Iron Man 2 faces the unenviable task of living up to its predecessor. The success of the first movie was a surprise to many, and part of what made it so fun was its arrogant anti-hero Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr. His quippy, cocky, charismatic character was truly a breath of fresh air from the conventional action movie heroes we’re assaulted with each summer. So now that the cat’s out of the bag, can the sequel capture the same magic? Sort of.
Tony is basking in the glow of all the attention being foisted on him after he “privatized world peace,” as he calls it. He is a major celebrity now, and at the Stark institute, he is presented in the same manner you would see a band introduced at a stadium concert.
A splashy little group of “Starkette” dancers wearing hot shorts and bra tops dances in the background while Stark addresses his adoring masses. All the spectacle looks like a show straight out of Las Vegas. The ego-stroking has gone straight to Tony’s head, and his hubris has rendered him quite unlikable.
In Moscow, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) seethes by his father’s deathbed as he watches ad nauseam television coverage of Tony Stark’s big reveal as Iron Man. His father whispers, “It should have been you” just before dying. Vanko feels his family (who has worked for the Starks in the past) has been wronged by the Stark family, and he starts plotting his revenge, building a specialized suit that is equipped with deadly whip-lasers.
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