Highly entertaining superhero flick

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2016)

Released in 2010, "Iron Man 2" naturally continues where 2008's "Iron Man" left off. With the knowledge that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is also Iron Man being made public, he must contend with serious heart problems, Daddy issues, alcoholism, a competing rat (Sam Rockwell), a mysterious new employee (Scarlett Johansson), a personal assistant who is now CEO and who also loves him (Gwyneth Paltrow), a friend who becomes a War Machine (Don Cheadle), Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Samuel L. Jackson) and a vengeful Russian with ties to his father's legacy (Mickey Rourke).
I like this sequel better than the popular original because I generally don't like "origin stories," as far as superhero movies go. More than that, "Iron Man 2" brims with confidence and is just full of kinetic entertainment from beginning to end, highlighted by a rockin' soundtrack and some curvy cuties, most notably Scarlett as The Black Widow (the character's film debut). On top of this, the writers add some meatier elements to the table, like Tony's father/son issues and his sad struggle with alcoholism (which comes straight from the 80's comics, the first superhero to be depicted with this problem).
The film runs 124 minutes and was shot in the Greater Los Angeles area of Southern California, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and New York City.
GRADE: A-