Movie Review: Iron Man 2

Every so often a movie comes along that just knows it is ridiculously off the chain and totally awesome. Enter Iron Man 2, easily the best superhero sequel film Marvel Studios has released to date (which is sayin' a whole friggin' lot because they've really cranked out some doozies in the last couple years, not to mention any names *cough* Spiderman 3 *cough*).

So what the French toast makes Iron Man 2 a successful sequel? I couldn't be more delighted that you asked (no really, I'm all a flutter over here).

**Warning: Plot Spoilers Ahead

For starters, Director John Favreau, along with screenwriter Justin Theroux, managed to cram (not unlike Meryl Streep stuffing her bra so she could land the role in Out of Africa...no, really, true story) a buttload of subplots and character developments into a one hour and four minute flick without taking the spotlight off of our favorite sarcastic and egomaniacal superhero Tony Stark a.k.a. The Invincible Iron Man.

When we last left the good (and sometimes not so good) Mr. Stark, he had officially announced to the world his secret identity of Iron Man and now, in this brilliantly orchestrated sequel (am I sounding a bit biased over here?), Stark gets to endure the consequences and repercussions of his choice. The U.S. government has decided to demand he hand over his Iron Man suit technology and weaponry (I think I saw Obama lurking in the background in a few scenes) and Stark's weapons manufacturing rival Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) has shown up on the scene to do just that.

Hammer teams up with U.S. Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) to broadcast the government's message that no American citizen should have a right to privately possess weapons of potential mass destruction (and yes, I so did just go there with the earlier Obama reference) and that Stark is now public enemy number one.

And speaking of enemies, Mickey Rourke plays Ivan Vanko in the film, a.k.a. Whiplash (though he's only ever referred to as Vanko in the movie). He's the son of a Russian scientist who once collaborated with Stark's dad Howard Stern (played in the film by Mad Men's John Slattery). Vanko, in typical Marvel Comics villain style, is seeking revenge against Stark for the suffering his family went through during the Cold War. Trust me, you'll have fun with this guy, not to mention the great visual effects that accompany his character.

So back to the stuffing reference I made earlier (hopefully you've gotten that Meryl Streep-in-a-bra image out of your head by now). Favreau, who gets plenty of screen time his own movie, and his fellow directors, writers and producers certainly wasted no time throwing into the plot every possible tease for the upcoming Avengers flick (May 4, 2011). From a very obvious Captain America's shield cameo (Stark uses it during a lab scene to prop up a piece of piping for crying out loud) all the way to a much larger role for S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Col. Nick Fury (the always weird and creepy Samuel L. Jackson), who tries to recruit stark for an operation called The Avengers Initiative (why couldn't they just spell this out for us?), there is seemingly no end to the hints.

And, much to the delight of Marvel hero geeks everywhere (no, seriously, I think I had a nerdgasm), the film ends with an Easter egg bonus scene after the closing credits, which depicts Mjolnir, the hammer weapon of The Mighty Thor and Marvel's famous God of Thunder, lying in the middle of some random dessert. Agent Coulson (actor Clark Gregg) appears in the scene, talking to someone on the phone about the giant hammer, which appears to have mysteriously fallen from the sky.

Thor is slated for release on May 6, 2011 and will star Chris Hemsworth as Donald Blake/Thor (you might remember Hemsworth as George Kirk, the father of young James T. Kirk in J.J. Abram's recent revamp of Star Trek).

But back to Iron Man. Supporting characters Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle, replacing and, quite frankly, outshining the former Terrence Howard of Iron Man 1) are back as well - both of whom are fed up with Tony's nonchalant attitude and alcoholism. And, if you've kept up with your comic book storylines (and if not, shame on you), you're aware that Rhodey winds up donning one of Stark's suits to become the hero known as War Machine (one can only hope he'll have an even bigger role in Iron Man 3).

New character Natalie Rushman (the always beautiful and, this time, sexy red-haired Scarlett Johansson) makes her debut as well -she'll eventually wind up becoming the Black Widow, but that isn't even really hinted at in the film. With any luck, she'll have a part in the Avengers flick. So there you have it: Iron Man 2 in a nutshell...or maybe more like a really big coconut shell. Hmm. Whatever. Great action sequences, topnotch acting from all characters involved and plenty of fleshed-out plot mechanics make for a fantastic follow-up to number one. Don't be surprised if a few scenes, particularly when Iron Man and War Machine duke it out with an army of robotic drones, remind you of a gun-slingin' Western flick. Except, in this case, the guns happen to be rocket launchers and the cowboys are wearing metal suits. Weird.