Not as great as the first but is bashed on far too much

Rating: 8/10 (18 May 2013)

Often considered to be a critical disappointment that cannot match the same brilliance as the original, I was sceptical about watching this film. As one of the people who liked the original but didn't love it, I thought that maybe I wouldn't be as sorely disappointed by this film as die hard Iron Man fans were. The thing with this film is that most viewers either love it or hate it so it is truly difficult to take a side in it.
Iron Man 2 tells the story of Tony Stark who has now revealed that he is indeed Iron Man and continues to enforce peace across the world until he meets a new enemy who has his plans to get revenge on Stark, whilst at the same time discovering that he is dying. Will Stark be able to keep his legacy and ensure that the people believe in Iron Man or will he fail? To be fair, I didn't hate this movie. I actually really liked it. Surely not as great as the original but this film sure nears it in my opinion. With dazzling visual effects, a mostly outstanding script that makes way for many laughs throughout the film, Iron Man 2 is a mostly engaging film with a great story and extremely special action sequences. I love in this film how Stark is once more put to test and how the original ended with Stark revealing that he is Iron Man. That allows the film to be free of any restrictions and give more fun to the film. Some of the stuff that Stark does throughout the film are truly idiotic and hilarious, and can only be thought of as hilarious due to the performance that Robert Downrey Jr gives.
Robert Downrey Jr is truly the scene stealer and he just completely steals the film in every way. He is energetic, he is charming, he is funny yet he can also be a more dramatic person. Everyone else does a great job in the film, mainly Samuel L Jackson playing S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury. His performance isn't anything special from Jackson like Pulp Fiction but his presence is always welcome throughout the film. Scarlett Johannsson is great in the role of Natasha and the final action sequences in the film with her were truly great.
Iron Man 2 is not nearly as great as its predecessor but is nevertheless, a fun and entertaining film with plenty of laughs and plenty of amazing visual effects and some absolutely fantastic action sequence. In terms of its action, it is possibly better than the original and also has a greater villain. The acting is fantastic by Robert Downrey Jr and everyone else does their part well. Iron Man 2 is nevertheless an engaging film and is honestly, either a guilty pleasure for myself or an underrated and overly criticized film.