Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Iron Man 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Sometimes in film there are sequels that well...are deceiving. They seem to underwhelm you, leave you wanting more, yet in a weird way you're not upset with them. That's because these sequels are tricky ones indeed. There is more to them than meets the eye. There are characters, or sub plots or other bits and pieces that will resonate with you for some time simply because of the mastery of those special sequels. I cannot say that I have seen many of those multi layered sequels in my time, but one that continues to stand out in my mind, is Iron Man 2. 
 
Tony Stark is now well known as a genius billionaire playboy...and Iron Man. His turn as a defender of justice has in many ways helped to keep the world safe, but as Tony basks in the joy of being celebrated as a protector of mankind, darker forces surround him. For the sins of his father are about to come back upon Tony and his name sake by way of a mysterious and powerful new villain and to make matters worse, the mini arc reactor in Tony's chest designed to keep him alive...is slowly killing him.  

So, if anything, this far darker Iron Man film, accomplished exactly everything I made mention of a moment ago. Because upon seeing this film in theaters, I didn’t feel satisfied with it in the slightest after I left the theater, and at the time, I wasn’t sure what it was that I was missing. I mean, Tony saved the day, dispatched the bad guy and got the girl. Doesn't get much more super hero than that. Heck it even had a nice little sub plot revolving around his potential demise, which meant there was plenty to like in this film.  

No instead this is a film that I had to watch multiple times, after other Marvel films arrived on the scene because it turns out that Iron Man 2 is what could be referred to as a keystone film. Because the foundation of Tony’s future and several future Marvel movies are laid down here, to the point where the whole Hydra surprise is hinted at in this story, alongside a little foreshadowing for The Avengers when it comes to how Tony plays with others. And all of that forces one to go back and watch this movie a little closer and quite frankly that's genius and it gave me a newfound appreciation of the Iron Man franchise.

But perhaps the best part of this film, goes back to that sub plot revolving around Tony and how he has to face his own mortality, thanks to the side effects of the Arc Reactor. And while he does find a way out of this particular mess, this goes back to my point about how this motion picture sets things up for Tony’s future, especially when it comes to Tony having to look death square in its shrouded face, and all of that makes the next film in the franchise all the more impressive...

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