Iron Man 2 brings Robert Downey, Jr. back as Tony Stark, billionaire playboy by day and Iron Man superhero by night. The film does something unusual for a superhero movie, the mask is stripped away and Iron Man's identity is confessed to and revealed. Now everybody wants a piece of Tony Stark.

Starting with the Senate Armed Services Committee headed by Garry Shandling has him subpoenaed and ordered to turn over the technology that created Iron Man. As survival was the first goal of the creation that seems like not a good solution to Downey. Rival defense conglomerate head Sam Rockwell also wants in on the technology.

In a plot that was lifted from the cult Fifties science fiction classic Red Planet Mars, Rockwell makes a deal with Russian Mickey Rourke to get the technology. Rourke's father apparently was working along the same lines as Downey's father and he feels the Iron Man concept was stolen by him. He and Rockwell make a Faustian bargain.

In the meantime Downey just wants to get away from it all and even turns his company over to best girl pal Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth who seems to be all legs in this film is really up in it trying to deal with business and Downey at the same time. Another woman who has some mean limbs herself is security expert Scarlett Johanssen who leaves a trail of broken males strewn in her path when she's on a mission.

Of course the special effects are what the movie-going public is paying to see and I note that there is an IMAX version of Iron Man 2 out there which only seems right. If I can I should try to see it in that media.

If I had a favorite in the cast I would say it was Rockwell. His rivalry with Downey is something to behold. I do love the way these two market their defense wares for the government. It was like they left the promotion to Vince McMahon. Is this the way of the future?

Folks who love the superhero genre will love Iron Man 2. The rest of us are somewhat amused.