My overwhelming thoughts were:
1) It's long! 2 hours 30 minutes. The showing started at 9 PM and by the time it was over, I had already missed my last train.
2) It's no date movie! It must be the most violent movie I have ever seen,
3) There is little connection with "The Raid". It picks up after the first movie, sure. And Iko Uwais is still playing the character of Rama. But apart from that...
4) It's excellent. The fight scenes are amazing. The action sequences are great. The acting is first rate. It looks great.
5) It's complicated. There are still a few subtleties I don't get. And the FAQ on IMDB is blank so far.
6) It's very much an ensemble piece. I was shocked from time to time at how long it had been since Iko has been on screen.
7) There a "nods" to lots of other movies and genres. Good fun. My favourite I think was what I took to be a nog to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon just before the big prison fight.
8) I didn't like the fact that the camera seemed to be shaking much more during the fight sequences. I think Gareth Evans and the team were trying to achieve something here. Sometimes it worked, sometimes now.
9) I'm looking forward to seeing it again.
Here is a nice shot of Gareth and Iko:
