When the Cheshire emerges...

I hope everyone had a lovely Anzac Day and remembered the fallen. Lest we forget.

I'm bringing this to you especially early because I'm happy that we got it before the US, and I'm really anxious to know what others think - so voice your view!

Iron Man 3 (M)

SINCE the resurgence of the superhero genre with the powerful rebirths of Spider-Man and Batman, audiences have become accustomed to a slew of films crafted with a smarter interior, expecting fans' prior knowledge and specifically playing to it.

It's a dangerous game, alienating those who may decide to jump in halfway. But the masterminds of comic adaptations in Hollywood know there are enough fans (and revenue to be made) to make the risk worth taking.

As such, the return of Tony Stark to cinemas is the first in Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Two. The first film to follow events of The Avengers, it takes place in a world aware of a superhero force.

But that has close to no influence as Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey jnr) faces the threat of bomb terrorist the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). His relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) also becomes problematic when Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) wants to share his body regeneration treatment Extremis with Stark Industries.

Stark is in a muddled place. He's an insomniac, haunted by the Avengers' battle in New York and channeling energy into making more Iron Man suits. Fed up with another villain trying to enter the scene, he is brash in his approach. That's not unlike his character, but there is a sense of desperation as his world looks to be crumbling in all its facets.

The strong, slick story by director Shane Black and Drew Pearce centres on that idea of desperation as Stark enlists in the help of Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and little friend Harley (Ty Simpkins) in trying to figure out the Mandarin's next attack.

As Stark returns to the realities of the real world he finds his shield can't always be his safeguard. He is more often than not exposed, which frightens him as he faces a threat that becomes much bigger than he anticipated.

Black, writer of Lethal Weapon, finds himself very much at ease in the Marvel world, keeping the Iron Man humour of previous films intact while upping the action to a menacing degree. Working with Downey jnr again after Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black gives him more to deal with emotionally.

The leading man still portrays Stark/Iron Man with a near-effortless flamboyance true to the characters. Kingsley is particularly good though as a villain with a difference, while Cheadle gets the fun straw, with an alter ego of his own a chance for him to ham things up.

Like any Marvel film within the Avengers thread, questions linger over the future of the characters and the direction the series will take. The post-credits scene won't give you any idea, but it does wrap up the film nicely.

Rating: 4/5

MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of Olympus Has Fallen.