[Editor's Note: Check out Joe's full Summer Movie Preview for a look at some of the biggest summer releases. For full-length reviews, visit the Daily Loaf Movie Review Index.]
Iron Man 2 picks up six months after the conclusion of the first film, with eccentric billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) revealed as the man behind the suit and loving every nanosecond of his celebrity. The world is basking in a peace dividend, as the technology behind the Iron Man suit remains in the hands of Stark Industries alone. But things aren’t as great as they appear. The mechanical heart that gives Iron Man his power is slowly poisoning Tony, and popping up everywhere are slimy senators, competing weapons manufacturers and even a lone wacko with a serious generational ax to grind waiting to end the ride. There’s a reason superheroes revel in anonymity: Everyone comes gunning for you when you’re number one.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2010.