Nothing says summer is near like the first blockbuster of the year. That brilliant billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back and stating with assurance, "I have successfully privatized world peace." His invention and use of the Iron Man suit has pretty much made wars a thing of the past. But now the US government wants him to hand it over for fear that it is a weapon not to be possessed by one man. Add to that one vengeful Russian (Mickey Rourke) and a jealous competitor (Sam Rockwell) and you have the makings of a pretty decent comic book based flick. The question is if it can please the die hard fans while still entertaining the general movie going population.

Sequels are always treading on shaky ground. The trick is to use what worked in the first one but make it seem fresh and new. You don't want to reinvent the wheel and you also don't want to run simply on retread. Director Jon Favreau does a near perfect job with the formula even if the story is not as solid as the original. The over abundance of big names and interesting characters is almost a derailment instead of the asset you would think. At times there is too much going on and this spreads the overall picture thin. No one gets a chance to shine or enough screen time to bring about a lasting impression. Even the main antagonist does little to bring about an explosive end. Not to say it was a failure but you can't help but notice a few chinks in the old armor.

RDJ is still the man with his cocky demeanor and witty banter. He makes Stark larger than life which is non negotiable in this franchise. Where as you want to fast forward through Bruce Wayne to get to Batman it is almost the opposite here. Stark is the one most go to see. But when he puts on the suit the action is fast and phenomenal. Though this one has lots of emotional baggage it manages to soar when needed. Action fans will not be disappointed at all. Plus the addition of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson)brings a much welcomed kick in the pants.

Iron Man 2 is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language. Unlike the ridiculous Transformers sequel last year, Iron Man 2 does not trash up the franchise but delivers a film that parents will feel more than comfortable taking their 10 and up comic lovers to see. It follows right in line with the first installment and the content holds true. Though there are a few odd moments when you feel like the story is teetering on unstable ground this one is still highly entertaining on every level. It gets 4.5 out of 5 heavy metal thunders and is a perfect way to start off the summer blockbuster season. So says Matt Mungle.