It's May. The good weather has arrived - for however long it may last, and we have what is shaping up to be the first summer blockbuster of the year in John Favreau's 'Iron Man'.
'Iron Man' stars one time troubled star Robert Downey Jr as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, a shrewd businessman and brilliant inventor who makes money out of anything and everything he can, including a healthy international trade in weapons.
When Stark is kidnapped by a group of communists and ordered to build them a devastating weapon, he makes a high tech. suit of armour equipped with powerful weapons and uses this to escape his captors.
This is a turning point in Tony Stark's career and, on his return from captivity, he announces he will dedicate his energies towards more humane pursuits.
Some years later, when Stark uncovers a sinister plot with global implications, he decides he must do something to stop the criminals involved. This prompts the inventor to make a more streamlined, and more powerful, version of his 'Iron' suit in which he sets out across the skies to save the world - a armour plated Superman with Uzi's, if you will.
'Iron Man' is a character from the famous Marvel comics and, here, director Jon Favreau has brought the character created back in the sixties bang up to date with a modern day plot and plenty of sophisticated technology for inventor Tony Stark to play with.
You quickly realise that casting Robert Downey Jr in the lead role was a masterstroke for he is excceptional in the part - both as the hard drinking, hard nosed businessman and, later, as the superhero with a heart of gold.
Like so many of his peers Downey Jr. went off the rails ever so slightly and, back in 2000, found himself in jail.
Somehow, the always likeable actor managed to get himself back together again and, recently, has been steadily climbing his way back to the top of the Hollywood 'A' list with a string of strong performances of late.
In Stark, art imitates life for Downey, as we see the billionaire knocking back cocktails and, on occasion approaching the edge without ever actually falling off.
A perfect foil to the edgy Stark is provided by the lovely Ms Pepper Potts (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) - Stark's down to earth assistant who has long suffered the eccentricities of her boss but puts up with him for some reason.
Ms Potts is delighted when Stark announces he's moving away from the weapons game but less enthusiastic about this change of heart is Obadiuah Stane, one of Stark's closest henchmen, played with some relish by Jeff Bridges.
So miffed is Stane about his boss's new direction that he sets about building his own flying suit in a bid to destroy the 'Iron Man'.
As you might expect this film comes with plenty of special effects although some criticism has already been levied at the film for not having enough action, with this picture instead concentrating more on the build-up and telling the viewer where 'Iron Man' came from and how he came into being.
I shouldn't worry as there, most likely, be sequels which they can fill from end to end with special effects, fight and chase sequences.
'Iron Man' should not only prove a real early summer hit with the audiences here but will, no doubt, spawn a host of action figure and merchandise to keep what is sure to be a mult-million dollar franchise in business for some years to come.
'Iron Man' is currently showing at your local cinema complex.
