Iron Man returns

One of the more unlikely cinematic superhero success stories is back in theaters with an offering that may not live up to the original but doesn’t fail to entertain casual and devoted comic fans alike.

“Iron Man 2” arrives two years after the first film took the box office by storm, especially considering that the title character doesn’t have the mainstream following of guys like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and even Wolverine. What the armored avenger did have going for him, though, was an excellent cast, great script and terrific director — you know, the stuff you want out of any movie, superhero or not.

Most of that’s intact in the second go-around. Robert Downey Jr. (“Sherlock Holmes”) returns to his career-relaunching role of Tony Stark, the billionaire industrialist and inventor who creates a suit of super-powered armor to save his life and keep his technology from falling into the wrong hands. Stark remains a flawed hero whose most endeaering quality may be his willingness to battle his own failings.

Gwyneth Paltrow (“Running with Scissors”) is back as his right-hand woman/not-quite love interest Pepper Potts. Director Jon Favreau (“Elf”) is back behind the camera, maintaining a fine mix of action, comedy and character.

The fact that Iron Man doesn’t have quite the following as other heroes is what allowed the filmmakers to really make the story their own the first time around. They continue in that style with the sequel, never getting so over-burdened with expectations and trying to please everyone that they lose sight of simply making a good, fun movie.

The story isn’t quite as solid as in the first film, with a few details not fleshed out or explained very well. However, the pacing keeps the audience interested and juggles multiple details fairly well.

Villainy is provided this time around by Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”) as Whiplash, a character so obscure I’m not even sure I’ve ever read a comic with him in it, and Sam Rockwell (“Moon”) as Justin Hammer. Rourke is suitably intimidating as the son of Stark’s father’s rival, while Rockwell is laughably, but believably, inept as Hammer, who desperately wants to eclipse Stark’s achievements despite not being nearly as talented.

New additions include Scarlett Johansson (“The Spirit”) as the beguiling Black Widow, a superspy who is (probably) on Iron Man’s side and Don Cheadle (“Ocean’s Thirteen”) as Stark’s best friend Rhodey. It was a shame to see Terrence Howard, who played the role in the first film, replaced, but it’s hard to complain about Cheadle.

The film continues to lay the groundwork for Marvel Comics’ upcoming films (look for “Thor” and “Captain America” Easter eggs... and stay after the credits) without hijacking the entire film (see “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”). I was in comic geek heaven.