In
its
second
outing,
the
Iron
Man
franchise
is
bigger,
louder,
funnier,
darker
and
more
emotional
than
before.
So
much
so
that
you
hardly
notice
how
thin
and
choppy
the
plot
is.
After
saving
the
world,
cocky
arms-maker
Tony
Stark
(Downey)
is
riding
on
his
laurels
and
fending
off
attacks
from
his
smarmy
competitor
(Rockwell)
and
a
pushy
senator
(Shandling).
Then
a
mysterious
Russian
(Rourke)
nearly
kills
him
with
technology
that
matches
his
own.
But
Tony
has
another
secret
problem:
his
mechanical
heart
is
killing
him.
He
won't
confide
in
his
faithful
assistant
Pepper
(Paltrow)
or
his
best
pal
Rhodes
(Cheadle),
but
he
prepares
to
leave
everything
to
them.
Then
the
shady
Nick
Fury
(Jackson)
offers
him
another
option.
Of
course,
all
of
this
will
boil
over
into
a
mammoth,
whiz-bang
action
finale
in
which
all
of
the
strands
come
to
a
head
while
laying
the
groundwork
for
part
3.
And
even
if
this
film
feels
like
it
suffers
from
attention-deficit
disorder,
leaping
randomly
through
various
under-written
storylines,
the
film
is
lively
and
visually
impressive,
helped
hugely
by
the
emphasis
on
relationships
between
the
more
fleshed-out
characters.
Downey
is
on
fine
form
as
a
guy
whose
arrogance
and
charm
leave
everyone
either
hating
or
loving
him.
As
before,
his
scenes
with
Paltrow
simmer
with
chemistry,
as
their
banter
hints
at
the
issues
between
them.
And
Johansson
steps
between
them
effortlessly
in
the
film's
best
role
as
a
sexy
lawyer
with
a
terrific
secret.
Meanwhile,
Rourke
and
Rockwell
deliver
full-on
performances
in
side
roles
that
are
packed
with
intriguing
subtext
even
if
they're
not
really
allowed
to
develop.
Director
Jon
Favreau
wisely
keeps
the
action
more
character-based
this
time,
with
less
focus
on
the
extremely
cool
effects
and
more
attention
to
detail.
Sure,
a
couple
of
pointlessly
destructive
clashes
are
here
just
for
the
fanboys,
and
there's
more
shattering
glass
than
is
strictly
necessary.
But
most
set
pieces
are
exhilarating,
mixing
sharp
comedy
with
grim
brutality
in
a
way
that
keeps
us
glued
to
our
seats.
It"s
a
fun
watch
with
no
questions
needed
to
be
asked
about
how
certain
things
are
possible,
well
it"s
a
big
ticket
movie
after
all,
so
just
go
and
enjoy
it.
Director:
Jon
Favreau
Cast:
Robert
Downey
Jr.,
Gwyneth
Paltrow,
Mickey
Rourke,
Scarlett
Johansson,
Sam
Rockwell
and
Don
Cheadle