Iron Man 2 is a perfectly servicable sequel and in many ways outdoes the original. Iron Man 2 opens during Tony Stark's revelation that he is Iron Man, being viewed on a grainy TV in Moscow by Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) developing some kind of weapon. We then fast-forward 6 months later to where Stark is battling Senate Committee's, a rival industrialist (Sam Rockwell), poor health, and the Rourke character. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is now Stark Enterprises CEO, still loyal to Tony and disapproving of actions. Don Cheadle has replaced Terrence Howard as his close confidant (his opening line is "I'm here, get used to it"). Also thrown in the mix are Stark's mysterious new assistant (Scarlett Johannson) and the leader of a secret organization (Samuel L. Jackson). Robert Downey Jr. picks up where he left off with his wonderfully quirky performance and All the other characters, new and returning, add to the story as does new screenwriter Justin Theroux (War Machine's entry was a little week though). I complained about the amateur directing of Jon Favreau in the first installment and he's back here. I guess he has improved, but would still like to see another director take the helm to see where the series goes. IM2 is an action romp and worth the price of admission. Also stay through the credits to catch a glimpse of the next character from The Avengers.
