I was eager to find out if Iron Man 2 could become as good or even better than the first entry in the franchise like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Unfortunately it is neither as good or better - a slight disappointment.

Without going into detail, the 2nd arc drags on far too long and the character of Rhodey and the Black Widow go from A to Z without any real explanation. On the bright side of things Robert Downey Jr. still delivers the goods.

The pacing is way off and so is the supposedly climax of the film. A huge letdown. Marvel didn't do itself a favor by rushing the sequel so fast. I think another year or so would've done the franchise justice.

In so many ways Iron Man could've been to Marvel what Nolan's Batman is to DC a hit with the critics and fans alike. With this entry they dropped the ball. It's not the worst sequel - it's not FF 2 (that franchise stinks as a whole) but it isn't X2 either.

Jon Favereau is still the man to direct the franchise but Justin Theroux must stay away from it. By any stretch of the imagination he is no Mark Steven Johnson (who completely ruined Ghost Rider) but he just isn't ready or capable to write a screenplay for a Blockbuster of this magnitude.