Finally an Iron Man film - not a film about a guy in an Iron Man suit.

Rating: 9/10 (20 May 2010)

The first Iron Man film seemed more like an action film with a guy in an Iron Man suit than anything else. This film actually felt more like an Iron Man movie and it was a more enjoyable experience. All the usual, excellent cast members, made their appearances. Robert Downey JR. and Gwyneth Paltrow are the returning champs while Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke and Garry Shandling come along for this one. Finally, Scarlett Johansson finds an action role fit for her and it should carry her into Marvel History as the Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in future film endeavors – I hope. After seeing her in "The Spirit" (2008), I was a little worried. Samuel L. Jackson continues his outstanding portrayal of Nick Fury. However, there is a casualty. They still haven't found the right guy for Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes. In the last film it was Terrence Howard, who looked the part, but I thought wasn't able to sell it well enough. In fact I laughed at him way too much. This time it hurts, because I like Don Cheadle, but not here. The search continues. The SPFX totally do the job right. There is an excellent introduction in the beginning of the film of our hero to the blaring tunes of AC/DC, that is totally believable and quite exciting. Many of the fight scenes truly give us the feeling that we are seeing a comic-book come to life. What is good about this film is, if you do not know much about Iron Man that does not matter. Anybody will enjoy this one and can follow along with the story. Mickey Rourke adds a nicely acted dimension as the bad guy that Tony Stark's Iron Man has to face. I rather enjoyed this film after having a bad taste in my mouth after watching the first one.