Ever since Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) revealed to the world that he is "Iron Man" at the end of the first film 2 years ago, he's had more enemies than even the late President Nixon. The government wants his armor and the technology that goes along with it. As "Iron Man 2" unfolds, Stark discovers that he's got more to worry about than just Uncle Sam.
The Stark Expo in 2010 is little more than a glorified exercise in ego massage. Stark, as Iron Man, arrives to a rock star reception, complete with dancers in two piece costumes derivative of the Golden Avenger's armor. As he leaves, Stark is served with a subpoena to appear before a Congressional comittee in Washington. There, he trades barbs with Senator Stern (a disturbingly puffy Garry Shandling) and boldly declares that he will not turn over the armor.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) develops a set of electronic bullwhips, but at no time in the movie is he even referred to as "Whiplash". Just as well. Vanko meets Stark for the first time at the Grand Prix of Monte Carlo, after Stark has talked his way into the race, driving his own sponsored vehicle. Despite taking a hellacious beating, Stark comes out of it a winner, thanks to his chauffeur/personal trainer, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau, who also directed). Vanko is shipped off to prison, but is sprung in short order and brought to America at the behest of Stark's business rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who has all the charm of a con man, but is about as smart as a burnt toothpick.
That comes into play when Vanko decides to do his own thing with the armor that Hammer has supplied him with. Not only that, but Hammer has also managed to obtain a government contract, and with that contract comes the reluctant cooperation of James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). After a violent tiff with Stark, Rhodes took possession of one of the spare Iron Man suits, and so it can be implied that this is the debut of War Machine, an identity that Rhodes took on in the comics some years back. Now, War Machine has been outfitted with some guns that neither he nor Iron Man really need. However, on the last night of the expo, Vanko makes his move, and uses remote control to take control of the drones he'd built for Hammer, as well as War Machine.
Now, we're getting ahead of ourselves. In the meantime, we're given a little dose of the seminal Iron Man arc from the late 70's, "Demon in a Bottle", as Stark turns to drinking to deal with the myriad issues, the most compelling of which is the fact that the tech that is keeping him alive is also slowly killing him. He promotes secretary "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to CEO, putting her in charge of Stark Industries while he tries to find a cure for his condition. At the same time, he has to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and the agent that Fury has placed at Stark Industries, Natalie Rushman, aka Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson). One of the most impressive parts of the movie is the sequence in which the Widow (not called by that name in the movie, but most fans know who she is based on the black catsuit she wears), aided to an extent by Hogan, dismisses at least a dozen of Hammer's security agents. It takes Hogan a while just to beat one. Well, what would you expect from comedy relief?
I won't spoil the finish, except to say that it's on a par with Iron Man vs. "Iron Monger" (Jeff Bridges) in the 1st film. As with the first movie, you have to wait until the closing credits roll for a teaser for the next film in the continuing series leading up to 2012's "Avengers". And that's all I have to say about that.
If you can picture Scarlet Johansson substituting for Jennifer Garner as Elektra in "Daredevil" and "Elektra", I think you get a sense that maybe those films would've turned out a wee bit better. A Black Widow solo movie would be very welcome down the road, thank you very much. Rourke's comeback story continues, as he provides just the right kind of menace as Vanko. We'll forgive him for the harness & whips at the race track, as it just didn't look right, and they were well served not to use the name "Whiplash" after all. The video flashbacks of Howard Stark (John Slattery) resemble something out of the Disney vaults, and the elder Stark looks like he could pass for Walt Disney himself! Hmmmm, considering that Disney now is Marvel's parent company, that may be more than coincidental. "Iron Man 2" also marks the last appearance of disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, who passed away last year after production'd been completed, and thus is dedicated in his memory.
Here's the trailer.
Will there be an "Iron Man 3"? I think that's almost a lock. Grade: A+.
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