Strike While the Iron's Hot.

“Iron Man 2” had a lot to live up to. There’s really no doubt in anyone’s mind that the movie would and is going to continue to do incredibly well. But did they get it as right the second time as they did the first?

I went to the movie theater last night at quarter after eight because they were doing a double feature. The original “Iron Man” followed by the sequel at 12:01. I never had the chance to see the original in the theaters so it was a nice experience. And it got everyone even more pumped up for the sequel.

The sequel starts where the first leaves off, letting us hear the press conference again (with extra dialogue added in for emphasis). And then we’re whisked over the ocean to Russia where we meet Mickey Rourke’s character. It’s always nice to see where a villain comes from, in my personal opinion, because it gives the character depth and history. In this case, the villain comes from Russia and a father who worked on the arc reactor technology for Stark Industries. And Whiplash, as we all know, manages to duplicate the miniaturized arc reactor that power’s Iron Man’s suit and keeps Tony alive.

Ironically, however, the very thing that is keeping Tony alive is also destroying him. We find out very quickly in the movie that his body is being poisoned and he’s trying desperately to correct his legacy. (“I don’t want a body count to be our only legacy.” Remember?)

The thing I was most worried about in the movie was the actor transfer with Rhodey. But I have to say, they did a really good job. The character seemed slightly different. (Not such a whining brat, from my eyes.) The transition was really well done and the chemistry is much better between Robert and Don that in the previous movie.

Paltrow does a great job reprising her role as Pepper, as did Leslie Bibb with ‘Miss Brown’. All of the new cast members were incredibly well casted, including Stark Industrustries’ business competitor: Justin Hammer. He’s the type of character that you can’t help but hate. He’s needy, over-compensating, and a bit of a prick. The casting for that role was perfect.

There are a few downfalls to the movie. Nothing that particularly hinders it from being great, but a few things that you’ll mention with your friends after seeing it. Spoilers are not in your best interest, so don’t scroll down for the specifics.

All in all, great movie and very glad I got to see it at midnight. It’s pretty much everything expected to get from it but not a predictable plotline. Bear in mind, I do not read comic books and I have no idea if this follows the plot of their universe.

Two thumbs up.