Just when it feels like the superhero genre needs a breather, along comes Robert Downey Jr. again as billionaire motor mouth Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. Like the 2008 original film, “Iron Man 2” flourishes when Downey banters with equally entertaining talents of Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson and franchise newcomers Don Cheadle and Sam Rockwell.

And yes, kids, there are also a couple of cool action sequences.

Unfortunately, “Iron Man 2” has too much plot and not enough of the fun stuff. The film’s midsection sags with meandering subplots, and the story sometimes feels like a roadmap into another sequel.

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