms just around the corner and the sometimes myth like presence of t-shirts, sunglasses and shorts slowly start to emerge amongst the British people desperate to soak up, or at least acknowledge the sun’s presence however long it may choose to linger round this year. With summer comes (we would hope) warm weather, long sunny afternoons, ice cream van’s frantically trying to sell as many 99’s with flake as possible and endless games of football (or Frisbee, to please a friend) in parks throughout the country. Along with all that we hope summer to bring us each year; another expectation is that of a summer blockbuster. Studio’s furiously churn out high action, high budget popcorn thrillers as fast as they can muster, in the hope of attracting large audiences, who during the summer months especially, are looking, NO, willing themselves to be entertained.

For the last decade, the trail of summer blockbusters has taken on an even more familiar trend, with the rise of the superhero film franchises, most of whom are based upon characters from the popular Marvel comic books.

Marvel studios have largely dominated this field in recent years, first appearing with the popular vampire hunter trilogy ‘Blade’. With this formula’s popularity and commercial worth perfectly evident, superhero films have inevitably cemented their place onto summer cinema screens. This has led to such successful film franchises as the popular ‘X-men’ and ‘Spiderman’ film trilogies, along with other more forgettable film fair… anybody remember Ben Affleck donning that tight spandex suit for 2003’s painful adaptation of ‘Daredevil’?

Regardless of the critical reception of such films, the main justification for their production is their Box Office takings each year, which continue to be high, seemingly regardless of the film’s quality. Continuing this trend in 2008, Jon Favreau brought us Iron Man, yet another adaptation of a marvel comic, however, this time brilliantly received due to its refreshingly quirky performance from the resurgent Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, as well as the effective on screen chemistry of his fellow actors, including belated Oscar winner Jeff Bridges’ turn as the incredibly convincing, evil, Obadiah stain. The film focused on maintaining a clear plot, establishing its characters well and good emotional involvement within the film. Along with the comic elements of Downey Jr’s performances, these factors combined to make Iron Man a huge success both critically and financially.

So upon seeing the trailer earlier this year for Favreau’s inevitable sequel Iron Man 2, featuring what can only be best described as a ‘bad –ass’ electric skipping rope wielding villain in Mickey Rourke and another male crowd pleasing addition with Scarlett Johansson in, yes, you guessed it, yet another tight spandex suit, I have to admit my anticipation was high. However, upon seeing the finished film, I left the cinema feeling visually dazzled yet underwhelmed. Iron Man 2 is certainly a polished, yet rather than focussing on all the plot and character development that made the first film so refreshing, it rushes from one CGI set piece to the next, forsaking a particularly involving plot for high octane thrills and spectacular visuals. This is not necessarily a problem, given Downey Jr’s performance as Tony Stark is as charismatic and egotistical as ever and in many ways he carries the film, providing enough laughs to placate a large audience, as well as justifying just how bankable a star he has become in the past 5 years. As I mentioned beforehand, despite its narrative shortcomings, there are nonetheless some spectacular set pieces in this film, the most impressive being that of a direct confrontation between Tony Stark and villain Ivan Vanko played brilliantly by Mickey Rourke, who obviously relishes every moment of his performance. The ever versatile Sam Rockwell also makes an appearance playing the slightly out of his depth industrialist, Justin Hammer who is thoroughly entertaining and provides an effective comic antagonist to the film’s protagonist.

Iron Man 2 will no doubt satisfy the large audiences who excitedly flock to see it, with the high octane set pieces it contains and the effective performances of Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. However, I for one am disappointed that a film that was so refreshingly quirky, has taken the easy way out in its sequel. I only hope that everyone behind the film including its director Jon Favreau, doesn’t lose site of and neglect the film’s uncommon strengths in rushing to reveal the inevitable ‘Avengers’ film that Iron man will eventually be absorbed into.