See Spot Fix: Iron Man 2

***SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for anyone who has not already seen Iron Man 2. If you still plan on seeing the movie and want to be completely uninformed about it, turn away now***

There's a strange trend among comic book movies that generally doesn't apply to any other genre of film: the second movie is almost always better than the first. This holds true within my own personal opinion, as well as the opinions of critics. Take these numerous examples as proof: Batman Returns was better than the original Batman (77% to 71% on RottenTomatoes), X2 was much better than X-Men (88% to 81%), Spider-Man 2 was better than Spider-Man (94% to 90%), The Dark Knight was better reviewed than Batman Begins (94% to 85%, though I tend to disagree here), Blade 2 was better than Blade (58% to 55%), and heck, even the awful Rise of the Silver Surfer was better than the original Fantastic Four (36% to 26%). So it is no surprise that hopes were high for Iron Man 2. The first film in the series was a resounding success, pleasing 93% of critics and grossing over four times it's production budget at the box office.  And while the sequel has already seen similar financial success, the consensus among critics is that Iron Man 2 has not lived up to expectations as a film (74% on RottenTomatoes).

I got the chance to screen Iron Man 2 for myself last Friday, and I definitely agree that it had its fair share of shortcomings. However, there were many parts of the film that worked. For one, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is as witty, cool, and confident as he was in the first movie. Watching Stark gallivant like a carefree playboy and banter effortlessly with girlfriend-turned-CEO Pepper Potts is immense amounts of fun. I also enjoyed Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. He was convincing as a rival weapons manufacturer trying to keep his head up after years of being best by Stark Industries, and his performance was at once comical and desperate. Finally, I found that specific parts of the movie were on par with the level of excitement and masterful pacing of the first film. Particularly, the opening and closing acts of the movie were gripping and action-packed, and well worth the price of admission.

All in all, Iron Man 2 was definitely entertaining. However, this article is titled "See Spot Fix," not "See Spot Praise," so let's get down to brass tacks. Here is my list of places where the film stumbled, and how it could have been improved:

Excessive Plotting: There was a LOT going on in this movie. Like, four of five movies' worth of plot. Don't believe me? Well here is my attempt to hit most of the big plot points: Stark struggles with the realization that the device that is keeping him alive is actually killing him. Stark seeks a cure for this problem, forging his own brand-new element. Stark fights pressure from the US government to turn over the Iron Man "weapon" to the military. Stark struggles with daddy issues after learning that his father betrayed the original co-creator of the Arc Reactor: Anton Vanko. Stark seeks to complete his father's life's work. Stark interfaces with SHIELD Director Nick Fury and learns more about the "Avenger Initiative." Stark appoints Pepper as the new CEO of Stark Industries. Pepper wrestles with her new found responsibility. Pepper continues to try and keep Stark, her potential love interest, in line. Stark hires Natalie Rushman as his new assistant. Rushman reveals that she is actually SHIELD super spy Natasha Romanov ("The Black Widow") and has been monitoring Stark for the "Avenger Initiative." Stark and Rhodey's friendship is tested after Rhodey is forced to testify against Stark. Rhodey steals the "Mark II" Iron Man weapon for use by the government. Rhodey enlists the help of Justin Hammer to load the Mark II with advanced firepower. Ivan Vanko, son of Anton, seeks revenge on Stark for his father's wrongdoings. Vanko builds a suit and attacks Stark while racing in Monaco. Vanko is imprisoned, but fakes his own death and his freed by Hammer. Hammer enlists Vanko's help to create a line of suits that would put the Iron Man weapon to shame. Vanko uses this opportunity to improve his own suit and create an army of powerful drone robots to take down Stark during Hammer's presentation at the Stark expo..........exhausted yet? I sure was. The worst part is that the vast majority of this plotting began and finished during the middle hour and a half of the movie, between the excellent opening and closing acts I mentioned earlier. In short, this movie would have benefited from being way more focused. If more time was spent pitting Vanko and Stark against one another, and less time was spent in Stark's workshop as he tried to solve his health problems (which could have been completely lifted out of the movie without affecting the primary plot line whatsoever), the film would not have bogged down in the middle and viewers would have remained engaged throughout.  

The New Rhodey: I thought Terrence Howard did a fantastic job portraying James Rhodes, Stark's best friend and liaison to the US military, in the first movie. Thus I was a bit disappointed when I heard he would not be returning to the role in the sequel, and would be replaced by Don Cheadle. Don't get me wrong; I think Cheadle is a great actor. But I just didn't love his take on Rhodey. Howard's Rhodey was the perfect companion for Downey's Stark: more responsible and militant, yet with the ability to match wits with Stark even at his most quippy ("How was the 'Fun-vee?'"). However, I found Cheadle's Rhodey to be too stiff lipped and by-the-book. Maybe it is just my taste, and maybe it is because I rewatched the original Iron Man the night before seeing the sequel, but Cheadle's Rhodey just wasn't cool enough for me. For example, I could never picture Howard's Rhodey stealing the Mark II suite and screaming "everybody out" during Stark's birthday party. I know this was, to some extent, out of director John Favreau's hands, but I was very disappointed in the new Rhodey, no matter how bad ass he made the Mark II armor (see image). 

The Fight Scenes: I have two major complaints with the fight scenes in Iron Man 2. First, I never got the sense that Stark's physical flesh was in any real danger at any point in the movie. Sure, the Iron Man armor took some beatings, but I don't remember once thinking that Stark was threatened by any actual pain or mortal injury, and this was particularly true during his two standoffs with Vanko. When Vanko had his electric whips wrapped around Stark's neck, the Iron Man armor appeared to be damaged, but when the film cuts to a shot of Stark's actual face within the suit, it doesn't look like he is suffering from any physical pain whatsoever. This removes much of the sense of heroism and danger from the film, and could easily have been rectified by showing Stark himself being electrified by Vanko's whips, or having him scream out or wince in pain once in a while. My second issue with the fight scenes relates to Stark and Rhodey's battle with Hammer's drone robots. They were just too easily disposed. Now, I'm not even talking about that cool red-laser-wrist-spinning attack Stark does to finish them all off. But even when Stark and Rhodey are using their conventional weapons, the drones are simply felled too easily, and I never accepted them as a true threat. While it was assuredly cool to watch, there was no tension during this fight scene, as even one single Repulsor ray blast from Stark blew each drone into scrap metal. Sure, these drones represented a threat to the public, but how big a threat could the really be if they were dealt with so easily by Rhodey's hand-mounted machine guns.

The "Superhero" Factor: As far as superheroes go, Iron Man definitely has a truly awesome array of (mechanically induced) super powers: flight, super strength, bullet proof skin, powerful energy blasts, enhanced vision, and the list goes on. However, it takes more than just having super powers to be a great superhero. You have to actually know how to effectively use those powers in order to be truly super. That was one of the best parts about the Spider-Man movies. Peter Parker gained his abilities early in the first film, but it wasn't until the final act that he had full control over them, and could use them effectively. And it is how he uses his powers that makes him a true hero. Some examples include using his webs to pull a brick wall down onto the Green Goblin, and stopping the runaway subway car in the second film using his webs and all of his strength. But Iron Man 2 never made me believe that Stark deserved to be a true superhero. In other words, I came away from the movie convinced that anyone who put on the Iron Man armor would be just as effective a superhero as Stark is in the movie. We never see him make crafty or unique decisions with how to best put his powers to work. In fact, in most of the battle scenes, Stark simply stands still and fires his basic Repulsor blasts from his hands, just like any other doofus in the suit could. He rarely uses the environment to his advantage or makes split-second decisions. This point is hammered home when Rhodey dons the Mark II armor for the first time and then proceeds to beat Stark one-on-one in a robo-fistfight. As such, the film portrays the actual "Iron Man" superhero to be more part and parcel to the armor alone than the combo of Stark and the suit. And if that is indeed the case, outside of his quick wit, why is Stark so special? Wouldn't we be better off with a trained marine behind the wheel of the armor? In short, the film does a poor job of convincing me that Stark--the human being--is a necessary piece of the superhero puzzle.

So Iron-Man 2 wasn't a complete homerun like the first film. Am I disappointed? Yes. Did I still enjoy watching the film? Sure. If nothing else, the film did a great job getting me excited for the upcoming Captain America, Thor, and Avengers movies set to hit theaters over the course of the next two years.