A Great sequel

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2011)

This movie was everything I hoped it would be. I don't understand why there was so much criticism of this movie. I get that it might not have been as good as the first movie, but this was still a spectacular movie and a great follow-up.
It's nice that Favreau listened to fans' reactions from the first movie and gave us more action in this one. One of the biggest complaints I've heard is that the actions scenes were too short. I disagree. They were crisp and real (as real as a sci-fi comic book movie action can be). Think of it this way, if Tony Stark was a real person and Iron Man was real, the fight scene on the race track would have played out exactly as in the movie. There was no time for anything fancy with all the innocent bystanders. Iron Man takes Whiplash down and immediately rips out his weapons power source. In the final fight scene, Stark and Rhodey act exactly as if they are really fighting for their lives. Again nothing fancy or cute - every shot against the drones is a kill shot. I definitely appreciate the nod to the source material in showing War Machine's fighting style as more ruthless than Iron Man's; just as it appears in the comic.
Once again we get great performances from Robert Downey Jr, Gweneth Paltrow, Sam Jackson, and newcomers Sam Rockwell and Don Cheadle. Mickey Rourke is as creepy and evil as ever. Favreau also continues his character development and does a great job showcasing Stark's inner demons and Rhodey's conflict over his dedication to his friend and his job. Yes, the fight scene between the two Iron Men was a little hokey and probably the weakest part of the movie, but again, it detracts very little from the overall film.
The movie also does a great job weaving aspects of the upcoming Avengers movie into it. Make sure you check out the scene after the credits.