Well I had a feeling it was not going to be a bad movie and I was right. In fact as far as super hero movies go - I think IRON MAN 2 has lifted the whole game somewhat. It will one day be looked at by film buffs and writers as the shift in tone that provided a clue to anyone trying to crack the code of how to write a very good script for a blockbuster in this genre.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) spends the best part of the film trying to stay alive, but not because of bad guys - his own advanced life saving technology is killing him. This certainly makes for some tension, almost as much as you need really since Tony is such a crowd pleaser of a character. He is full of dry comment that simply stabs at the funny bone. Brought up in a wealthy environment, he knows nothing of waiting in line or being put on hold; his attitude rises every time anyone provides him with a reason to buck. The thought of him ending up dead so soon... well it is not a nice thought. He is however demonstrating a slightly too flippant devil-may-care attitude which does get him brought before a government hearing.

Sam Rockwell, an actor with a devoted fan base plays one of the sods who causes Tony to buck a little - Justin Hammer. Hammer leads the weapons race, well, he's just behind Stark Enterprises, until he manages to get hold of one of the Iron Man suits. His answer to bringing world peace is to create robot drones who will fight, but of course it's not his idea; Hammer is a man short on ideas but generally very amusing when it comes to the silly walk stakes (he pulls some beauties). Arriving pretty much out of the blue is Ivan Vanko (played to perfection by Mickey Rourke) who builds his own version of the Iron Man suit - but I'm not going to spill too much and spoil it for everybody so read on fearlessly.

Add to this already impressive collection of actors some extremely beautiful and talented women, Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Virginia Pepper Potts, and she is assisted to some degree by the astonishingly agile Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) a.k.a. The Black Widow. Here is where the script and overall story arc is really smart - so smart it makes many of the previously released series of films (Superman, Batman cira. 1980's and X-Men) look a little stilted.

We know S.H.I.E.L.D. exists, it's in the comic books, it's quaintly tagged on to the end of IRON MAN the first film... well now there's a real interaction between S.H.I.E.L.D. Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division and Iron Man - but wait there's more, and it will all come out later - in other words - the scriptwriters, producers etc. have kept it subtle - there's no big reveal, just a scent of more to come.

I have no doubt we will see more of these films, and I am already betting that a time will come when Tony Stark is played by Downey Jr as a special guest in a range of Marvel Studios pictures that will soon be rolling out covering the many many tales of S.H.I.E.L.D. - It's a hunch, but a good one; and you know what that probably means? At least one TV Series in the not too distant - give it about a decade or so - that is what I think it means.

This well devised plotting, and the ever wise cracking Stark are the main reasons why I think this is such a tight script. They are not trying to over feed us in one big sitting, (or blow all their biggest bangs at once) they are getting us hooked, or showing restraint in the roll-out of the series. I'm happily hooked. I think I was hooked the minute I saw Downey Jr all suited up and having a lot of fun.

The special effects are of course something to see. Pretty amazing. I was a little stunned that they could manage to set some of the action in the Grand Prix in Monaco seamlessly intermingled with their own action sequences, however don't watch the crowd (as if) or you may start to feel a bit tetchy about it all. Don't get me wrong, the big set action scenes at Monaco are great, and it's fascinating to see such well blended and edited real life event footage being combined with outrageously fantastic sci-fi action stunts, but as is most often the way with such things, some of the background 'extras' are not really all that well intergrated or combined.

I don't want to spell this little flaw out because it is a piffle, a little flaw. So go ahead, look yourself - don't watch the action (if you can take your eyes off of it) watch the crowds in the background if you want to know what I mean - but I do warn you it may water the whole thing down a little if you do, sort of snap you back into reality for a minute. You may as well just watch the action and ignore my comment until your second or third viewing of the film. Yes, it is worthy of more than one viewing as far as I'm concerned. It's a wealth of material cut together really well so you can easily watch it again and again.

The movie soundtrack is also somewhat restrained but very gutsy - so again, the movie makers here are really keeping things under positive control. They are showing enough restraint to keep me happy.

The main issues in this story, to be continued, are sensible understandable and well directed. The continuing of the franchise should do very well at least for one more Iron Man film (probably in 3D) and then the other stories will start to come out.

It's a little intense to think about, but S.H.I.E.L.D. have a load of super heroes ready to bust into action, a little like the Justice League of America, only crunchy... What I mean is, there's a gritty quality to all the S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff in the comics, so why not bring it? I'm sure they will.

I say this is a very good follow up to the first film. They will sit nicely together on the DVD shelf eventually. You'd have to be a bit of a humbug to not enjoy it - but don't let your expectations run too wild - just go and see this film for some good laughs, based on wit, and some great action scenes, and a tinge of romance, but the palest tinge - which suits me fine.

I like the laughs and the action, which is why I think it's so great. Sexual tension a la X Men, Superman and Spider Man... Who needs it?