I had this in mind when I saw Iron Man 2, and perhaps knowing that the film is essentially needing to support at least two other films made me more forgiving of its faults.  But frankly, that the movie needs to make concessions to films that don’t yet exist is a fault too.  To someone who is unfamiliar with the Marvel universe, the introduction of these elements can be jarring at best.  While I can appreciate the scope of what Marvel wants to do, by design it means the films won’t be as good as they can be.  I’m not sure that’s the best way to go about making a film franchise.

Other flaws in the film are less easily forgiven, however.  The film suffers from too many characters and too many plots.  Scarlett Johannson’s catsuit-clad appearance as Tony’s new assistant never really works.  Her performance is fine for what it is, but the character as a whole felt very much underwritten and underdeveloped.  The same can be said for Don Cheadle’s performance as Lt. Col. James Rhodes (taking over from Terrence Howard) and Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko; the talent is there, but the stories just aren’t.

The film’s strengths, however, are still worthwhile.  Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony Stark remains as strong as it was in the original, and he’s matched with Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, a rival weapons manufacturer.  While Downey’s performance provides the foundation of the film, Sam Rockwell steals most of his scenes.  Likewise, the sense of fun and punchy dialogue remains from the first film.  When given enough to work with, the characters are memorable.

One thing that’s about Iron Man 2 worth a closer look is how it’s primary male characters interact.  In the first film, it was evident that Tony Stark wasn’t a superhero in the traditional sense (his public persona in and out of the Iron Man suit is charismatic and cocky, but the scenes with Stark out of the spotlight demonstrated a great deal of frailty; both physically and emotionally).  However, like all technically powerless superheroes (such as some depictions of Batman and James Bond), he relies a great deal on gadgets.  On his own, this seems like simply a necessary stereotype of the 21st century man (Stark’s public persona is more or less a walking GQ spread with elements of Maxim thrown in for good measure), but with Sam Rockwell’s appearance as Justin Hammer trying to one-up him with the coolest toys, the film travels into some unexpectedly satirical territory.  Will Stark come out on top because he’s legitimately smarter and savvier, or because he has a better metal suit?  Stark and Hammer’s relationship to big bad Ivan Vanko is interesting as well.  Vanko seems like an analog villain in Stark and Hammer’s digital world more often than not.

Perhaps because of this, Tony Stark does manage to stand out in what’s looking to be a summer full of machismo and testosterone.  Russel Crowe’s Robin Hood and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Prince of Persia performances (all three films coming in the same month; my apologies to the girlfriends of the nation) may well be more nuanced than the action heroes of decades past, but Tony Stark remains defined not by the size of his biceps, but the size of his toys.

Ultimately, Iron Man 2 winds up in the position of being a very entertaining sequel to a better film.  While it’s not necessarily a step in the right direction, at least it is clear that there’s still life left in the franchise.