I AM IRONMAN...pfft

Rating: Null/10 (4 April 2019)

I remember when this film came out. I was still on an Iron Man high because of the movie released prior and because of the animated series that was on at the time. I didn't get to see the film until many months later and this was a major of a disappointment because of how much is unfolding on screen during the film's runtime. It leaves you at a loss for words and not in a good way.
POSITIVES!
Robert Downey Jr. is still great. No matter the issues I have with the character in the film, Downey is good at portraying the cynical hero. Downey still shares great chemistry with the rest of the cast. The chemistry between Downey and Paltrow is fantastic and is one of the draws of the franchise. Sam Rockwell portrays Justin Hammer and he is very entertaining in his antagonistic role. The action scenes are very well done. Some of the best action in this franchise and it is all edited together well without audiences getting nauseous. The visual effects are incredible. A great mix between practical and a computer image. There's also some awesome, weapon sounds that emanate from the suits and drones. Also got some great music to go along with the project.
MIXED!
Explaining the plot to someone is difficult. Since it crosses many different stories, which I'll touch on soon. Don Cheadle takes over the role of James Rhodes after Terence Howard didn't reprise the role. Cheadle is okay, we've seen that he gets better, but he didn't bring the same energy to the character that Howard brought. Jon Favreau has said that he wanted more time on this project, but Marvel had a deadline so Favreau had to rush this project and it shows. But he did the best job capable. Now although we get new Iron Man armour and the War Machine armour, but there are a lot of those types weaponized suits/drones that it can be difficult to tell apart the "characters".
NEGATIVES!
A big issue this film has is it's writing. It doesn't know what story it wants to tell. It covers Tony's adventures as Iron Man, Tony and the supporting characters at Stark industries, two separate villain story arcs, and the setup of The Avengers taking a bigger role than it should've. There is too much to focus on and not all of it is interesting. Mickey Rourke is the real antagonist of the film and the film has no clue who the character is. I don't know if he is Whiplash or the character from the comics, Crimson Dynamo. And his performance feels very dull and at times he is impossible to understand. One thing about Iron Man in his franchise is that he doesn't have a score. It's a small complaint, but a superhero must have an awesome score. The film just isn't fun either. Tony Stark is fun in every other film the character utilized in except this one. Stark is unlikeable for a good deal of the film. Stark is meant to be the attraction, but the character is odious.
CONCLUSION!
So, Iron Man 2 should've been in development for a longer period. It's more of an Avengers prequel than an Iron Man continuation. Luckily the character grows after this, but this is a big dip in the Iron Man's career and the MCU. It's a film that makes you struggle with your opinion. It has its entertaining action and visual quality. But it suffers in delivering a powerful sequel.