Iron Man 3

Not in the case of Iron man III in the Iron man trilogy.

Iron Man 3 is a fast-paced, entertaining sci-fi action thriller that turned out better than its disappointing predecessor.

This time around, there's no distracting Avengers subplot and the main focus goes to the main character instead. Once again, Robert Downey Jr. is at his best and fits his role perfectly as the arrogant, smart-ass Tony Stark by delivering sharp witty dialogue that make the film downright hilarious. Great round of applause for the people who's responsible for thinking up the various ways Tony can put on the suits in the film, well done!

However, the film crossed the borderline of science fiction and science fantasy. There are things in the film that's simply could not happen in reality under any circumstances, which some movie-goers might find it hard to accept. As a person who knows the cartoon and comics, the direction the film took for the characters and the "Extremis" story arc is questionable. Some Marvel fans/purists will find it unacceptable, but for casual movie-goers, the plot is great and it's really a personal story about the titular hero.

Iron Man 3 showed that it's not just a superhero film, but a smart comedy film as well. So, in the end, does the suit make the man or does the man make the suit? Well, you damn well know what the answer is after finish watching this film.

How will Marvel's universe ever be the same after "The Avengers"? There's bound to be a vocal percentage of viewers who walk out of "Iron Man 3" thinking, "why didn't he just call his superfriends in the end?" It's a good question, one that Drew Pearce and Shane Black's script doesn't ignore, but never satisfyingly answers. Yet that doesn't seem to matter. The bigger question that Marvel has addressed is whether it could effectively narrow the scope of its universe again after "The Avengers" blew it open—and the answer is yes.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) hasn't been the same since his near-death experience in a intergalactic wormhole at the end of "The Avengers." In fact, the words "New York" have become a trigger for his newly discovered anxiety attacks. He has spent his funk by building an inordinate amount of Iron Man suits, and specifically a remotely operated suit that he can summon through a biological tracking system. When a terrorist named the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) emerges, hacking U.S. airwaves to spread fear and causing thermal explosions, Tony calls him out on his cowardice, a move he immediately regrets.

As the script continues to introduce all the players in this third iron-clad outing, from Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian—a think tank manager Tony spurned 13 years ago—to Don Cheadle's Col. Rhodes who has a new gig as the stars-and-stripes-studded presidential bodyguard Iron Patriot, the film appears as a sloppy mess likely to meet the same fate as "Iron Man 2." Only when Tony begins to pursue the mystery of the terrorist bombings do all these seemingly disparate pieces begin to come together into what's actually a rather clever story.

Story structure aside, the script does boast plenty of Stark quips in case you worried the directorial turnover from Jon Favreau to Shane Black would alter the tone of the franchise. Not even close. If anything, the "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" director pushes the boundaries of political correctness with some of the dialogue, especially in the scenes in which Tony finds himself teamed up with a 12-year-old boy.

"Iron Man 3" digs deeper into the psychology of Tony Stark, at least more than you'd expect from a blockbuster. Rather than open with an action sequence to get the ball rolling, we get a flashback to when Stark met Pearce's Killian as well as a genetic engineer named Maya played by Rebecca Hall. Things don't really begin to pick up until Tony has his mansion blown into the ocean.

Not unlike "Iron Man 2," the film's action is largely reserved for the grand finale. Still, the amount of special effects shots is probably tripled, and the action sequences when they do come were written to be as unique and memorable as possible, with a skydiving sequence taking the cake. "Iron Man 3" hits big whenever it makes the effort to do so, proving again how Marvel Studios holds a quality entertainment standard rivaled by few.

The "Iron Man" films (and this is partly fault of the comic) lack truly excellent villains. This film sets up Tony Stark's greatest nemesis in the Mandarin, but complicates it in a way you'll never see coming considering how studios and writers have flocked toward villains in the mold of Heath Ledger's Joker from "The Dark Knight."

The movie gambles in that way and in other ways not all audiences will recognize. Take the boy for example. If the film failed on the whole, it would forever be remembered as "the 'Iron Man' movie with Tony Stark and that kid." That's dangerous territory. If "Spider-Man 3" had worked, everyone wouldn't refer to it as "the one with emo Peter Parker."

Nothing gambles more than the script, which spends a lot of time setting up the premise for what it hopes will be an effective payoff. So much of the film seems anecdotal until you see how the pieces fit. Even then, there's no guarantee the audiences will be compelled by the completed puzzle, but "Iron Man 3" goes bold enough to surprise in a good way.

The humor definitely misfires at times and the sense of danger doesn't pervade the film from start to finish, but considering how must third installments have sputtered ("Spider-Man 3," "X-Men: The Last Stand"), it's testament to a number of quality components at work behind the scenes, not excluding "The Avengers," which clearly reenergized Iron Man as a solo character. Without it, no way "Iron Man 3" opens with nearly $175 million after the critical disappointment toward the second.

Few actors have truly created and owned a character like Downey Jr. and Tony Stark. Without him, Iron Man is just a second-class superhero in Marvel's canon. He single-handedly launched Phase One of Marvel Studios' plan and gave audiences a multi-dimensional hero with both despicable and lovable qualities. If he powers down the suit after "The Avengers 2," it'll be the end of an era.

~Steven C

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"Things are different now, I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you."

Since Shane Black has signed to do Iron Man 3 I have been so excited for this picture, and i was already excited enough for Marvel phase 2 after the Avengers. Teaming up once again in his second outing with his Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang lead, and it does not disappoint.

A typical Super hero story, The international terrorist The Mandarin arrives on the scene and causes mayhem across the world, and may have help from some scientist acquaintances from Tony's past. For me Iron man's greatest strength is the casting of Robert Downey Jr. He encapsulates the character so well, the charisma,the humor, the ego so well. If this is to be his last appearance in a stand alone Iron Man. I for one can not think of anyone around at the moment who could take over the role,especially in the inevitable reboot of the franchise. Getting back to this film the cast of iron man has always been top notch with great support characters played by Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, and i could go on. This sequel hasn't gone down the usual route of recent sequels. Not going darker but keeping fun, not going bigger and louder (don't get me wrong there are some big action set pieces) but stripping Tony of the suit for large parts and focusing on the character. There is decent action to be seen, with the destruction of Tony Stark's home, for me being some of the best 5 minutes of intense action i have seen for quite some time. Also Iron man keeps it's good humor and puts in a decent amount of laughs.

The ending of the movie is where i find some problems, as it quite predictable and never built any sense of dread, that the bad guys could win. The bad guys in this film The Mandarin, Aldrich Killian and there Extremis Super soldiers. Which are a major improvement on previous Iron man villains. Seem very intimidating and imposing, but the motivation for there crimes seems a little fuzzy.

A good film by Shane Black in his first foray in to comic book/action, and if it is Downey Jr's last. It's not a bad way to bow out.

The first time I saw this movie I really didn't like it, I had just come off the high of "The Avengers" and let me make it clear, this one isn't as good. That said it is significantly better than Iron Man 2 and that's because the story is deeper and direct. There's a lot less focus on explosions and fancy effects (although there is plenty of that) and more on dialogue and character development.

One thing I like about this movie is that you get to learn more about Tony Stark, as much as I loved his arrogance in IM1, 2 at the end of Avengers he was humbled and that continues in this one. On the one hand I love the suits and the fancy technology but it's Robert Downey's sarcasm and wit that make him so great for this franchise.

Yes there is a big plot twist but it by no means ruins the movie and while I was not a fan of the ending, you can see where things are going towards Avengers 2.

It may not be for you, my only advice is to make sure you watch it again. I was angry the first time I did and thought the movie was a joke, each additional time I've watched it I take something more from it and enjoy it a little more.