In May of 2008, Iron Man arrived in theaters, launching another movie series while giving Robert Downey Jr. the role of a lifetime.  I loved that movie and have seen it several times since that first time.  I have been looking forward to seeing Iron Man 2 since I knew for sure it was being made.

I will be mentioning some things in discussing Iron Man 2 that will be spoilers for people who haven't seen Iron Man yet.  This movie definitely builds on what happened in the first movie.  

I am only briefly discussing the plot of Iron Man 2.  I am mainly only mentioning things that are shared in the various trailers.  People that would prefer not to know about the plot before seeing the movie should skip the next paragraph.

**Minor Plot Discussion**

After sharing with the world that he is Iron Man, Tony Stark is enjoying worldwide popularity, but he has problems to deal with as well.  The US government sees the Iron Man suit as a weapon and thinks they should be in control of it.  Around the same time, Ivan Vanko, a man with a grudge against Tony, is preparing to put a plan in action.  Ivan ends up working with Justin Hammer, a weapons manufacturer rival of Stark Industries while Tony struggles with another problem as his friends Jim Rhodes and Pepper Potts try to deal with what is going on.

**End of Minor Plot Discussion**

There is a short scene after the credits that links to a future Marvel movie.

Iron Man 2 is based on the Marvel character that has appeared in comic books since 1963.  I haven't read any of the comics, but I have learned a bit more about the history and background of the character.  From what I have learned, the plot for this movie isn't directly pulled from any of the comics, though I can see things that were inspired by various story lines.  At one point, there is a small hint of a connection to another Marvel character.  The movie does touch on a more serious issue that has been in the comics, though it doesn't go as far as the comics did.  I think the plot of the movie works very well and makes another entertaining movie.  Things happen that I didn't expect, though there were a few things that were slightly predictable.  

The press conference from the end of Iron Man is heard and partially seen during the first several minutes of Iron Man 2.  Ivan and his father see the coverage and that helps to motivate Ivan with what he does.  The bulk of the movie takes place about six months later - I'm not sure how much time passes while Ivan is working.  By that point, Tony has been working as Iron Man to keep peace and protect people.  He does seem to enjoy all the attention, though he has been doing some things that have caused concern for his friends.  A few things do need to be set up and those scenes do have a slightly slower pace.  I wasn't bothered by that because I think the set up is necessary for the rest of the movie to work.  The pace does pick up once more things start happening without feeling rushed.  A few more serious issues are dealt with, and those scenes are usually a little slower as well.  That is needed for the issues to be addressed properly.  Humor does turn up in several scenes which does help to keep the mood lighter overall.  Most of the humor is from things that Tony says or does, including one or two interactions with his robot.  There is a good balance between the lighter moments and the more serious moments.

The various action scenes help to keep Iron Man 2 entertaining.  Tony is involved in several fights as Iron Man.  Tony does some of the same type of attacks with the suit and introduces a new one that is really cool and effective.  He also causes some damage with the suit without being in a fight once or twice.  Natalie, a new character for the movie, has one of the more impressive looking fights, though I do think there is something slightly off with the editing in that scene.  There is a little bit of a continuity issue in a few scenes that I noticed.  That didn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie, but it is noticeable. The fights do add violence to what is going on and characters are hurt.  The violence isn't excessive or graphic, though the movie does deserve the PG-13 rating.  

I know that a lot of things in Iron Man 2 had to be created with some type of special effect.  Tony has very advanced computers in his workshop, including holograms at times.  I think that the different things that the Iron Man suit can do, as well as a few versions of the suit, are also created with effects.  Even knowing that effects have been used, those things blend in wonderfully well and look realistic.  A few different looks for the Iron Man suit are used.  That fits in well with what I know of the comic books since Tony is frequently improving and upgrading his armor.  

After I learned more about Tony/Iron Man before the release of the first movie, I saw similarities between Tony/Iron Man and Bruce Wayne/Batman.  They do it for different reasons, but both men use their wealth and intelligence to enable them to protect people.  Neither of them have super powers like other superhero characters.  Instead, they depend on gadgets and technology to give them the ability to do what they do.  They are basically normal men, though they do have huge piles of money at their disposal.  I think Tony/Iron Man tends to be more light hearted in general, though he does have his own demons to deal with.  While I like both characters, in some ways I think Iron Man is cooler.  Tony did figure out how to fly.

Tony is still evolving as Iron Man in this movie and there is additional growth for him.  He does hit a rather low spot, but it works for the character and ultimately motivates him.  From what I know of the comics, the character has gone much lower in them.  Tony is a complicated character, and that comes out during the movie.  He uses the armor to protect people, but he also doesn't seem to take some things seriously at times.  He is very intelligent and can accomplish a lot when he is focused.  Robert Downey Jr. is amazing in the part.  He became Tony and made the character believable and likeable even with his flaws.  I can't imagine anyone else in the part.

Pepper Potts has been Tony's assistant for years, taking care of all sorts of things for him.  She gets a promotion early in the movie, so she is trying to deal with that for much of the movie.  She gets frustrated by his antics at times, but it is made clear that she cares for him.  Gwyneth Paltrow is really good in the part.  Pepper and Tony have a wonderful chemistry that works very well.  There isn't a lot of attention on their relationship in the movie, but I like what does happen.  

Jon Favreau is back as Tony's chauffeur Happy Hogan.  He ends up with slightly more to do in a few scenes.  Stan Lee makes a brief appearance early in the movie.  Lt. Col. James Rhodes is caught between Tony and the government over the issue of control of the Iron Man armor.  Rhodey does get a chance to do a bit more, even wearing one of the other Iron Man suits at one point.  He isn't officially called War Machine, but that name is mentioned.  Don Cheadle does well with the part, taking over after Terrence Howard wasn't brought back for the movie.  I think I like Cheadle more in the part.  Paul Bettany provides the voice for Jarvis, Tony's computer system.  Even though he is a computer, Jarvis can be sarcastic when talking to Tony.

Natalie Rushman becomes Tony's assistant after Pepper is promoted.  A bit later, it does seem like Natalie is working more for Pepper than Tony.  Natalie does have a few surprises up her sleeve.  Scarlett Johansson is fine in the part, for the character really doesn't do much for most of the movie.  Samuel L. Jackson returns in a few scenes as Nick Fury from SHIELD.  His presence does lay more ground work for the planned Avengers movie.   Agent Coulson, another SHIELD agent who turned up in the first movie, has a few short scenes.

Ivan Vanko has a criminal past and a reason to go after Tony.  Ivan seems to be intelligent and he is able to design his own version of the technology from the Iron Man armor.  His motivation does make sense, though it would have been nice if the character had been fleshed out a bit more.  Mickey Rourke does well with the part.  His character seems to be a combination of two characters from the comics, Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash.

Justin Hammer is a cocky, arrogant man who runs a weapons manufacturing company.  Justin is trying to move in and supply weapons to the military since Tony stopped making weapons.  Justin also wants his own version of the technology, though he doesn't seem to be able to figure it out himself.  The guy is a jerk and works as a villain.  Sam Rockwell handles the part fine.  Gary Shandling is in a few scenes as Senator Stern, the politician leading the attempt to get control of the Iron Man technology.  Leslie Bibb is back as reporter Christine Everhart, though she is barely in the movie.

Main Cast

Don Cheadle - Lt. Col. James Rhodes
Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark/Iron Man
Jon Favreau - Happy Hogan
Samuel L. Jackson - Nick Fury
Scarlett Johansson - Natalie Rushman
Gwyneth Paltrow - Pepper Potts
Sam Rockwell - Justin Hammer

Mickey Rourke - Ivan Vanko

Jon Faverau - Director

Iron Man 2 is a fun, highly entertaining sequel that is definitely worth seeing.  The plot is interesting and also offers the chance for character growth for Tony.  Fans of the first movie and Robert Downey Jr. should definitely give this one a chance.

This review is part of CaptainD's Good Movies EpiGuide 3 Write Off and elvisdo's 2010 Funny Pages Write Off.

*This review was originally posted after I saw the movie in the theater.  It is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Iron Man Related Reviews
Invincible Iron Man ~ Iron Man ~ Iron Man: The Ultimate Guide To The Armored Super Hero ~ Ultimate Avengers ~ Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther ~

Recommended: Yes