In the first Iron Man film, we saw an arms manufacturer develop a conscience and become a hero trying to clean up the mess his company left behind. A follow-up was inevitable, and Iron Man 2 would continue to track Tony Stark's moral journey through even more highs and lows.

Among the high points of the film, Iron Man confronts a new villain that pops up out of the blue, who trashes some race cars and sends them flying down the track. The film's climax pits Iron Man against a whole contingent of drones, before Iron Man and War Machine team up in an explosive all-out fighting sequence. All this action is really cool, but the film still dishes out plenty of amusing banter and interesting thematic material to keep everything even.

Unfortunately, the film suffers a few low points. In spite of the dramatic issues the film tackles, the pacing is not always perfect; scenes in-between the action can be a hit-or-a-miss. This is because the film juggles a lot of different things in its plot. It is notable how the film continues to track Tony Stark's growth, for even though he embraced a new identity as a hero, he still has his ego to contend with, and it gets him into all kinds of trouble in this film. These scenes do dig up significant levels of conflict, and ultimately, it presents a compelling account of how Tony's obsession with technology and fame gradually erodes his soul and isolates him from the people around him. However, the film also tosses in other random elements - including a Russian bad guy who has no real relevance to the story's main conflicts, and some random scenes with Black Widow and Nick Fury that only serve to whet audiences' appetites for 2012's Avengers. In spite of these haphazard plot points, the film doesn't necessarily congeal well, making for a rather uneven story.

Fortunately, the film looks good, with decent photography and editing. Robert Downey Jr. continues to excel as the main character, while Gweneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson are all fun to watch. Mickey Rourke has some cheesy parts (especially with his "I vant my boid" line), but I think he's good most of the time. Writing is okay, but probably could have used more refinement. This production features good-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects. John Debney's music score is pretty awesome.

Iron Man 2 is decently-entertaining and its story has a few significant points to make, but it is rather mixed, and it has led many viewers to regard it as an inferior sequel. Regardless of its issues, I find the film perfectly enjoyable.

4/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Mixed | Film: Very Good)