Iron Man 2

There’s a tendency to lump all superhero movies together into one genre. Let me just say that to do so is utter bollocks. Don’t believe me? Well, just compare Iron Man 2 with The Dark Knight. Both have superficial similarities; sequels to successful films, these feature millionaire superheroes fighting bad guys who in some way resemble corrupted versions of themselves. But in terms of tone and style, the two films could not be more different. The Dark Knight is a dark film about escalating violence, and takes on elements of a Greek tragedy. Iron Man 2 is a glib, tongue-in-cheek two hour soft-porn film for technophiles. It is also interesting to contrast the two central characters – Bruce Wayne behaves like a dick to hide his alter-ego and protect his friends and loved ones. Tony Stark, however, behaves like a dick because, basically, he’s a dick.

But enough of that comparison; let’s talk Iron Man 2. What’s it like? Well, it is as if Favreau and his production team decided that the template for Pierce Brosnan Bond movies was a winner, and decided to carry on that franchise using Tony Stark instead. Consequently, you get a fun, brash, silly film with an engaging but often irritating central character. Downey Jr clearly has fun in these movies, and who can blame him? It is just a chance for him to strut around pretending he is king of the world.

And don’t talk to me about darkness in the film. Yes, Stark has health problems and Stark gets drunk and behaves like a fool. But that’s hardly ground-breaking and gritty, is it? And yes, there is character development – if you can call it that. Pepper Potts (unconvincingly) changes from being completely wet in the first film to a brusque businesswoman who has almost a maternal attitude to Stark. Her transformation isn’t about developing her character; it’s about giving Stark some sort of a foil to point out how annoying he is.

Then there’s Mickey Rourke’s performance as Vanko. Sure, he’s intense, and he gives a restrained, subtle performance in a role just crying out to be camped up. But seriously, he’s in the wrong sort of film for that performance. His character, and his character’s family, run through every cliché possible of a Russian villain, and his character’s actions in the film (like attacking a Grand Prix, for fuck’s sake) are hardly the actions of a thoughtful man. Watching Rourke in this film is like watching a gourmet chef try to make a decent meal out of a Big Mac. It ain’t ever gonna happen.

No doubt there will be Iron Man 3 - and the franchise could run and run as long as Downey Jr (given every other actor in the series is immediately replaceable) is up for it and as long as people keep on watching. And yeah, this is enjoyable nonsense – which I pretty much think is exactly what the producers and directors wished to achieve. But I find it quite telling that throughout the film, the DVD I had from LoveFilm kept on skipping (which is happening a lot, actually. Come on, LoveFilm, sort it out). Yet despite missing several scenes and the dialogue that ended the film, I really didn’t feel I missed out. Which, I suppose, is both the benefit and the potential flaw of this film; they are the very definition of non-essential. And this may well cause the franchise problems when it starts to come up against real opposition at the Box Office.