★ ★ 1/2

I’ve been racking my brain trying to decide what doesn’t work about Iron Man 2. All the ingredients are there, but the soup just doesn’t taste right. What I can say is this: I was emotionally invested in the first movie, but not in the second.

Things start out nicely, but there’s a point where it all starts to feel a little busy and convoluted. It occurred to me that I didn’t really know what the movie was about, and that the filmmakers didn’t either. It tries very hard to please, by giving us lots of shiny toys to look at, some big action scenes, and a continuing romance between Tony Stark and his assisant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). But there’s no focus to the story, no driving force.

I believe that the first movie worked because A) Robert Downey, Jr. was tailor-fit for the role, and B) it was a modest superhero story. Yes, it was a large-scale, special-effects-laden Hollywood movie, but amidst all the action, it somehow managed to keep its focus on the characters.

The sequel makes an attempt at this. We are introduced to Tony’s father (John Slattery) via film reels from the 60s. We learn that he was cold and distant, and never told his son that he loved him. This is a believable idea. Maybe it’s the reason Tony is so driven. Maybe he’s still trying to prove himself worthy of his father’s affection.

My opinion? It doesn’t work. Maybe if the movie had opened with an event from Tony’s childhood where we could see their relationship play out a bit, perhaps we could invest ourselves in this situation. But what we’re left with is something that feels distant emotionally.

This is essentially my feeling about the whole film. There are good ideas, but nothing connects on a deeper level. It all feels half-developed. Mickey Rourke’s character, Ivan Vanko, is a good example. We are introduced to him in the first scene. The big Russian man grips his father’s hand as he speaks his final words and passes away before his eyes. Ivan begins to build something with a feverish intensity. He’s out for revenge. Man, I can’t wait to see this guy…

…sit in a factory.

Barring a confrontation with Stark on a race track, that’s essentially what he does for the rest of the movie. Rourke is a wonderful actor, well-cast in the role, but he isn’t given much to do.

Sam Rockwell, another fine actor, plays Justin Hammer, the industrialist who enlists Vanko to create machines that will make the Iron Man suit look like a child’s toy (I’m pretty sure that’s a line of dialogue somewhere in there). Rockwell has a little more fun with his performance, proving once again that his presence can enliven a scene.

A lot of things start to happen in the middle of Iron Man 2, including the appearance of Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson, in all of his Samuel L. Jackson-ness), head of S.H.I.E.L.D., a sort of superhero CIA. Scarlett Johannsen plays Natasha, Stark’s new assistant who he is instantly attracted to but forgets in the midst of plot complications. 

Then there’s the situation with Pepper. In the first movie, the possibility of romance between these characters was handled with care. The scene in Iron Man in which Stark and Pepper dance works better than any of their scenes together in the sequel. 

I had a lot of fun watching Iron Man 2, but I feel that it lacks the charm and focus of the previous film. Still, there are redeeming moments throughout, and Downey, Jr.’s performance almost saves it from its shortcomings.