The Hollywood film Iron Man II opened on the international market before it opened in the United States. This was most likely to generate buzz around the highly anticipated movie with the aim of earning more when it finally opened in America. The tactic worked. The Iron Man sequel, directed by John Favreau, pulled in more than US$134 million in its first three days of screening in the US alone. The film, however, will have to settle for economic success. It won't be receiving critical acclaim like the first in the series. Billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back again with his Iron Man suit that will save the world from the bad guys: whether they be jarheads asking for his secret designs to use in the Iraq war, a Russian scientist (Mickey Rourke) with whip-like weapons attached to his arms, or a rival weapons manufacturer (Sam Rockwell) who needs to destroy Stark's reputation to build his own. Iron Man is ready for the new challenges and is armed with love for his corny fiance, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his best friend Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard after disagreements over Howard's salary), his own iron suit, and his new assistant/superspy friend Natalie Rushman, better known as butt-kicking superwoman the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). What makes Iron Man a special superhero in the comic-book world is that he is not your usual crime-fighting, mask-wearing, heavy-voiced vigilante. He is neither as serious, mysterious nor righteous as Batman, who is, like Stark, a rich womanizer whose appeal lies in his gadgets. The major difference however between the film versions featuring the two superheros is that The Dark Knight (2008), sequel to Batman Begins (2005), manages to keep up with the spirit of the series and surpass it. The sequel to Iron Man fails. As entertaining as it is, Iron Man ll doesn't manage to match the tone or intense atmosphere that made the first film such a success. Instead, the film falls into the category of extremely entertaining, yet simple-minded, action flick. Since director Jon Favreau built up all the characters in the first Iron Man, he is free to fill the next installment with good guys and bad guys and let them fight it out for some reason or another. Great visual effects and multiple new suits will dazzle the audience and sell the film as an entertaining experience. Audiences might favor the deeper, more well-written first movie but Iron Man II nonetheless is not hard to enjoy. The acting in Iron Man II is strong enough though. Downey Jr., in the iron suit that secured his return to the limelight two years, ago pulls off quite a show. Scarlett Johansson, as talented as she is pretty, is well suited to her role, and Sam Rockwell is a great example of underrated Hollywood actors. Paltrow, on the other hand, manages to maintain her reputation as a painful-to-watch actress. It's ultimately the script that fails, losing direction among multiple storylines that rely on all the stereotypes of comics sequels: multiple new villains, including a businessman who is hungry for money or power; a conflict between the title character and his love interest that is easily solved with a passionate kiss by the end of the film; and a superhero who loses the way midway through the film to find it again by the time you run out of popcorn. But, then again, aren't summer flicks supposed to consist of a couple of explosions, a love story, and a handful of hilarious oneliners? Iron Man III (2012) was greenlighted weeks before the opening of Iron Man II. Iron Man II is screening now in cinemas across Cairo including Genena, City Center, Bandar Cinema (Maadi), Golf City Cinema, Renaissance Nile City Cinema, Renaissance Downtown, Renaissance 6th of October, and Dandy Mall.
