Iron Man 3 sees Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) facing off against the The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), as Shane Black takes over directing duties from Jon Favreau… 

If you’ve spent the last few months hiding in a cave building your own set of robo-armour, it’s our duty to tell you that Tony Stark is back. And – as befits the billionaire playboy in our modern celebrity-obsessed world – everyone is talking about him.

Set not long after the events that took place in Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble, Iron Man 3 sees Jon Favreau vacate the director’s chair in favour of Shane Black. In return, the creator of Lethal Weapon, writer of The Last Boy Scout and director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang promised to deliver something a little different. And he doesn’t disappoint.

The very first Iron Man movie will always hold a special place in thatfilmthing’s hearts, but as the obvious pressure of making sequels better than the original builds, this is a damn good effort. The action set-pieces are phenomenal, there’s some clever sideways thinking and Black teases unforgettable performances from Guy Pearce and Sir Ben Kingsley.

The plot of Iron Man 3 – like the preceding two films – is an amalgamation of several stories from the comic books. Needless to say, it remains faithful to the original stories, including some big, bold plot points.

Even the end credits are brilliant, with a look and feel that is clearly a nod to ’80s action-detective TV series like Magnum, Matt Houston and Charlie’s Angels.

Our only problem is that the latest word suggests Iron Man 3 is possibly the last instalment for ol’ shellhead in what has been an excellent series of movie adaptations. Say it ain’t so, Marvel. Say it ain’t so…

VERDICT: 8/10