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The composer stated several times in interviews that "the score to this film is quite different in many ways from the last score... while employing much guitar and more contemporary elements, it is also much bigger and darker in tone and scope." With that in mind, and given Debney's proven talents in organizing seemingly incongruous elements and making an easy assignment out of them, Iron Man 2 promised to be an exhilarating listening experience. That it is at times, but he fails to solve some of the lingering identity problems that Marvel's characters on screen continue to face. The composer has expressed an interest in returning for the third entry in the trilogy, and with Iron Man 2 immediately blowing past half a billion dollars in box office revenue, that will likely be a possibility. The composer intriguingly says that he very much liked Djawadi's score for Iron Man, a curious statement given his previously expressed opinions about the methodology and sound of the Zimmer clone factory. At any rate, he wanted to sustain the rocking, metal guitar sound for the title character while pushing the scope of the music further towards an organic texture. Along with Morello's guitar overlays, a 100-piece London orchestra and choir (singing traditionally as plain accompaniment and in deep Russian lyrics) generate a more dynamic soundscape than heard in the previous score. Debney successfully applies some genuine sentimentality and heart to the title character, as well as resounding, ethnically appropriate dread for Ivan Vanko. The choices of instrumentation in Iron Man 2 are far less interesting than those Debney would incorporate into his following work for Predators, and some listeners will find the score somewhat anonymous. Most of this circumstance owes to the completely nebulous thematic development, a critical failure that reduces the score's effectiveness immeasurably. That said, you can hear what Debney was trying to do in applying his themes; he wanted to hold off on the new Stark theme until the character got his act together, and he didn't want to step on the toes of forthcoming composers (like Patrick Doyle) who are signed on to write music for subsequent Marvel films. But there is no doubt dissatisfaction to result from waiting two entire Iron Man films before a clear idea for Stark arises in "I Am Iron Man." And even then, the cue is obviously a blatant throwback to the style of Jerry Goldsmith that doesn't really fit with the rest of the score. Djawadi's two themes for the previous film are referenced in the incessant minor-third pounding that Debney employs at times, but this connectivity conveys consistent style more than melody. So, ultimately, the franchise still lacks a clear melodic set of identities.

Debney does introduce secondary ideas of varying levels of satisfaction in Iron Man 2, but some were excluded or downsized in the film. There's also no guarantee that any of these identities will live on, either, a reality reinforced by the sub-themes' lack of punch. While promising in his introduction, no true theme of importance is developed in "Nick Fury." Partially removed from the film was the bombastic coolness in "Black Widow Kicks Ass." A theme for Stark's friend in "Rhodey Dons Suit" is ballsy, but generic. The hidden scene introducing the character of Thor is only atmospheric mystery. The love interest, highlighted by "The Kiss" at the end, has only faint silver screen sensibilities. The villain receives the most consistent development, though it's usually tied to morbid, low register churning and male vocal tones performing an ominous Russian-style phrase. This idea's domination of the second half of "Ivan's Metamorphosis" is impressive, though nothing thereafter matches its intensity. A theme for Stark's father is based upon Sherman's Stark Expo theme, a throwback to a previous age of innocence, but Debney's references to that idea in his underscore don't draw much attention to themselves. The shift to wholesome yesteryear imagination in the middle of "New Element/Particle Accelerator" a bit distracting, however. That cue does create a sense of wonder that offsets the hip, loop-driven metal cues like "Gun Show," which, with its heavily processed sound, will not appeal to those who found Djawadi's score the last bit obnoxious. For metal enthusiasts, though, the guitar is mixed much more in the forefront here than in Hans Zimmer's concurrent Inception. The singular highlight of the entire score is, ironically enough, "Monaco Drive," for which Debney distinctly emulates David Arnold's resurrected and revised James Bond style. This and other highlights are still too short and unfocused to really recommend this score as a standalone listening experience. Sure, Debney admirably expanded the scope of the sound of the franchise in Iron Man 2, but he failed to conjure any sense of cohesion outside of the metal-laced textures. The lack of thematic integrity is killing this franchise of music, and Debney's blend of Arnold and Goldsmith flair comes too little and too late to make an impact. Hopefully, if he can return for another sequel, Debney will then have a chance to extend his promising instrumental balance into the development of his fledgling themes, because with a strong identity, this effective hybrid score could easily have fetched a four star rating. As it is, it's either a strong 2-star or weak 3-star effort, a step above Djawadi's miserable music but nowhere near as interesting as Debney's concurrent experimentation for Predators. Let the search for Stark's musical identity continue.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Debney reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.33 (in 56 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.1 (in 49,981 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 72:27