Iron Man 2 (2010) PG-13

I was one of the few people who skipped Iron Man 2 in theaters. This film had a lot to live up to. Superhero sequels these days are usually groundbreaking with Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight. This film makes the first Iron Man look like a multiple Oscar winner (which it wasn't). Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes, Tropic Thunder) is back as Tony Stark, A.K.A. Iron Man. Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) is back as director and this sequel was written by Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder). Theroux is a good actor and writer, but his screenplay gets watered down with all the CGI effects, cameos and some poor acting.

Gwyneth Paltrow (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Two Lovers) is also back as Pepper Potts, Tony's trusted assistant/love interest. There are a lot of new faces in this second installment. Don Cheadle (Crash, Reign Over Me) takes over for Terrence Howard as Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige, The Island) is Natalie Rushman, A.K.A. Natasha Romanoff. She becomes Tony's new assistant, but it turns out she's a Russian agent sent to help Mr. Stark. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Domino) plays Ivan Vanko, Iron Man's nemesis. Sam Rockwell (Moon, Choke) is Justin Hammer, owner of Hammer Industries (Stark Industries competition). And of course there's Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Rules of Engagement) as Nick Fury. He has a tiny, meaningless role, but I'm sure he'll play a bigger role as these Iron Man films continue on.

Now that I introduced the very expensive ensemble cast, let's get this thing started. We pick up where Iron Man left off where Tony announced he is Iron Man. So, now the U.S. government wants his invention for their own benefits and deem him as a threat to national security. The lawsuit is headed up by Mr. Hammer, his rival. Stark uses his charm to win over the people. Case closed.

Meanwhile, in Russia or Kazakhstan or wherever, Ivan Vanko is building his own weapon to take down Stark for what Tony's father did to his family. In America, Tony puts on his famous Stark Expo, and everybody loves it. For no reason whatsoever, he decides to do an Indy Car race in Europe. While racing, Ivan storms the race track with his electric whips attached to his arms. He attacks Tony, but here comes Pepper and Happy (Jon Favreau) to the rescue with the Iron Man suit. Tony defeats Ivan rather easily. Ivan gets sent to prison. The end...or not.

Hammer bails Ivan out of prison somehow without incident. He wants Ivan to build a better version of the Iron Man for his company. But Ivan has other plans. He also wants his bird from Russia. The whole bird thing is absolutely, ridiculously stupid. Elsewhere, Tony turns the company over to Pepper. Despite the fact that she's just an assistant, with no experience.

Tony's electric heart is slowly killing him, and he can't seem to find a cure. So on his birthday he gets drunk and embarrasses himself. He puts on the suit and starts shooting things and puts everyone in danger. So, Rhodey puts on his other suit and fights Tony and wins. Rhodey steals the suit and gives it to the U.S. Army.

While on top of a donut shop, a one eyed man approaches him. His name is Nick Fury and his sidekick is Miss Romanoff, Tony's new assistant. Curveball! They have a momentary solution to Tony's heart problems. So he's been rejuvenated. Meanwhile, Hammer takes the suit Rhodey stole from Tony and makes some changes to it. He puts on an expo with all these new machines. What he doesn't know is that Ivan has access to all the machines and can use them as weapons. So Tony and Rhodey have to team up to try, once again, to save humanity. You're never going to guess what happens next.

A lot of different faces come and go in this one; Paul Bettany (A Knight's Tale, Priest), Garry Shandling (Zoolander), Clark Gregg (Choke, (500) Days of Summer), John Slattery (Traffic, Reservation Road), Kate Mara (Shooter, We Are Marshall), Leslie Bibb (Trick 'r Treat, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) and Olivia Munn (Date Night). All of which are forgettable.

This film feels long and is often quite boring. The payoff is disappointing. The plot gets stupider as the film goes on. The characters are dimwitted and oblivious. Many characters are meaningless. It's just so disappointing. Iron Man was good, not great, but it seemed like it could turn out to be a decent little franchise. However, Favreau has some serious decisions to make. This film made a ton of money, so they will continue to make new Iron Man films. I felt like I was watching Spider-Man 3 or The Incredible Hulk. There's no plot, it's all machines and babes. Give me a break. Downey Jr. deserves better material. I still think it's worth a rent if you've seen the first one, but if you haven't then definitely skip it.
C