Action and Adventure in “Iron Man 2”

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back and better than ever in “Iron Man 2.” With his boyish looks and quick wit, it’s hard not to love him despite his massive ego and generally lacking judgment. With a power-keg cast, outstanding special effects, and a fun, though predictable storyline, this sequel is certainly worth a trip to the theater.

In the second installment of the “Iron Man” franchise, Stark realizes he is dying due to an increasing level of blood toxicity caused by excessive use of the suit. If that’s not enough to keep this Marvel hero busy, there’s a new villain in town to shake things up: Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). Vanko struts around wearing a suit powered by the same time of energy generator as Iron Man, but his outfit is enhanced by super-charged electric whips, hence his comic book name: “Whiplash.”

Another addition to the “Iron Man” cast is Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. the “Black Widow”). Johansson is the epitome of a super heroine; her fair complexion and spy stunts will be sure to have plenty of fanboys drooling. The other main female character of the film, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), reprises her role as Stark’s better half and is promoted to CEO of Stark Industries.

Despite some critics’ accusations that Tony doesn’t spend much time in the Iron Man suit, he actually gives us plenty of superhero action onscreen. Don Cheadle, who replaced Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes in this installment, even gets a chance to try out the famed “War Machine” in a crazy CGI-enhanced final battle. While “Iron Man 2” does delve deeper into the mind of Tony Stark, it still delivers on the visual/action spectrum.

All in all, “Iron Man 2” is a decent comic book/action production. While it’s not better than the first film, it actually keeps up and doesn’t fall into the disappointing sequel category like the “Transformer” or “Spider-Man” series.

Reviewer’s Note: Make sure to stay in your seat until the credits finish for a sneak peek at the next “Iron Man;” it looks like another one of Marvel’s superheroes has left a mark and is ready for some screen time with Tony Stark.