In many ways to me at least is better than the first one to the cast, acting, pace, thrills and definitely more witty and entertaining. Robert Downey Jr. is on the top of his game here as Tony Stark he was cool, funny, brilliant and bad@ss but maybe a bit too cocky but that's his character I guess. The supporting cast was great and Scarlett Johansson though hot as always looks better than ever and she really impressed me here, Mickey Rourke made an effective villain but I could hardly understand him most of the time or bought the accent, Samuel Jackson is cool as always but the standout person here was Sam Rockwell but Gwyneth Paltrows and Don Cheadles character really didn't do much for me this time around sorry to say. I really had a fun time watching this flick from beginning to end and it really surpassed my expectations and it's definitely what a summer blockbuster should be, an escape. The final act wasn't as thrilling or effective as the final act in the first one but it was definitely exciting but it kind of left me wanting more still just like in the first one but just like what Spider Man did for me this will probably get better and better with each sequel and I can't wait! Overall it has solid performances, action, laughs, thrills and it was just brilliantly done, an improvement but there is still some flaws to be tinkered with but I still recommend it for the fun of it all. More of a 3.5 out of 5 stars.