Iron Man 2

So it's finally out in DVD now.

Well legally.

After watching it, I felt happy.  It was a good feeling after being let down by too many sequels that had the money but no heart.  Oddly enough, for a tin man with a mechanical heart there is indeed a core of emotional truth to both these films.  You have to cut away nearly all of Tony Stark that you see, all that self absorption and wit, but it's there.  The characters hang together because they do care about each other rather than just staying cause the plot says you are the heroes' gal pal.

The movie does have a lot of plot threads but generally that's how comic books run, they are manly soap operas for all intents and purposes.  Here, as you no doubt already know, we have Tony slowly being poisoned by his own invention, he doesn't want to tell Pepper because she's as close as someone he could really love so he just makes her the CEO of his company instead.  He's being pressured by the government to turn the suit over to them.  This creates friction between him and his friend Rhodes who is also the military's attache so he's being pulled like taffy all over the place.  Meanwhile, Justin Hammer a Stark wannabe wants to make his own splash and thinks this crazy Russian guy who hates Stark and just happened to have jury rigged his own super suit with super whips could be the guy to help him out.

Yeah it's a little complicated.  Throw in a little alcohol abuse and daddy issues, and a dash of S.H.I.E.L.D. wanting Stark to lead the Avenger's and you see how the film's pacing can get a bit boggy at times.  Yet for all this it never quite stops in its tracks and soon enough it is booking like a squirrel in a disco. 

Once again, Robert Downy Jr. holds this ship together with a seemingly effortless grace.  His character is so shallow he's deep.  He plays with the suit like it's his biggest toy, but under that there a sense of duty that keeps him from being a total ass.  Which is good, you don't want asses with battle suits or they all be like Sam Rockwell's Hammer.  He is so sleezy, cheesy and thinks he's all that and all so slick that it is truly sad that he thinks he's anywhere in Tony Stark's league.  He'd be a joke if it wasn't for Mickey Rourke, as Ivan Vanko, standing behind him.  That combo dear readers is like seeing a three year old holding a cocked and ready 50 caliber desert eagle.  You know it's going to go off and it won't be pretty.  Vanko was obviously in a lot of Russian jails and is tougher than anyone else in the film.  He's like Kevlar with tattoos and eyes.  When he's at the races swinging those crazy energy whips it is totally believable badassery. 

Aided with a little help by Nick Fury, and the Black Widow, this is a wonderful film set in the Marvel Universe.  It makes me hopeful about "Captain America," "Thor," and specially "The Avengers."  It has taken a lot to make me trust this new trend in Marvel movies.  I still sometimes get flash backs to "Electra," or "Ghost Rider."