Fairview Entertainment, Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment and Paramount Pictures.

Written By: Justin Theroux, adapted from Marvel Comic stories written by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby.

The 2010 summer movie season kicks into high gear with “Iron Man 2″, reuniting director, Jon Favreau, with lead actor, Robert Downey, Jr. A sequel to the outstanding 2008 film which, along with “The Dark Knight”, raised the bar considerably high for all future superhero, action/adventure films and paced by a career-defining performance by Robert Downey, Jr. as the titular character, “Iron Man” excelled with Jon Favreau’s efficient directing, an incredibly well-plotted storyline, and a wealth of terrific supporting character work from Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard, and Jeff Bridges.

If you are one of the few who somehow missed the original film, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is head of the family business, Stark Industries, a military contracting organization. While traveling to Afghanistan, Stark survives an attack on his convoy and finds himself in enemy hands. Tasked with creating Stark Industries’ highly sought after Jericho missile for his captors, Stark has also been implanted with an electromagnetic power source to keep shrapnel away from his heart. Instead of constructing the missile, he has secretly created a suit, powered by the electromagnetic source, which enables him to become “Iron Man”, a crime-fighting superhero. Breaking free of his kidnappers, Stark devotes all of his time and energy to perfecting his Iron Man suit and finds success in fending off the bad guys, saving the day, and introducing himself to the world as Iron Man.

In “Iron Man 2″, set 6 months after the end of the first film, Stark’s disclosure at the end of the first film and increasingly cocky and charismatic public persona has made him a rock star – an A-lister of the highest magnitude. Drunk with money and fame, Stark proudly proclaims, during a Senate Committee hearing, that he has privatized world peace. Stark refuses to consent to the categorization of his creation, the arc reactor Iron Man suit as a new style of weaponry, boasting that no one has a working prototype and that he possesses the only working suits in existence.

Meanwhile in Siberia, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) has created an arc reactor suit, similar in design to Iron Man, but with whip-like attachments for arms. Vanko is out to destroy Stark, following the death of his father. Decades previously, Ivan’s father worked with Stark’s father to help design the first arc reactor, but Ivan was raised to believe that his father was deported to Russia so that Tony’s father could take credit for the design. Now, he wants his revenge and he targets Stark at a Formula 1 race where (naturally) Stark is racing and driving the Stark Industries race car.

Additionally, Justin Hammer (a movie-stealing Sam Rockwell) is a weapons designer and fellow billionaire, tired of being consistently upstaged and embarrassed by Tony Stark. His lust for fame and power prompts him to stage Vanko’s death in prison, and spring him out to help construct a new type of arc reactor suit, which will upstage Tony Stark at a year-long Stark Industries expo in New York City. Instead, Vanko opts to utilize his vast knowledge to create an entire army of droid soldiers, all the while perfecting and constructing his own arc reactor suit to bring an end to Iron Man and Tony Stark once and for all.

The joy of the first “Iron Man” film was that nearly everything worked from start to finish. Working with Jon Favreau, Robert Downey, Jr. didn’t just play Tony Stark as much as he possessed him. And, when coupled with a strong and well written ensemble around him, the film took flight and soared as effortlessly as Downey, Jr. does in that Iron Man suit. With this sequel, new screenwriter Justin Theroux, an actor in his own right and co-writer of Downey, Jr.’s Oscar-nominated turn in “Tropic Thunder”, matches much of the first film’s successes. Dialing up the humor, Theroux and Favreau have made this film wildly enjoyable but have also taken the intriguing step of making Stark an anti-hero in some ways. On top of the world and without any concerns, Vanko’s attack at the racetrack changes Stark and brings forward the real behind the public persona.

Stark is battling the realization that the main element in his arc reactor chest plate is slowly killing him and he has been unable to find a remedy. Growing increasingly erratic in his behavior, long-time best friend and military connection, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrance Howard from the first film), loyal assistant Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), and new administrative assistant, Natalie (Scarlett Johansson) all struggle to keep Stark focused and on track, unsure and unknowing as to what is truly happening to their friend and boss. The film slows down a bit in the middle during these moments of realization and introspection for Stark, but while many have criticized this approach, I liked the idea, if not the entire execution, of where this “Iron Man” was going.

Mickey Rourke is a fine villain as Ivan Vanko, although his character’s motivation is dusted over in fits and starts. Gwyneth Paltrow is again a strong adversary for Stark as Pepper Potts, the newly appointed CEO of Stark Industries, who is ready to move the company forward despite, or in spite of, Stark’s actions. Don Cheadle makes Terrence Howard a forgotten memory playing Rhodes, and Scarlett Johansson, when on screen, is fine with the limited role she is given. Her character is the biggest flaw in the film as very little is given to defining her motivations and the reasons behind her ultimate identity.

Sam Rockwell is the show-stealer as Justin Hammer; Stark’s equal in finances only, who desperately wants his moment in the spotlight and becomes desperate enough to do whatever it takes to get it. Rockwell’s Hammer is clueless, annoying, and laugh-out-loud funny – a further testament to the argument that Sam Rockwell may be the most underrated actor working today.

With a large portion of the film’s middle devoted to character and story building, the action sequences may seem to be less here, although I would imagine there is an equal amount of action between this film and its predecessor. Balancing their robust cast and having to build towards the inevitable “Avengers” movie in 2012 (*ahem – stay through the credits…), Theroux and Favreau do a nice job in trying to give everyone their moment, set the foundation for what’s to come in the numerous interconnected films coming down the pike, and also keep everyone engaged in the franchise. Sure, purists of the comic or even the first movie may delight in picking this sequel apart, but so much of “Iron Man 2″ is consistently engaging, they would be wise not to. I mean, think of the alternatives. Scrolling Netflix or your local video store will be a constant reminder at the failures that have come before and after “Iron Man.”

Building on the mega success of 2008′s “Iron Man”, Robert Downey, Jr.’s return as Tony Stark, the billionaire engineer who doubles as the seemingly indestructible crimefighting Iron Man, is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2010. For those who loved the original, you have nothing to worry about. “Iron Man 2″ is a tremendous follow up and packs much the same entertainment value of the first film.

Should I See It?

YES

You liked or loved the first one.

You are desperate for a good movie at the multiplex. While the film does earn its PG-13 rating, this could be a trip to the moviehouse for some families. The film has something for everyone and is hard to not find something enjoyable.

Sam Rockwell is smarmy, annoying, and brilliant in his turn as Justin Hammer.

The perfect kickoff to the summer movie season, every bit the blockbuster it sets out to be.

Robert Downey, Jr. is the man. There…bias revealed.

NO

You disliked the first one and/or find comic book and superhero movies pointless or of no interest.

The film does take a different tone for awhile in the middle of the film, which may lose some viewers who want the pulsating rhythm of the first film to continue throughout the sequel.

The film may feel like much of the same thing all over again and result in something less entertaining and prompt a “So?” reaction.

“Jump the Shark” people may recoil from a bigger cast, bigger extravagances, and feel the film is losing the qualities that made the first entry so unique and memorable.