Iron Man 2

*** stars

In this day and age of blockbusters, coming out of a comic-book sequel feeling as though the good outweighed the bad is probably the best you could ask for. That is what Jon Favreau’s sequel to the 2008 critical and commercial smash, Iron Man 2, delivers.

The still newly A-lister Robert Downey Jr. takes the rubble off the film’s rustic action overtones and creates an unavoidable charm in the eccentric Tony Stark. This time around, Stark has successfully privatized world peace with Iron Man, but is facing pressure to turn over the Iron Man suit technology to the United States Government. Stark refuses, and continues to get off on the rush of the superhero. Still in love with him but hates him at the same time Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow) has been named CEO of Stark Industries under Stark’s supervision.

Tony is having trouble keeping the single act going, and his friend Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes (Don Cheadle, taking over Terrence Howard’s role) has decided to take things into his own hands. He takes the suit from Stark and brings it to the government. Now Stark is facing pressure from everyone, including a Russian scientist Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) who claims that Stark was responsible for the death of his father (and some other mass murderer mumbo jumbo).

Iron Man 2 is all play and barely any work. There is hardly a moment of dullness, but it is hard not to spot the elephant in the room that is the mediocrity in the film’s risk-taking. Favreau and company play it safe and deliver what they know will sell. While that is all find and dandy, it would have been nice if they kept it to one person. Downey’s Tony Stark is the most interesting character in the marvel universe. In fact, he’s the only one that outshines his superhero. Whenever he’s putting the suit on, it’s as though the anticipation is more about when he will take it off than what he will actually do with it.

Same goes for the new rush of characters. Scarlett Johansson is beautiful as Stark’s new assistant Natalie Rushman, Sam Rockwell is fitting as Stark’s rival Justin Hammer, and Samuel L. Jackson provides his own presence as Nick Fury, whose first priority is to remind the audience that an Avengers movie will be made sometime soon.

I really don’t have much negativity to talk about. Expectations have been met and its $128 million opening weekend has solidified its supporters. While I can’t say it’s the movie of the summer, when Stark says, “It’s good to be back,” it’s hard not to agree with him.