Good Action sequences. Disappointing Villain. Jon Favreau would have done justice

Rating: 4/10 (26 April 2013)

After going into the theater having seriously high expectations, I was disappointed. Not to outrightly dismiss the movie, let's discuss the pros:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man is just brilliant. He breathes life into the character like no other. Undoubtedly one the reasons why i was generous with the 4 star rating.

Ben Kingsley as Mandarin. OMG! He gave me goosebumps. He's the reason I watched the movie. Those Aviator goggles, that terrifying militant persona and the ten rings. He nailed the Mandarin look. Extremely disappointing how they turned down his character. Trevor? Seriously? Here was an opportunity to deliver one of the greatest villains in history, and they turned it down. Shame on you Marvel.

The short lasting, but quite outstanding action sequences were immense fun while they lasted. Although Jon Favreau put the CGI to much better use, this movie did well too in that department. The Malibu mansion take-down was action-packed and filled with tension, because at the back of it all, was Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. You could feel his inclination for terror in every strike, and the gravity of the attack because he wanted to kill Iron Man for good. It wasn't Killian that terrified the audience, it was Ben Kingsley's Mandarin. Also, The finale, ruined of course by the lame extremis Killain villain, was still pretty action packed, and pepper potts kicked some major ass!

Now, the Only Con, the final blow, which ruined the film for me and my expectations, is this:

Adrich Killian as the Mandarin?! Why, Shane Black, Why? Iron Man comics have had some really good plots and story lines and Killian could easily be the Mandarin with the extremis powers he possesses. But God, how can you just dismiss Ben Kingsley's Mandarin? How? That crazy accent, the furious terrorist demeanor, those ten rings, did that mean nothing in the end? He is Iron Man's nemesis, not those jerk off extremis soldiers. They may stand as good foes, but an incredible villain has been wasted, and it is a pity, for my faith in comic book movies has been lost again, & it would now take another Christian Bale comic adaption to revive it. Extremely disappointing.

Overall, good action sequences, great chemistry between pepper and stark, Guy Pearce plays Killian and the extremis villain well, but disappointing character development regarding Maya & the Mandarin, and a great villain wasted, which ruined the movie for me, greatly over weighing all the pros. Watch it once for fun's sake.