Extremely gratifying and superb in every way!

Rating: Null/10 (25 April 2013)

They took what worked so well in Iron Man and even Iron Man 2 to a degree and ran with it in an extremely gratifying way with this third installment. The complexity, depth, heart and action were even more off the charts than the first film. I totally agree with most of the film critics who are raving about Iron Man 3. It's is not just a great comic book movie but a great movie period. They took the complexities of Tony Stark that they established in movie one, developed in movie two and built upon it masterfully. We get a reformed and guilt ridden weapons manufacturer mixed with an anxiety ridden celebrity who is having trouble living that celebrity life after the events of Iron Man 2 and Avengers. His playboy ways are over but everything else in his life makes little sense to him now. I love that they haven't forgotten where the character has been. It's what makes Marvel really sing and why they have an edge that most other movies don't have or care to cultivate. They also upped the action but the storytelling never suffers for it. Like in 2008, the evolution and growth of the characters is of paramount importance. I was stunned at how they managed to deliver a better film than the last and I'm one that enjoyed Iron Man 2. Anyone wondering why Tony didn't just call his new Avenger/SHIELD buddies that's answered in the film. Also, there's going to be a LOT of talk about certain plot twists but I hope people see it before certain twists are on the Net. Anyway, everything fits together wonderfully and in a moving and exciting fashion.
When I was done viewing this movie, all I could think about was how it instantly stacks up to the all-time great sequels. What I said about classics like Spider-Man 2, X2, Empire Strikes Back, and even Godfather 2 holds true for Iron Man 3. Notice anything about that last sentence? Not many films with the number three are called great. Iron Man 3 will certainly work towards changing that from here on out. It's a great film with or without a number.