A predictable sequel that continues the story of the first film without, however, being as good as it is.
After an excellent first movie, this was a predictable sequel, but I have to admit that the movie is a bit over the top and that, sometimes, it feels like a very expensive video game. Furthermore, the main character, Tony Stark, is perhaps one of the nastiest and most irritating comic heroes, and this movie seems to try to accentuate that by turning the protagonist into a spoiled playboy who has expensive toys and looks at women like if they were, also, toys. Okay, I know the character was also portrayed like that in the original books, even though I'm not a comics fan. But the movie could give something that made Tony Stark someone we could really care about.
In this film, the hero will face his first great antagonist, the son of a Soviet scientist that Stark's father knew. At the same time, Stark has to face the US Army, who are eager to get their hands on the combat suits he created, discovering that his father knew of a new chemical element, not yet officially discovered, and in which lies the key for the survival of Stark himself. With these brief lines, we can see, right away, that the script is not exactly one of the strong points of the film. The feeling that remains is that the script shoots in several directions, trying to create a more complex story, but that something got in the way and prevented that objective.
The cast basically has the same names as the previous film. Robert Downey Jr. is back to the red armor for yet another film, where he has shown himself to be deftly sarcastic and irritating without losing his heroic pose. Mickey Rourke is a welcome addition to the cast, playing the villain. The actor was able to adapt to the character quite competently. Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle also return, but they don't do more than they did in the previous film, still fulfilling what was asked of them. Scarlett Johansson deserves a praise for her work here, but the rest of the cast just do what needs to be done.
The film is yet another very expensive blockbuster, abundantly financed by Marvel, and it is very obvious that it will become one of the most watched films of the season. With so much money and financial interest involved, the film was doomed to a loud and flashy bet on high-quality, but still obviously false, effects and CGI. The film has a lot of action and the fights are excellent, although obviously choreographed and stilted. The cinematography is crisp, vibrant, and magnificently beautiful. The film bets a lot on quality props, good sets and costumes, as well as a good soundtrack.