One Of The Worst Sequels Ever Made.

Rating: Null/10 (25 March 2015)

Everything that made Iron Man such a refreshing, entertaining & thrilling ride is completely lost in this sequel as the third instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is possibly their worst film to date, is a pathetic follow-up to what was & still remains a fascinating action- adventure, and even Robert Downey Jr.'s charisma is unable to conceal its poor narrative & shoddy execution.
Set six months after the events of the first film, Iron Man 2 continues the story of Tony Stark and covers the intense media attention he's been enjoying after revealing his identity as Iron Man to the whole world while resisting the US government who covets his technology & battling his own personal health as well for his arc reactor is poisoning him. And we also have a new enemy in town pursuing a personal vendetta against Stark.
Directed by Jon Favreau, it's hard to believe that it's the same guy who helmed the last feature for he seems to have forgotten everything that made the previous film work. The screenplay is terrible from the start for the concept looks clear but it lacks refinement on deeper levels. Cinematography is fine, Editing makes sure every irrelevant scene makes its way into the final print & there's nothing new to add about its score.
Coming to the performances, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke & Sam Rockwell join the reprising cast while Don Cheadle takes over Terrence Howard's role but not even one of them is good enough. Downey Jr. retains his charm n wit but even he fails to bring back the magic that was there the last time, Rourke started well but is then completely sidelined until the end, Johansson fails to make a big impression while Rockwell is surprisingly forgettable.
On an overall scale, Iron Man 2 is a major step down when compared to its predecessor, is a massive downgrade in quality in all filmmaking aspects & a definite loss of opportunity to build something spectacular after such a brilliant platform was provided to it by the first film. Even the action is pretty boring & is over way too quick, the villain isn't intimidating enough & majority of its characters are treated as caricatures. One of the worst sequels ever made.