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.

Really, all of the previous comments have nailed down any weak points of critiques of what is, unquestionably, a vastly improved version of Iron Man 2.
Yes, some editing issues etc., but this was a much more entertaining and denser film - I was so happy about the improved pace, a result of carefully cutting down the bulk of the film's showboating, and I loved how much extra the re-added deleted scenes gave it, too.

A great example of the real value of a fanedit. Excellent work.

Lapis molari cuts the more silly/unnecessary scenes from iron man 2 and adds in some more context with deleted scenes to make the narrative make more sense. I recommend this fanedit highly if you are doing a rewatch of the entire MCU, this pretty much replaces the theatrical cut for me.
I appreciated the more serious approach to Tony's health problems while retaining some of his more charming self, because it really makes a good contrast.
Also, i think Pepper was improved too making her more of an equal to Tony and berating him less. Trimming out Vanko's quirks to make him a more streamlined villain also works better, and I liked that Hammer isn't a complete screwup in this cut. Having them be more serious helps with the tone of the movie and raises the stakes. There are some color grading difference in the inserted deleted scenes, but thats the only complaint I have.
Overall, this movie goes from a 6/10 to an 8/10 in my eyes, and a better follow-up to iron man 1.

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

First of all, a disclaimer: I am a fan of Iron Man 2. It's my second favourite Iron Man, and my 11th favourite MCU film. I understand the flaws people have with it, but I am still a fan of it's 'goofy/wacky' nature and love every second of it. With that said, I do strongly believe the narrative is all over the place in these films.

This edit fully changes those 'problems', however. If you had any issues with the narrative structure of Iron Man 2, I assure you they will be gone when you watch this edit. It puts a clear focus on the main plotline of this film, and really gets to THE CORE OF IT.

Besides a few unfortunate A/V moments, just due to lack of available footage, I assume, this edit is probably the best way to watch this film. Especially if you noticed the scattered plot of the original.