In “Iron Man 2,” Robert Downey Jr. again plays Tony Stark, the
wealthy, selfish industrialist who is out to bring about world peace
and stroke his giant ego at the same time. Thanks to Downey and a
terrific cast that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johanssen, Sam
Rockwell, and Don Cheadle, this sequel is lighthearted and often times
quite funny.

What’s missing is any real sense of danger. That’s not really the
fault of Mickey Rourke, who plays a muscle-bound Russian scientist
who’s hellbent on revenge. Rather, it’s a screenplay stuffed with
subplots and setups for later films that’s to blame.

Still, “Iron Man 2” does manage to do what made the first film such a
delight–and that is focus on character. Yes, there are a couple of
action scenes with some pretty great moments, but it’s the cast that
keeps us in the game. We care what happens to Stark because–between
the all the sexual double entendres and narcissistic behavior–we kind
of like the guy.

Is “Iron Man 2” as solid as its predecessor? No, but it’s still nice
to spend some time with some old friends.