Is "Iron Man 2" Worth Your Time and Money?

If you like lots of CGI, pyrotechnics and mass destruction of property, which I do, then "Iron Man 2" is definitely the movie for you.

Before going to see "Iron Man 2," I read a review by a local reviewer who felt that the movie had too many subplots. While I agree that there was a lot going on, some of the subplots overlapped and consolidated with each other, keeping the story pretty easy to follow and, I think, thoroughly entertaining. Here's a brief run down of much of what went on in "Iron Man 2":

1. The government, aided by Tony Stark's (Robert Downey, Jr.) nemesis and direct competitor, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who was a much nastier character in the comic books, wants to take the Iron Man technology away from Stark put it under government control. This eventually happens thanks to Stark's friend, Capt. James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle).

2. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is recruiting - possibly for S.H.I.E.L.D., possibly for the Avengers - and has taken a particular interest in Iron Man. So, he sends Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) - aka Black Widow - to keep an eye on Stark and serve as his bodyguard by having her get a job with Stark Industries.

3. The son of a Russian physicist who helped Stark's father develop the technology used in Iron Man's magnetic core, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), seeks vengeance against the Starks after his disgraced father dies. When Vanko's first attempt to destroy Stark fails, Vanko is propositioned by - who else - Justin Hammer.

4. Tony Stark's relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) grows more complicated.

5. A chance revelation helps Stark reconcile his feelings about his father and lead him to the answers he needs to save his own life.

I enjoyed "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" because I'm not familiar with the Iron Man comic books, though I did see the cartoon series, in which Tony Stark was, to my recollection, darker and more brooding than the way Robert Downey, Jr. played him in the movie. So, I would recommend that any fans of the Iron Man comic books, who are also purists, avoid watching "Iron Man 2" because it seems to deviate more from the comic book version - which I researched before writing this review - than the first film does.