Iron Man 2

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Year:	2010
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Jon Favreau
Genre:	Has he lost his mind?
Starring:	Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/
Tagline:	No tagline
Favourite line:	"There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come…"

The inevitable sequel to the surprisingly popular Iron Man hits the screens, all tangles of flying metal and squirtings of testosterone.
But is it any good?
Well, yes, quite simply.
Though not quite as engaging as the original, it is difficult not to enjoy this comic book romp that achieves something so few effects laden movies do: create characters that you give a damn about.
Robert Downey Jr. has made the role of Stark his own, all brash confidence and abrasive smugness in public, riven by complexities and fears when in private, and even the relationship between Stark and his ever present assistant, Miss Pepper Potts, played by that walking tumour Pwyneth Galtrow, is enjoyable enough as they banter ceaselessly.

Normally about now I would detail the plot but, truthfully, here it isn't necessary as there is next to no plot to speak of. Well, a vengeful Russian played with delightful menace by Mickey Rourke, a man whose face looks as if his skin is actually rejecting the skull beneath it, wants to exact his revenge on Stark for the apparent role of the Stark family in his own fathers death.
He's got Iron Man technology of his own, and he's not afraid to use it, striding through the Monaco Grand Prix, wielding his electro-whips with genuine zeal, slicing Stark's car in two with ease.

That's about it for the plot, besides some guff about Stark becoming increasingly erratic due to prolonged exposure to the technology itself.
Inevitably, the last fifteen minutes or so degenerates into a CGI-fest, but it's well executed, and at least has a sense of geography, so you can see what is happening at all times.
Marvel seem to be spunking forth more hits than misses these days, and here's another that falls into the former category.
Very enjoyable indeed.