Overcrowded, But Doesn't Deserve All the Hate

Rating: 7/10 (28 April 2016)

In preparation for the upcoming Captain America: Civil War film, I've decided to go back and reexamine Iron Man and Cap's previous entries that I haven't reviewed.
Don't get me wrong, there's plenty wrong with Iron Man 2. But after re-watching for about the 3rd or 4th time, I couldn't help but enjoy the hell out of the film. It's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. It's action packed, filled with timely humor, and great character development, even if it does have a pretty weak villain.
In the next line of villains with the same abilities as the hero, Mickey Rourke stars as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, a man with his mind set on vengeance for what the Starks did to his family. It's hard to ever get truly invested in Vanko as a character. Marvel really struggles with its villains, and Whiplash is another example of that. However, it may be more of a case in which Rourke simply didn't care about giving the character any depth at all.
It's even more frustrating because Sam Rockwell is so good as Justin Hammer. He fit the witty humor of the Iron Man films impeccably, and doesn't take himself too seriously. If only the focus would have been on Hammer instead of Rourke.
The Pepper and Tony relationship is better than ever in Iron Man 2 as Pepper is introduced as the new CEO of Stark Industries with Tony sidelined with other issues. I've said it before but I'll say it again, Pepper and Tony are one of the only superhero relationships that actually work, and it's once again handled extremely well in this sequel.
Rhodey is back as the reluctant best friend to Tony, though this time, Don Cheadle suits up as War Machine. I didn't mind Terrence Howard's portrayal, but I think at this point, I couldn't see anyone fitting more nicely alongside Downey Jr. Their pairing make for some of the best action of the film.
One of the film's few problems lies with the inclusion of so many different story lines, and a few shoehorned in characters. Scarlett Johansson makes a grand first impression as Black Widow, but she didn't really need to be there. However, her scenes alongside Jon Favreau are very memorable.
Sure, there are quite a few unnecessary elements of the film's plot, but Iron Man 2 is still an enjoyable and highly re-watchable film. I can watch Downey Jr as Tony Stark any day.
+Action
+Cheadle is an upgrade
+Rockwell
+Pepper and Tony
-Overcrowded plot
-Whiplash is a throw away villain
7.8/10