Countdown To Avengers: Iron Man 2

Spoilers, etc.

Directed by Jon Favreau
Written by Justin Theroux

Cast
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes
Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff
Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko
Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
John Slattery as Howard Stark (in videos)
Garry Shandling as Senator Stern
Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS
Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart

It is six months after the events of the original Iron Man, and Tony Stark has discovered that the very technology he created to keep himself alive, is also poisoning his bloodstream with palladium. After trying every combination of every known element as a possible replacement and finding nothing works, he has finally accepted his fate, which causes the already reckless Tony to become even more erratic than usual, whilst simultaneously hiding his condition from those that care about him most - Pepper Potts, again portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow, and James Rhodes who is played by Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard.

One of the spontaneous decisions that causes them, along with new recruit to Stark Industries, Natalie Rushman, such dismay includes racing in the Monaco Grand Prix. It is here that Ivan Vanko - the son of a man that Howard Stark got deported - makes his impressive introduction, with a pair of powerful robotic whips that are powered by the same arc reactor technology as the Iron Man armour. This scene really sets the bar for the action to come, which is generally top quality.

Ivan's direct attack on Iron Man inspires Tony Stark's unscrupulous business rival Justin Hammer, who promptly breaks him out of jail and puts him to work on a project that will make Iron Man look like an antique. Vanko, however, proves to be more difficult to keep in line than Hammer predicted. Some of the movies best scenes involve the quiet Russian irritating the hell out of his new employer as he sets about on his own project ("Drone better. People make problem").

It isn't long before Tony's behaviour goes too far, even for his long-suffering friends, and after a drunken fight between him and Rhodey (both wearing different versions of the Iron Man armour), Stark is left on his own in an all-time low. Enter Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. to give him a new lease on life, with the hint that the key to saving his life lie in Howard Stark's research. The scenes between Fury and Stark are part of the reason I am so excited for The Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson are both masters of taking any bit of dialogue and making it sound cool. To have them actually have a conversation together? This film provides some hints of that, but with a script by Joss Whedon (a master of dialogue himself), the scenes they share in that movie has to be great.

The climax in which Iron Man and the newly christened War Machine take on Hammer's army of drones that are being remote controlled by Vanko, whilst Rushman (actually S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff) infiltrates Hammer's headquarters single-handedly taking out the security detail almost single-handedly (another character manages to get one), is a masterclass in epic set-piece which builds up a great promise for the moment when Vanko himself turns up in his brand new costume. Unfortunately, the final battle is far more disappointing than the one in the first movie. It's over in around two minutes, and is extremely anti-climactic. It is the one action scene in a movie that's jam-packed with action that fails to deliver.

All of the new cast members prove entirely capable of handling their characters, with special mention going to Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell as the villains of the piece. They're polar opposites (one all calm and calculated, the other loud and flamboyant), and they really bring something special to the film. There's been a lot of criticism of Scarlett Johansson, but I really liked what she brought to the overall movie. She doesn't get much to do until the movie is drawing to a close, but she's an undercover agent. She can't maintain cover and kick ass at the same time. But when her moment comes, it's one of the highlights of the entire series of Marvel movies so far. Don Cheadle does a good job replacing Terrence Howard (who managed to get paid more than Downey Jr. for the first movie, and somehow thought he'd be able to do the same for the second), and there is a glimmer of the chemistry between Rhodey and Tony, but unfortunately not as much as before. Maybe this was intentional. After all, the story did involve Tony pushing everyone away from him. I suppose we'll find out in Iron Man 3.

Both Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow are once again nothing short of brilliant as the constantly bickering Tony and Pepper. They've really grown into their roles, and you really get the sense that these are people who have been around each other constantly for the last ten years, and are crazy about each other. Of the returning cast, only Clark Gregg really disappoints, as all Agent Coulson really does is pop his head in to say hello before being sent off on another assignment.

All in all, there are a lot of pro's and con's about Iron Man 2, but I genuinely believe that when they're all added together you get a film every bit as strong as the original. Once again, there was an underwhelming final battle which I hope they can rectify in the third movie, but that alone isn't really enough to condemn the entire thing.

The Avengers references really go all out in this movie, with a couple of references to Captain America (his prototype shield is back, and there's a blink and you miss it shot of the real life Captain America Issue 1 in one scene). Agent Romanoff's entire reason for being in the movie is to evaluate Tony's suitability for the Avenger Initiative. This was confusing at first, especially as there is a line in which Tony reminds Nick that he wants no part of being on this team, when he was already seen in The Incredible Hulk seemingly helping with recruitment. Sharp eyes, however will notice that a news report is playing in the final scene between Tony and Fury. This report is the aftermath of the battle at Culver University in The Incredible Hulk, confirming that this movie ends at around the halfway point in The Incredible Hulk.
Oh... and that other assignment that Agent Coulson is sent on? A post-credit scene shows him confirming that he has "found it". The "it" in question? Mjolnir! Thor's hammer. Oh, yeah!