In Iron Man 2, Robert Downey Jr. returns as billionaire Tony Stark, this time facing pressures from the government to share his armor technology with the military. At the same time, he discovers the technology which keeps him alive is also slowly killing him. He appoints Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as CEO of Stark Industries, while her old job goes to Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson). Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of his father's enemy, joins forces with Stark's rival competitor Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell).

First off, I enjoyed the first Iron Man, but I wasn't a huge fan. I felt Jon Favreau's direction and Robert Downey Jr. made the film better than what it could've been. Tony Stark was fun, story was okay, and the villain was a bit disappointing. The idea of the villain being just another version of the protagonist never appealed to me. I felt the same way about the wannabe-Hulk villain in Incredible Hulk. Now, if the villain is very different from the hero (Joker vs. Batman / Superman vs. Lex Luthor / Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock), the hero has to apply different strategies, which makes for more entertaining battles. Well, in the Iron Man sequel, that idea hasn't changed too much—Iron Man still battles a similar foe, although there are now more of them. Thankfully, the shootouts, the flights, the computerized special effects, and the mass destruction are a lot of fun to watch, but it is not the central focus.

This film's focus is all about the characters, an unusual direction for a sequel. It's no Transformers 2, that's for sure. Majority of the time, you won't see Tony Stark in armor. You do, however, get to see a bit of a darker and a vulnerable side to Tony, which happens to make him more complex, engaging, and sometimes, dangerous. Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony flawlessly, and he's just as much fun, if not more, than before. Some may be put off by the dialogue-driven first half of the film. The film isn't all about "let's hurry up and get him to fight somebody." In fact, it takes its time, and there's not a whole lot of action in the beginning, but there's a certain build-up that leads to the eventual confrontation with the baddies. The film isn't so much about a specific villain or a goal, but it is mainly about Tony, his psychology, and his reactions to life. Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts—she is as we remember her from the last film—charming and continuously getting Stark out of trouble.

Many interesting side characters make an appearance this time around. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) plays more of a prominent role as the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. Scarlett Johansson has great screen presence as Natalie Rushman (aka. Black Widow)—she holds herself pretty well in a great martial arts scene. Don Cheadle has replaced Terrance Howard as Lt. Col. "Rhodey" and gets to play a more prominent role as an Iron Man suit-armored partner to Tony. This film, unlike the first film, tends to lean towards the idea of teamwork more. (Perhaps they're just prepping us for an Avenger film?) Mickie Rourke is engaging on screen as the Russian physicist villain Ivan, which he plays with dark relish. Although his technology—glowing, electrically charged whips—isn't anything new, he is always fun to watch. Likewise, Sam Rockwell is great as usual as a villain, the wisecracking Justin Hammer.

The plot simply continues on from the last film, after people have found out the true identity of Iron Man. While it's nothing too complex, the progression of the story is logical--it would surely bring some enemies out of the woodwork if they knew who he was. The film's pacing isn't as zippy as the first film, where something always seems to be happening, and some audiences may be disappointed as a result.

Overall, I found Iron Man 2 to be entertaining and a worthy sequel, and just different enough not to feel tacked on like an add-on to the previous film. Many sequels can get lazy—they just throw in everything and make it bigger and louder. Some sequels simply let the story progress. This is that kind of sequel. I give Iron Man 2 *** out of **** stars.

You can also follow my reviews on http://twitter.com/d_art