Ruling with an Iron Fist

I wouldn’t allow my husband to see Iron Man 2 without seeing the first Iron Man (and without giving him grief that he might have been the only human being on the planet who didn’t see Iron Man when hit theatres two summers ago).  After he had Iron Man under his belt, it was off to the big screen to see its much anticipated sequel.

Robert Downey Jr. aside (the aviator sunglasses! the swagger! the neckties! that head of hair that rivals McDreamy!), I will admit that this particular Marvel Comics installment is quickly becoming a favorite of mine (move over Spiderman!).  Of course there’s the action sequences (Scarlett Johansson, can I be you for a day?) and the voice-activated technology in Stark’s lair that I’m pretty certain won’t exist in the real world until the late 22^nd century.  But what puts Tony Stark a notch above the ever so humble Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne is his penchant for narcissism. 

Stark’s self-absorption is comical and even endearing.  Leave it to Downey Jr. to make an egotistical playboy and conceited billionaire someone I’d root for.  If you thought Stark was vain in the first Iron Man, he’s even more so in the second, having single-handedly achieved world peace.  However, it’s just a matter of time before Tony is served a rather large, welcomed ego check from two credible villains: the fast-talking weapons manufacturer, Justin Hammer, played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell and his partner in crime, Ivan Vanko, a nasty Russian villain played by badass Mickey Rourke.

When Stark reluctantly agrees to let down his armor (literally and figuratively), he is joined by an elite and super-secret espionage agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and his assistant, Black Widow, played by Johansson.  Together they bring down the bad guys and leave the film open-ended for Iron Man 3.

Where Iron Man was short on comic book hero fight scenes and long on backstory, Iron Man 2 picks up the slack and delivers blow by blow that holds your attention and leaves you never wanting to meet Mickey Rourke in a dark alley.