Robert Downey, Jr. Suits Up Again in Iron Man 2

When it comes to the comic books there is a hero that is more human than most. That would be the man beneath the armor of Iron Man. Tony Stark was a flawed hero from the get-go. He was arrogant and cocky when we first met him in the jungles of Vietnam. Then, he became one of the first heroes to battle with an addiction when he became an alcoholic. He wore armor that was one of the most powerful weapons on the planet, but he was a deeply flawed and human being beneath.

So, when the movie Iron Man came out two years ago, it seemed perfect that Robert Downey, Jr. was the perfect man to play Tony Stark. He gave the movie a huge sense of fun and there was a truth to the role. He had battled back from the edge himself and he had certainly been a bit arrogant for a time in his earlier career. The movie was a surprise hit and it was one of the best of the super hero movies ever made. It was inevitable that there would be a sequel.

The good news is that all of the main players are here again. The one replacement is Don Cheadle over Terrence Howard is "Rohdey" Rhodes. Beyond that, the main characters are the same. Downey, Jr., is back as Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow is Pepper Potts. Even Stan Lee makes another very, very, brief cameo. Even director Jon Favreau is back as the director and the small role of Happy Hogan.

Joining the team, this time, is Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the man in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. Then there is Scarlett Johnasson as Natalie Rushman, Tony's new assistant with a secret about her. Then, in the role of the villain, Whiplash, is Mickey Rourke. Rourke has been having a huge resurgence in his career since his award-winning turn in the movie The Wrestler. It's amazing how much the movies have been missing him. He plays the son of a Russian inventor and his name is Ivan Vanko, and he has a very definite grudge against Tony Stark.

The problem is that Tony has problems of his own. First, and foremost, the substance that powers the reactor in his chest that keeps him alive is poisoning his blood. He keeps track of how much of the poison is in his system with a blood monitor at all times. The problem is that, the more he uses the Iron Man suit, the faster the poison is killing him.

Meanwhile, the world has been experiencing an amazing bout of peace. It seems that the United States now has the most powerful deterrent to misbehaving the world has ever seen. The problem is, the United States military complex would like to own and possess that technology for its own use.

As the movie opens, Iron Man is appearing on stage and Tony Stark opens something called the Stark Expo, at the site of the New York World's Fair. Not long after, he makes his assistant Pepper Potts, the new CEO of Stark Industries. He has bigger problems, like the increasing web of veins that seem to be creeping out from around the reactor in the chest.

Then, to add to his problems, as Tony Stark decides to race his own car in a race in Monaco, Whiplash decides to make his move. He has built his own suit with a reactor on the chest much like Iron Man. However, he also has long electrified whips that extend from his hands that can slice a race car in half. You see, his father worked with Stark's father and, well, apparently someone is upset over how all of that turned out.

The special effects are excellent. The action is excellent. The writing is excellent. The one-liners that Tony Stark throw out come so fast that you miss just how funny most of them. The language between Stark and Potts is as excellent, crisp and funny as it was in the first movie.

The problem with this movie, however, is that this movie slows down a lot in the middle. However, this time the same thing that happened in the first movie happens again in this movie. Stark spends a lot of time looking for an element to replace the one in his chest that is killing him. It just isn't nearly as interesting as watching him build the Iron Man armor in the first movie. It drags the movie to a near halt before things get exciting again.

It is a known fact that, in the comic books, the villains are more interesting than the heroes. The heroes have conflicts, of course, but they are never as interesting as the villains. The heroes have to fight by codes and laws, but the villains can do anything they want. They are more colorful. When they are portrayed in the comic book movies by excellent actors, such as Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, they are even more entertaining.

Rourke is excellent every moment he is on screen. However, he is not on screen nearly enough. He is shown, does some spectacular scenes, then is shuffled off to the sidelines while Stark spends lots and lots of time doing things like buying strawberries and staring at films his father made. Again, all of that was more interesting when we saw it the first time in the first movie.

I also happened to like Sam Rockwell as the villainous and unscrupulous Justin Hammer. Hammer is creating weapons to compete with Stark. I found him funny to watch and that he had just the right amount of menace beneath the humor to make him an credible villain. He will probably be back in future sequels.

Ultimately, there is another showdown between Iron Man, War Machine and Whiplash. It is spectacular. It is exciting. It is tremendous fun and why you go see comic book movies. However, there is something missing this time around. The movies need to go in slightly different directions. There will most likely be a third movie and Iron Man will be in the Avengers movies. So, we are going to be seeing a lot of Tony Stark. I just hope he's done trying to find things to keep his heart going and he gets into some great fights with his villains.