If, like me, you get far too over-excited about ‘event movies’ and, for example, spend days before a Star Wars release swinging a lightsaber from dawn til dusk or, quite fittingly for this review, run around your house singing “I am Owen Man! NA-NA-NA-NA-NANA! Owen Man!” then you’ll also know the crushing disappointment of huge expectations.
While a sleeper hit has, by definition, no expectations around it, a sequel has nothing but. When the first Iron Man hit the screens, despite it being a Marvel tentpole flick, the buzz was fairly minimal. After release it was one of the most hotly anticpated new franchises going. So how does the superhero sequel compare to its brethrin?
Not long after Tony has revealed himself to the world as the man in the iron suit, the vultures are out for blood. The military, along with high-profile senators, are looking to claim the Iron Man suit, while Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) will stop at nothing to usurp Tony as the God in the publics affections. Add to this a pissed of Russki in the form of Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) and Stark looks set to be having a very bad time of it. He’s also hiding a big secret about his health from his unrequited love, the ludicrously named Pepper Potts…
Iron Man 2 may not be a vast improvement on the original but its certainly worthy of the same praise. New dilemmas, new characters and new aims give the film new blood but the body is still firmly the same. Much more comfortable with developing character than blowing shit up, the Iron Man series is the family event movie it’s okay to like.
The Dark Knight may have changed the stakes on the comic book genre (arguably its biggest gift being that no character is safe, injecting all films of its ilk with a higher level of danger) but it was ultimately an adult movie, one that you really shouldn’t be bringing your kids too. Iron Man, in contrast, is the perfect entertainment for all the family.
Kids will get a blast out of the silly action, Mum’s can swoon over Bob and Dad’s can hide their appreciation of Scarlett Johannssen with a strategically placed tub of popped corn. As a piece of consumerism its bang on the money, if you’ll forgive the pun.
Usually this kind of ‘please-all mentality’ will leave no-one happy, and Iron Man 2 detractors are right to say it certainly doesn’t set the world on fire, but it does do what its required to do. It makes you laugh, cheer and wish you had a big metal suit of you own. So that even upon exiting you’re still happily singing “”I am Owen Man! NA-NA-NA-NA-NANA! Owen Man!”…
Which I think, is a good thing.
