Iron Man 2

Directed by Jon Favreau
(PG-13)

**

Everything that made Iron Man awesome has vanished in its sequel, said Kirk Honeycutt in The Hollywood Reporter. In place of knowing humor and a warm heart, Iron Man 2 has substituted “noise, confusion, multiple villains, irrelevant stunts, and misguided story lines.” Tony Stark, the playboy and genius inventor who fights crime as Iron Man, revels in his popular acclaim. But all is not well: The U.S. government wants control of Stark’s armored suit, and a Russian madman (Mickey Rourke) wants him dead. Like the original, Iron Man 2 belongs to its ebullient leading man, said A.O. Scott in The New York Times. As Stark, Robert Downey Jr. “has a way of turning action-hero duty into a form of intellectual comedy,” and happily shares scenes with Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and other big stars. Unfortunately, the large supporting cast burdens this baggy film with countless subplots that could themselves be sequels. Even when it feels “out of control,” Iron Man 2 has more to offer than most blockbusters, said Andrew O’Hehir in Salon.com. There’s “some sparkling dialogue”—and Scarlett Johansson in a skintight bodysuit.