‘Iron Man 2’
It's always a kick watching Robert Downey Jr.
If only all Robert Downey Jr. movies were as dependably entertaining as their quirky, irresistibly smirky star.
The first "Iron Man" definitely fit that bill.
But what about "Iron Man 2," which kicks off 2010's sequel-heavy summer season, in standard and "IMAX Experience" versions? Not so much.
Oh, it's still got Downey, firing on all cylinders as billionaire Tony Stark, whose heavy-metal superhero alter ego, Iron Man, only partially counteracts his raging case of megalomania.
The movie boasts plenty of plot complications, and plenty of people plotting those complications -- including enough bad guys to populate multiple sequels.
Lots of stuff blows up real good, too. And, thanks to effective computer-generated effects, the big action scenes don't look too cartoony.
As for the characters, that's another story.
Make that stories, because "Iron Man 2" can't quite decide which story it wants to tell.
One focuses on Stark's declaration that, as Iron Man, he's "successfully privatized world peace" -- and is determined to maintain control over Iron Man's armor, along with the technology behind it.
That is, until renegade Russian Ivan Vanko (a gleefully rabid Mickey Rourke) shows up as the villainous Whiplash, cracking lethal electromagnetic whips (oh, what Indiana Jones could do with those) and proving Stark's not the only guy with high-powered technology at his command.
All of which delights rival munitions maven Justin Hammer (a spectacularly smarmy Sam Rockwell), who's salivating at the prospect of leaving Stark in the dust -- and Iron Man covered with rust.
Lest you think that sounds like plenty for one sequel, guess again.
There's the minor matter of Stark's shrapnel-shredded, palladium-powered heart, which weakens every time he struts his Iron Man stuff.
That in turn prompts him to promote loyal assistant Pepper Potts (a crisply efficient Gwyneth Paltrow) to take over management of Stark Industries. She in turn hires a new aide, Natalie Rushman (sleek, steely Scarlett Johansson), who's fiendishly versatile -- and more than a tad suspicious.
But she's not the only one.
Before "Iron Man 2" arrives at its inevitably explosive climax, everyone from Stark to his Air Force pal, Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard) will wrestle with the conflict between heart and hardware.
It's a wrestling match screenwriter Justin Theroux and director Jon Favreau don't always win.
Theroux (who scripted "Tropic Thunder," for which Downey scored a well-deserved Oscar nomination) sets up a few thematic parallels the movie doesn't make much of -- notably unresolved daddy issues haunting both Stark and Vanko.
At least Theroux takes full advantage of Downey's flip-quip flair, setting up screwball-style bantering sessions between Stark and Pepper, Stark and Rhodey, Stark and Hammer, Stark and Natalie ...
Because Theroux doesn't have nearly as firm a grasp of narrative structure, however, "Iron Man 2" slogs through more than a few interminable patches before the sparks start flying again.
At least returning director Favreau (who also plays Stark's on-the-spot chauffeur) has a firm grasp behind the wheel.
One of the attributes that helped the first "Iron Man" stand out (especially when compared to 2008's other big comic-book blockbuster, "The Dark Knight") was its impish sense of humor. And even when "Iron Man 2" bogs down -- which is more often than it should -- Favreau maintains an appropriately light-hearted mood.
Of course, there are occasional moments when "Iron Man 2" threatens to transcend its comic-book roots and make its characters merely human -- notably in the movie's quietest, most poignant scene. We're aboard Stark's private plane, and he's imploring Pepper to join him and kick back on a side trip to Venice so "we can recharge our batteries." To which she replies, "Not everyone runs on batteries, Tony."
Watching Downey and Paltrow capture the scene's delicate emotions -- his crumbling bravado, her rueful regret -- makes you wonder what the two of them could do with an "Iron Man" movie that understood the hallowed "less is more" principle of understatement.
Alas, in the grand tradition of summer movie sequels everywhere, "Iron Man 2" assumes that more is always better.
Sometimes it's just more.
And sometimes, that more turns out to be a bit of a bore.
Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.
Review
"Iron Man 2"
124 minutes
PG-13; intense sci-fi action and violence, profanity
Grade: C+
at multiple locations
Deja View
Before he became big box-office in "Iron Man" and "Sherlock Holmes," Robert Downey Jr. demonstrated his quirky but unmistakable talents in a variety of offbeat projects:
"Chaplin" (1992) -- Downey scored a best actor Oscar nomination for his nimble performance as legendary comedian and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin.
"Restoration" (1995) -- In this handsome period drama, Downey plays a 17th-century physician to England's Charles II (Sam Neill), who's ordered to marry -- but not fall in love with -- a royal mistress (Polly Walker).
"Two Girls and a Guy" (1997) -- Reunited with his "Pick-up Artist" director, James Toback, Downey plays a two-timing actor whose girlfriends (Heather Graham, Natasha Gregson Warner) have just found out about each other.
"The Singing Detective" (2003) -- Hospitalized with an excruciating skin condition, writer Dan Dark (Downey) hallucinates paranoid mystery plots -- and elaborate musical numbers -- in this adaptation of Dennis Potter's award-winning British miniseries.
"Tropic Thunder" (2008) -- Downey scored another Oscar nomination as a hilariously pompous thespian who joins a box-office hero (director Ben Stiller) and a goofy comedian (Jack Black) on location in the jungle for a big-budget Vietnam drama that turns dangerously real.
-- By CAROL CLING
