Weakest of the series

Rating: 5/10 (6 May 2013)

I am a big comics fan and have sucked up the last few years output, thoroughly enjoying the first two Iron Man films, along with Thor, CA, IH and culminating with the Avengers Assemble last year. Due to my anticipation of Man of Steel, I actually didn't get caught up in the IM3 hype- machine so when I went last night I had not too many expectations.
There are some good things about the film which I'm sure others will list, but I need to focus on the flaws as ultimately it is these that have outweighed the good aspects in my opinion.
1. The Armour. Mk 42 as we are now up to is very clever but feels insubstantial. I know it is meant to be light and more maneuverable but.....
2. The Mandarin. Love Ben Kinsgley. Loved Mandarin until they ruined it. What on earth was all that about? Why go to the trouble of creating a genuine menace and part of Iron Man's actual history only to discredit him entirely and produce a moment that can only detract from the films credibility? Not going into detail but this was a massive boo-boo in my opinion.
3. Extremis. Not explained sufficiently and the whole premise felt airy-fairy.
4. Finale. Great to see all of those Armour's, but where did all of the Extremis guys come from? There was no hint at any point that there were as many as this - having only shown documentation for 4 or 5 that we had seen during the film. There was no reveal that actually the program was quite extensive until the battle itself.
Aside from these main points, it felt very slow in the middle and not a lot happens.
I don't know whether it is the Avengers 'effect', but it doesn't feel right mentioning aliens and New York in an Iron Man film. I know it is unavoidable, but Iron Man has always felt more grounded than this. Even the flashbacks to the A film felt wrong!
There were a few other bits I didn't like but can't be bothered to list them right now but suffice it to say I was disappointed by this outing. I hope it is a blip as I love IM and RDJ but my love is not blind!...
Also, IMDb needs to ensure its grammar database is up to date and correct. It has forced adjustments and edits to my post which were unnecessary.