Iron Man 2 is Mechanical

Megastardom went rather quickly to Tony Stark's head. In the previous Iron Man installment, we could never call him humble, but this film starts out with a spectacle of Tony's unparalleled egotism. He flies into the middle of an arena where fireworks erupt and Iron Man cheerleaders do line kicks, while expensive machinery removes his suit to reveal a Tuxedo in a high-tech, twenty-first century update of the classic Goldfinger scene. And just to make sure everyone gets the point, he gives a speech about how awesome he is. The film drives home the point with scene after scene of Tony's Hubris. Every one of them is performed with comedic wryness Robert Downy Jr., in whose hands we can trust the beloved character, but it is somewhat disappointing to see him revert to more juvenile ways.

We learn the reason for his unsavory behavior early on. He's dying. The element used to power the device in his chest is slowly poisoning his blood. He's running short on time and he's doing his best to make every minute count. For him, that means getting drunk, sleeping with women and doing anything he can to snatch the spotlight. His behavior creates a rift with his loyal assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), his best friend Rhodey (Don Cheadle who seamlessly replaces Terrence Howard), and his government ally Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). There's a lot of character development and interaction to explore, but it takes backseat to the action and a few story lines are wrapped too conveniently because the by the by-the-numbers plot requires it. I get the feeling Rhodey and Stark hurried their reconciliation because of a battle royale finale and nothing else.

And speaking of battles, the fight scenes are vastly improved. Many critics complained about the dim lighting and choppy editing that made the previous film's final battle difficult to make out. I was among the critical. Director Jon Favreau was out to prove something this time. He filmed most fight scenes in daylight or brightly lit hallways with longer takes. I was never confused or disappointed in the craftsmanship of the action. However, no matter how cool the fight with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) was, I didn't care. She was a periphery character and all I wanted to know is what happened to Tony, Rhodey and Pepper. Johansson had more in common with a Bond girl than an essential character in the Iron Man saga. She's hot, she breaks necks with her thighs, the usual.

The villain, Ivan Danko, played by Mickey Rourke, is an interesting mix of carnal ferocity and stunning intelligence. Unfortunately, his back story makes only enough sense to make him Iron Man's mortal nemesis. Danko's father was supposedly wronged by Iron Man's father a long time ago. So it's obvious that the sons should duke it out. I guess. Danko is recruited by one of Tony's arms dealer competitors, yet another character, to recreate the Iron Man suit for military use. We all know where it leads way before we get there. And once we're there, we're treated to an amped up retreading of the first film's ending.

Even though it was predictable and just a little flimsy, Iron Man 2 satisfies in all the ways a summer blockbuster should. Stuff gets blown up. Hot girls walk on and off the screen. The hero incessantly zings one-liners Testosterone levels peak in mano-a-mano metal man slugfests. After being spoiled by the first Iron Man, I expected a stronger script with more emotion akin to Spider-Man 2's improvement over the original. I couldn't help feeling the tinge of disappointment. I left entertained, but far from satiated.