Downey in fine-form to seviceable sequel to a winning franchise

Rating: 8/10 (11 May 2010)

IRON MAN 2 (2010) *** Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, John Slattery, Jon Favreau, Paul Bettany (voice), Leslie Bibb, Garry Shandling. Downey returns in fine form as Tony Stark AKA super hero IRON MAN in this serviceable yet streamlined sequel to the franchise that has more hits-than-misses yet manages to keep its tongue-in-cheek screwball comedy underpinnings intact. This time Stark is facing two significant threats: Russkie sociopathic physicist Ivan Vanko (Rourke in top-notch menacing mode echoing Charles Bronson) whose life-long grudge against the industrialist has reached its head – and weaselly competition Justin Hammer (bantam Rockwell milking every oily turn he can) – and a threat to the global peace he has managed to uphold with his alter ego. Adding fuel to the fire are daddy issues, a diminishing heart source and doubling his pleasure with amiable administrative assistant/right-hand-babe/squeeze Pepper Potts (the lush Paltrow) and newcomer to the fold Natalie Rushman (curvaceous-to-a-fault Johansson) AKA Black Widow) while contemplating Nick Fury's (Jackson reprising his bad-ass/eye-patched hero) offer. Favreau's fluid direction (and comic side-kick theatrics) punctuates the familiar tropes yet one feels some punches may have been pulled (i.e. Cheadle is largely wasted in taking over Terrence Howard's "Rhodey"/WarMachine and the final confrontation is frankly too quickly resolved). But fans will be chomping at the bit for the next installment and/or the promising-to-happen AVENGERS flick.