May 16, 2010: Iron Man 2
How is it that I never read comic books as a kid, still don’t read comic books now, and have generally not liked the adaptations related to anything other than the really big characters (Superman, Batman), yet I continue to get sucked into the Iron Man series despite some not insignificant objections to the logic, the villains, and the science? I was bracing myself for a lot of specific potential problems in Iron Man 2, in large part due to some big red flags in the trailers, but for the most part it turned out to be a worthy sequel, and even the trouble spots I’d been fearing didn’t turn out to be too bad.
Robert Downey, Jr, as Tony Stark (with his alter ego, the titular Iron Man character), continues to amaze, as he brings a manic presence to a character who is understood to have levels of intelligence, energy and charm far beyond most mortals. The plot in this second film has some weak spots, primarily related to the science, but the thrust of the conflict is believable and is a logical next step in the journey for the character. As inventor of the Iron Man suit, Stark is under pressure from the US military to turn over the design and allow it to be weaponized. Mickey Rourke is the son of a jilted Russian inventor who partnered with Stark’s father in the chief technological discovery decades earlier which now makes the Iron Man suit possible, and is understandably angry at the lack of recognition of his father’s contribution to this scientific breakthrough, so he goes after the son of his father’s enemy in classic literary style (the conflict itself being classic rather than the implementation details – you don’t see a lot of electrified whips cutting race cars in half in the literary canon). As longtime second banana and assistant to Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character relishes her chance in the limelight and quickly discovers how wearing it can be if you don’t have the type of personality/ego which can absorb or deflect the constant criticism and second-guessing. The further development of these existing characters established in the first film, and expansion of the history leading up to the present day, adds a lot to what would otherwise be merely an excuse for more big action set pieces.
The casting and writing are both important here. The casting is largely good, with the above-mentioned trio as well as Scarlett Johansson as a new female presence to mix things up, Samuel L. Jackson as a recruiter for the Avengers, and Sam Rockwell as a smarmy defense contractor competitor to Stark. But Johansson’s character is used to only about 1/3 of her potential, Jackson is clearly there only for studio franchise tie-in potential and he knows it, and Rockwell almost hits the nail on the head with his portrayal but leaves a nagging feeling that while his character arc is OK if taken at face value, it’s not believable that he would have achieved that position in the first place, since he doesn’t have the charm or intelligence which would have been needed. Rourke is not overused, as I had been afraid of from seeing the trailers, so that was good to see.
I still don’t like the physics of the “arc reactor” which is a key to the operation of the Iron Man suit, but I’ve come to accept that as a matter of necessity. But just as I reach that compromise with the film’s writers, they insist on spitting in my face with this second film and the conceit that Tony Stark creates a “new element” to replace the palladium in the first-generation arc reactor, which turns out to be poisoning him. I’m sorry, but you can’t synthesize a new element and have me believe it without telling me its atomic weight and number of protons and so on, or at least trying to come up with some silly explanation about previously undiscovered electron shells or something. To have a big computer run a contraption which makes some bright lights and then announces the creation of a new element, which happens to be molded into a metallic-looking triangle this time instead of a circle (how, by the way, is this new element actually stable, since the last dozen or so “discovered” elements are synthesized and then decay and are gone within a fraction of a second?), is an insult to anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of high school chemistry, which should be a large segment of the population, although apparently nobody in Hollywood.
Iron Man 2 strains credibility again, and the departures from physical reality are getting annoying, but Robert Downey, Jr, keeps the franchise afloat and energetic despite the weak points. Jon Favreau proves himself to be not just a fluke as an action director, which is heartening to see. See this if you like, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Comic book physics get even dumber.
Post a Comment