When IRON MAN 2 came out in cinemas a majority of the critics (being the most vocal minority) put it down saying it was not as could as the first film. What they really meant was, it was not better than the first film. The first film took us all by surprise, and Robert Downey Jr's performance was the key to its success and it is pretty much the same in the sequel. Taken on its own merits, IRON MAN 2 is a great action-packed comicbook movie, and one that more than stands up to a second viewing.

One of the things that makes the IRON MAN franchise stand out is the quality of the casting, and this second instalment is no exception. Mickey Rourke, Sam Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle and Scarlett Johansson (ok, maybe not her so much, although her version of Hit Girl isn't bad). Admittedly there isn't masses of character development, but these are comicbook superheroes, and even with Marvel's penchant for flawed heroes – Iron Man's flaw being Tony Stark's narcissism and ego, and a slightly dodgy ticker – they are supposed to be about fighting super villains and saving the world, not getting to the core of their soul. That's not to say that this film doesn't address such things as Tony's daddy issues, and his inability to express his true feelings to Pepper (Americans love that sort of thing). The humour of the first one is still there, as is the inventiveness of the tech and, of course, big action sequences even if the finale is a bunch of robots slugging it out (again).

What is very cool with this film is all the links to the forthcoming Marvel movies and the formation of The Avengers. Little clues are left in the movie, and after the credits. Of course, I may be slightly biased in by opinions here because, as a kid, Iron Man and Thor were my favourite comics, and these films also have my favourite contemporary actors.

IRON MAN 2 is out on DVD/Blu-ray now and this release seems to deliver on the promise we were made for the hi-def format, with loads of interactive features. What makes it even better is the triple-play version (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital copy) is actually cheaper than the two disc DVD version, so you can enjoy it on your big HDTV at home, where it should be seen, or on portable devices with or without optical drives.

Buy your copy of IRON MAN 2 today from Play and all good retailers.