A Visual Feast, But a Disappointment to Hardcore Iron Man Fans.

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2013)

I'm a big Iron Man fan, read the comics, got the toys, watched the animated stuff (yeah, even the first direct-to-DVD one where he battles Mandarin possessing some girl's body). Just saw the third installment of Iron Man in all its IMAX 3D glory. I tried to love it really... see behind the flaws... honestly it was a bit of a let down.
First off, the movie is based on the Extremis comics arc by Ellis and Granov, with shades of The Five Nightmares story arc by Fraction and Larroca. If you were expecting some Dark Knight mood and tone in this movie, you've got it all wrong. Among the 3 Iron Man movies, this one's got the most humor and heartwarming moments (think Real Steel). The action sequences, especially the final battle has some of the most innovative fight choreography in Superhero movie history (only second to Scott Pilgrim IMO). Love the new Mark 42 suit and Iron Patriot... and we get to see Stark being a bad ass without the armor, relying on wit, and yeah... his very own fighting skills.
I'd rate this 7.5 (for the entertainment factor) out of 10 The biggest problem the movie has is probably the villain... Mandarin. If you are an avid Iron Man comic reader, Mandarin is the baddest of the bad. Whenever Stark and Mandarin clash... it's a battle of epic proportions. Mandarin is Iron Man's arch nemesis, his contrapello. So disappointed in how he was handled in this movie. The Ten Rings reference in the first movie that has so much potential seem to have been forgotten in this new installment. I stayed up until the end credits, hoping for a Mandarin retribution / redemption scene, instead we get a Banner / Stark moment that doesn't really push things forward.
Aldrich Killian's motives are also a blur. No real focus on his intentions (maybe just create chaos). Could just be old-fashioned revenge for what happened years ago... but that setup was really lame. And that dragon tattoo... felt that it really came from nowhere.
I was entertained... will be seeing this movie a few more times just because I already got tickets for it. It's a nice wrap up to the franchise (they probably would cook up a fourth one though). 7.5 out of 10 rating.