Very Disappointing Marvel.

Rating: 4/10 (30 April 2013)

First of all, the plot of this film was so jumpy - didn't know who was where due to bad pacing. One minute he's in Rose Hill - next he's in Miami. Way too disconnected,an unbalanced time frame which failed to suck me in.
In regards to the Mandarin plot twist - well that was just a downright insult to both Iron Man fans and Non-fans alike. WHO in their right mind allowed Shane Black to take the reigns on this one?
Plus the plot twist was revealed way too early, and the fact that they used a terrible comedy scene to reveal it was not the best way to get me drawn into the story. I was instead sat there with a blank expression - I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Tony's resourcefulness I will agree on though - he had various tricks up his sleeve and that's what did it for me, it was one of the few things that kept me interested and one of the only parts of the film that felt like a true Iron Man movie.
The little kid Harley was so generic, I felt like I was watching family home alone movie again. He mainly existed to set Stark up for terrible one liners and did little else except deter the plot awfully.
Maya, Aldridge's assistant, could have been a much more crucial role too - the film spent half the time building her up to become a crucial element to the plot - only to throw her away after her sudden change of heart (you know, after 12+ years working for Aldridge.)
I understand she had become corrupted over a period of time getting lost in her work. So how can the film justify her sudden change of heart after a two sentence speech from Tony? Completely bad plot device and not useful.
The one liners in the film started off as funny, but soon became painfully unfunny and repetitive. It no longer felt like Stark had that classy sarcastic wit - instead he was just throwing out joke after joke which devalued his character we all grew to know and love.
There was so much room for deep, genuine heartfelt scripting and the film just passed these moments up to get a few cheap shock laughs from the audience - most of which didn't even have an impact.
They screwed this one up and I'm glad they aren't doing another one - I was happy with the ending though, it was the only way to truly finish Iron Man in style.
Marvel always has me leaving the cinema with an expression of awe.
But not this time, and for good reason.