Has he lost his mind? Can he see or his he blind?

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2016)

This is the second film in the Iron Man series (in case the title didn't give you that info), directed again by John Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark.
With the world now aware of Tony Stark and his Iron Man suit, he has to deal with his own demons as well as a world who fears and craves his technology. A vengeful mad man with ties to the Stark dynasty surfaces to try and take Stark down. Ivan Vanko (Micky Rouke) is Whiplash, aided by Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) who himself envies Stark's success and genius, is tasked with bringing Stark down. Stark has to deal with Whiplash, Justin Hammer, the US Military, a mystery man called Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who thinks that Stark has a lot to offer the world, and Stark's own demon's and doubts. All the usual's are there; Gwyneth Paltrow is Pepper Potts, Clark Gregg is Agent Coulson, John Slattery is Howard Stark in various flashbacks, Garry Shandling plays Senator Stern again and Paul Bettany once again voices Jarvis. This time around Don Cheadle plays 'Rhodey' Rhodes (War Machine), and Scarlett Johansson, makes an appearance as the story progresses as Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) giving a glimpse of what her character is going to bring to a future Avengers film - sexy but deadly.
My own personal opinion is that this 2nd film is definitely as glitzy and action packed as the first film and is a good sequel, but, the story doesn't seem as strong. The story takes place almost straight after the first film with many of the conversations/ actions a direct reflection of events of the first film. To me this felt like Iron Man 1.5 rather than an Iron Man 2 but I still enjoyed it as a movie in its own rights. Robert Downey Jr once again demonstrates why he was born to play this role, he is both believable and lovable. I can't fault any of the casting or acting. The CGI is tastefully done and only adds to the on screen spectacle being played out. The pace of the film is like a mild jog with the occasional sprint to keep things interesting.
I'm awarding this 7 out of 10. I enjoyed the film and it tickled my taste buds for more to come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.