Superhero Media: Iron Man 2

One element of doing these media reviews is that I really enjoy is that I tend to find myself talking favourably about films that others malign more often than I whinge about popular films. Take Iron Man 2, I really enjoy this film and pretty much always have, but the mere mention of it can start people off on rants about how "terrible" it is. I'll readily admit that Iron Man 2 does feel rushed in parts, as Marvel Studios were not expecting to have to make it so soon, but the success of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk took them by surprise. That taken into account, however, Iron Man 2 does manage to have less of a "bridging" tone than say, The Matrix Reloaded or The Two Towers. After the shock reveal at the close of Iron Man, Tony Stark is riding high, remaining independent from the government, whilst building the Iron man persona into a business success and partying as hard as he can. There a clouds on the horizon, however, as Tony is slowly dying from blood poisoning and the son of his father's rival, Ivan Vanko is plotting revenge. 

First up, kudos to the design team and Mickey Rourke for creating a version of Whiplash/Blacklash that was both visually interesting and not goofy as all get out. I'm not really sure why Whiplash is the subject of such ire, he's certainly more interesting and engaging than Iron Monger, I tend to put it all down to "sequel fatigue", with audiences disappointed that Iron Man 2 didn't feel as new and as fresh as Iron Man, which of course it doesn't. I find this a lot with fans of film who don't necessarily know much about the behind the scenes and/or the academic functions of the medium, they want the thrill of discovery that comes with a new franchise to continue through every iteration, which is, of course, impossible. Hell, for shits and giggles, let's just list off the awesome stuff that Iron Man 2 brings to the series; Black Widow, War Machine, Howard Stark (as portrayed by John Slattery), references to Moon Knight and Agent Coulson being a Captain America fanboy. Tell me again, how Iron Man 2 is the 'worst' MCU film? 

 

Now I'm going to gush over Justin Hammer, so bite on a belt if you have to.  Justin Hammer is amazing and I wish he would come back to menace Spider-Man or something. Sam Rockwell is always good value, especially as a villain, often dancing his way into a scene and chewing the scenery like a starving Vincent Price. Even people who claim to hate Iron Man 2 seem to love the scene where Hammer pulls out guns and describes them to Rhodes and his boss, and the payoff for the "ex-wife" delivery really makes the character work. Speaking of the final confrontation, back when I did a film and music blog, the Iron Man and War Machine versus Hammer Drones scene made it to #1 on my list of "Best Superhero Movie Fights", this was before The Avengers, so that list would be way different now, but man do I still love that scene. The contrast between the two suits and the two friends is a great watch and something I'll happily revisit apart from the film entire. Also, Kate Mara is in Iron Man 2 briefly, meaning she has done a decent superhero film, even if no one remembers it.