Iron Man 2 Review

Messages: Once again, it's clear (for the most part) who's "good" and who's "evil." Tony Stark learns the lesson that just because you think you're going to die doesn't mean you should care only about yourself. Iron Man also discovers the importance of honesty and cooperation. He couldn't have defeated his enemy alone, but when he teamed up with his best friend, he was twice as powerful. That said, the female characters -- both primary and secondary -- are largely love interests or highly sexualized, even if they are strong and capable.

Role models: Despite the negative role models of the vengeful Ivan and the greedy Hammer, there are a couple of positive role models: Pepper Potts is a very loyal, honest, and caring character (if a bit whiny), and Lt. Col. Rhodes is probably the best role model, because he is willing to contradict Iron Man for the greater good, but he also trusts him enough to fight by his side when the situation calls for it. Tony Stark is an arrogant, self-avowed narcissist who tends to put his needs first but in the end always does the "right" thing to help others.

Violence: Lots of explosions and several dead bodies in the movie. One person dies of illness or old age, but the rest of the body count is from explosions and in two cases, hanging (that's the worst scene). Iron Man and Rhodey have a big fight that smashes up Stark's house and leaves both of them passed out. The fights with Ivan, including the climactic sequence, are the most violent, but there's almost no blood. Since Stark and his competitor Hammer are weapons designers, the weapons in the movie are fairly glamorized, especially the ones Hammer Industries creates, which Hammer shows off in an almost sexual manner to army officers.

Sex: Although there's only one big kiss, several scenes feature women dressed provocatively, especially Natalie and a group of Stark dancers. There's a great deal of sexual innuendo in Stark's dialogue, particularly when he talks to or about Natalie, who in a couple of scenes is shown in her bra and in every other scene is wearing skin-tight, cleavage-baring outfit. Stark routinely says things like: "I serve this great country at the pleasure of myself, and if there's one thing you can count on, it's me pleasuring myself" or "I want one" (in reference to Natalie).

Language: Language includes "stupid," "idiot," "damn," a couple instances of "ass," one use of "bitches," and a few "God"s as exclamations.

Consumerism: Tie-in to vast quantities of related merchandise. Several brands appear again and again, like Audi, which has at least two of its vehicle fleet featured prominently (including gratuitous close-ups of Audi's interlocking rings logo), in addition to its name/logo as part of the "Stark Expo" sponsors. Another heavily promoted brand is Oracle, and there is also a Rolls Royce. Pepper wears Christian Laboutin shoes with their conspicuous red soles and carries Louis Vuitton luggage. Real-life news anchors like CNN's Christiane Amanpour and Fox News' Bill O'Reilly's shows are shown.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adult characters drink vodka, wine, champage and cocktails at dinners, parties, and to have congratulatory toasts. Stark gets drunk at his birthday party, and Ivan is often shown drinking vodka (sometimes straight from the bottle).