Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 – Tony Stark has managed to secure world peace with his Iron Man suit. The US government wants the technology but Stark distrusts their motives. The appearance of dangerous new super-villain, Ivan Vanko, forces Stark into a life-or-death battle. Now, Stark must stop Vanko, avoid the government’s attempts to take the Iron Man suit and also deal with being slowly poisoned by the arc reactor in his chest which is otherwise keeping him alive

Iron Man 2 (2010) – Director: Jon Favreau

Rating: 12

Running Length: 124 mins

Starring: Robert Downey Jnr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke

Genre: Comic Book, Action

REVIEW: ‘IRON MAN 2’

Benefitting from having the same director as the first ‘Iron Man’ film, ‘Iron Man 2’ continues in the same vein as the other Marvel Avenger’s films and keeps Tony Stark’s character and alter ego very much at the forefront of the heroes. The introduction of the terrifying but complex Ivan Vanko (played brilliantly by Mickey Rourke) brings the movie into comic book territory without compromising the realistic world created by Favreau which forms the basis of the overall Avenger’s universe.

The actors from the first movie reprise their roles with the exception of the character of Rhodey, who is now played by Don Cheadle (having replaced Terrence Howard) and he does a fine job at recreating the friendship between him and Stark. ‘Iron Man 2’ could have easily been a disappointment after the initial movie made such an impact but that isn’t the case for this sequel. Favreau has clearly enjoyed directing both ‘Iron Man’ movies and the character has been so well written that he fits in perfectly as the driving force of the ‘Avenger’s’ group. ‘Iron Man 2’ keeps the action at full throttle and will entertain its audience to the very end.

CONTENT: IS ‘IRON MAN 2’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Much like its predecessor, Iron Man 2 is mainly aimed to a more mature audience and we therefore highlight the following content in order to keep adults responsible for under 12s informed if they decide to show this movie to them.

Most of the potentially unsuitable content comes from the language and dialogue. Mild cursing and blasphemy is used throughout the movie. Stark uses the word ‘prostitution’ and also uses some innuendo, for example while talking to a news camera, he says ‘you can count on me to pleasure myself’. This is clearly done as a comical moment and younger children probably won’t understand what this means. The character of Justin Hammer, Stark’s slimy business rival, also uses plenty of aggressively crass language which may not be suitable for younger children.

When Vanko first reveals himself as the villain of the piece, he uses electrified whips to cut a racing car in half. The car flips over and the driver is very likely to have been seriously hurt although nothing of this is mentioned or shown on-screen. He then goes on to attack Stark as well as Pepper and Happy (Stark’s bodyguard – played by director Favreau himself) when they get involved. This is quite an intense scene because Vanko has the upper hand and appears to be close to defeating a defenceless Stark. Vanko is a very menacing and ruthless character and could be very frightening for children to watch, especially as there are times when it is made clear that he has killed incidental characters off-screen.

There are quite a few sexual references, particularly with the character of Natalie who is always seen wearing tight, figure-hugging clothes. Stark opens a photo of Natalie wearing just underwear on a computer and later in the movie; she changes her clothes in a car while Happy is driving. He strains to take a peak but almost crashes the car. The character of Christine Everhart (who slept with Stark in the first Iron Man movie) also has a few derogatory, innuendo-fuelled comments aimed at her by Stark as the two do not like each other.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘IRON MAN 2’ FOR KIDS?

Jon Favreau has taken the classic ingredients which made ‘Iron Man’ a great film and made them bigger and grander for ‘Iron Man 2’. Without the restraints of an origins story, Favreau has been able to take a fresh approach to the world that he created in the first film. The introduction of the ‘Black Widow’ character adds another layer to the previously established characters, bringing about a more balanced feel to the movie. Due to the language used and the callousness of the violence, we feel that this movie is not suitable for children under the age of 10 and would recommend caution for those aged between 10 and 12.

• Violence: 3/5 (most on-screen violence is quite intense and sustained. Implied off-screen violence is quite brutal)
• Emotional Distress: 0/5
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (the violence often leads the audience to feel that main characters are not safe or in control of their situations)
• Sexual Content: 3/5
• Bad Language: 4/5 (several instances of mild to moderate bad language throughout the movie. The ‘f’ word is used but is censored)
• Dialogue: 1/5
• Other notes: Deals with themes of doing the right thing, protecting those who are weaker than you and fighting against injustice.

Words by Laura Record

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