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When the first installment of the Iron Man franchise was released the first weekend in May, it kicked off the summer movie season and forced the rest of its competition to match its fire power and thrill.
The sequel follows the same trend and sees Robert Downey Jr. once again star in the first sure-fire blockbuster of summer 2010, setting high standards for the rest of the season.
In “Iron Man 2,” Downey Jr. exhibits a narcissistic flair in main character Tony Stark with an appealing charm.
Downey Jr. employs such range in his performance that he can go from arrogant to afraid to comedic before the audience even notices.
Stark is a character who will define the actor’s career in years to come.
In “Iron Man 2” Downey Jr. out performs stalwarts such as Mickey Rourke and Don Cheadle, in their first appearances of the Iron Man series.
Stark is a medium for Downey’s wide range of ability. He has proven in his career that he can inhibit the mind of a complex human being and artist, Chaplin, as well as a fictional iconic detective, Sherlock Holmes.
However Stark’s storyline of redemption parallels Downey Jr.’s more than any of his other characters.
In “Iron Man,” Tony Stark finds salvation at the hands of his captors.
In the sequel, he deals with the glory and attention that comes with owning the world’s most sought-after commodity, the Iron Man suit.
Stark once again puts on the persona of a sexy, nonchalant billionaire to appear invincible to his critics–whether they be the United States government or his secretary-turned-CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Self-absorbed and completely obtuse, Stark is hard to play along with and doesn’t have any desire to turn in his technology to the government or help longtime friend Lt. James Rhodes (Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard).
The technology that permitted him life in the first film now threatens to kill him. And with Stark committed to various events–expo openings, birthday parties, racecar driving – the man seems to be getting more and more consumed with no cure in sight.
In the end, it takes a vengeance driven man, Ivan Vanko (Rourke), to exploit Stark’s vulnerability not just as a super hero, but also as a man.
Vanko’s entrance in the film launches Stark’s redemption arc, helping the billionaire-playboy’s excavate his relationship with his father Howard Stark (John Slattery).
Downey gives a super rich performance, which may be expected from fans at this point in his career, but should not be overshadowed.
“Iron Man 2” is the actor at his best and like Stark, redemption has come full circle for Downey, the once-upon-a-time deviant who is now one a recognizable face in Hollywood.
