It isn't as good as the first film, but "Iron Man 2" offers a lot of exciting action sequences for the audience, an interesting villain in Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), and the introduction of characters that would play a pivotal role in the broader Marvel franchise (Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and Don Cheadle (Rhodey was previously played by Terrence Howard in the first film).

The plot is all over the place: partially an "Iron Man" sequel and partially a set up for "The Avengers" that would follow two years later. As such there are many instances where it seems like there are too many plot threads going around and the pacing of the film flashes around like a pinball. It's not necessarily a bad thing, as the audience is rarely left with a dull or uninteresting moment; but because of its bloated cast and its 125 minute runtime, we aren't really given much room for character development. Whiplash, sadly, could have been remembered as one of the most iconic Marvel villains, but there are very few scenes in which him and Tony Stark are paired together and he only truly begins his villainous scheme in the last 40 minutes of the film.

It's important for its introduction of more and more things to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it disappoints slightly as it really could have fleshed out the motivation of Whiplash and the inner demons of Tony Stark better. Great special effects and good performances. It's obviously a crucial piece of the MCU pie and thus you won't be left too badly burnt on your road to better constructed and more entertaining films.