Captures the spirit of Marvel in cast Iron

Rating: Null/10 (3 May 2010)

Tony Stark reveals his superhero alter ego identity and while resisting calls by the government to hand over the Iron Man technology he finds himself threatened by a new enemy.
I'm happy to say there's not much to dislike about Actor/Director Jon Favreau's excellent follow up to 2008's blend of comic book action, humour and effects.
Iron Man 2 picks up where the first one left off, as billionaire Tony Stark must contend with the government, his own friends, as well as new enemies played by the wonderful Sam Rockwell and the perfectly cast Mickey Rourke.
Thankfully Scarlett Johansson replaced Emily Blunt and looks great as the Black Widow, although the costumes cuffs looked a little out of place. Don Cheadle unnecessarily replaces Terence Howard as Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes but is just as good, phew!
The leads; Gwyneth Paltrow surprisingly cast in this role returns and is the grounded back bone of the film. Robert Downey Jr. once again is fantastic as the witty extrovert Stark. There's lot of emotion as you see Stark's father and a glimpse of their relationship. Downey's acting captures Stark's battles with his mortality and his alter ego fittingly.
The effects are well executed and don't detract from the action or story in anyway. Fans will enjoy nods and references including The Avengers, Captain America and Samuel L. Jackson's second Nick Fury cameo, to name a few.
Again there's a great script and storyline that zips along at a nice pace backed by a fitting music score and rock tracks. Personally, I feel it's better than Iron Man due to it's sharper editing and sleeker look. Stick around until after the end credits as there is a nice teaser of another superhero.
Like the Fantastic 4's films all in all Iron Man 2 is the perfect comic book flick that captures the spirit of Marvel, it's just a shame Sam Raimi's Spiderman didn't have the same perfect blend of drama, action and adventure that Iron Man has...