Iron Man 2: At the Core of It

At the core of it, this edit is an improvement over the theatrical cut. The few deleted scenes that were reinserted are really nice character moments, which is something that Iron Man 2 has always had going for it.
At the time of it's release, the biggest criticisms of IM2 were that it was doing too much "set up" and not focused on telling a compelling story in it's own right. That problem is almost entirely solved by adjusting the focus to Tony and his heart condition.
The best edit is probably the decision to make Tony riding in the F1 race something that was planned. Because as Lapis sated, how would Vanko have known to attack him on the track if it was a last minute change? Flawlessly filled in that plot hole!

The only reason I don't rate my enjoyment higher is because I personally love Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer, and I'm disappointed to see him cut down so much. Again, it's a movie with a lot of character moments, and I think he deserves to have a few more.

Finally, Iron Man 2, but good. Flawless edit, perfect audio, wise trimming and nice additions. My only nitpick is that we can tell where it's a deleted scene or not, but it's barely noticeable. Otherwise, great edit. I recommend it highly.

Iron Man 2 is a strange beast. It was important for setting up the MCU, but not particularly well-remembered. It meandered too much and never really got around to having a point. While there are still plenty of problems with the film, beyond the scope of what editing can fix, this is the version I recommend watching. The villains aren't just jokes, the story is trimmed down a bit, and overall it just feels more focused. I think the Senate scene for me was the best overall, and it was greatly improved by the edits in this cut. Also, as a comic nerd, I appreciate the DVD art made for this edit which absolutely must be checked out.

This is a valiant effort. There are structural flaws to Iron Man 2 that no editing can fix, but what CAN be done is to smooth out all the weird crap and make what IS there enjoyable. Lapis has done this.

*** SPOILERS ***
Problems that can't be solved:
-Rhodey just flying away with a suit, to say nothing of getting in and out of it later. O_O
-The recipe for a new element -coincidentally, the one Tony needs for his chest battery- hidden in the miniature layout for a science expo from decades ago? What? I mean, really. WHAT?!! And that's what resolves the MAIN problem of this film. Deus Ex Dopey.

Also, I was about to complain about Tony's drunk party and how it reminded me of Raimi's Spiderman 3, but I think in this case it's appropriate. He did believe he was dying, AND is canonically an alcoholic. ;)

The good news is that what Lapis has done with his edit here is take the emotional story of Tony's attempt to find a solution to his Palladium Problem, set against The Revenge of Whip Guy™ and make it very watchable. He focused on those themes and removed any superfluous nonsense that would have distracted from them, and has made a much stronger film by doing so.

Iron Man 2 is a bit of a mess with several plots that don’t really share much real connective tissue at times (Tony’s health issues… Whiplash’s revenge… Hammer’s plot). However, this edit streamlines the film and by focusing more on Hammer as the main villain it feels stronger. Also gone in service to this are some of the cornier moments and anything that would make the villains seem like jokes.

Overall, while Iron Man 2 will never be the strongest MCU entry, this edit improves on it to a great degree