Finally, Iron Man versus the Mandarin

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2013)

Iron Man Three has the unique distinction of being a part of not just the Iron Man Trilogy, but also of the Marvel Universe in general and has to fit in seamlessly there, while still holding its own as a stand-alone film.
Does it perform under such pressures? To a very large degree, yes.
The plot follows Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) facing the consequences of his own rash actions in the past, forcing him to take on his biggest enemy yet, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). In the process, Tony goes on a self-discovery journey, makes a few friends and rekindles his spark with Pepper Potts (Gweneth Paltrow) Usually, in the third part of a trilogy, it is an obligation to break down the hero before he rises up to discover what he truly is. Keeping this in mind, the physical attacks on Tony Stark are absolutely mind-blowing but the psychological damage on him seems extremely forced and unimpressive.
The Trailers showed a few scenes of the destruction of the Stark Mansion, but nothing can prepare you for the visuals that you will end up seeing. Director Shane Black manages to set up a mammoth canvas to paint a rich, vivid and absolutely smashing film.
The film deftly switches between the various layers and story lines while being coherent. The action sequences are exemplary and the performances by Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian) and Ty Simpkins (Harley the kid) are very good. Gweneth Paltrow has more to do in the movie as does Don Cheadle (Colonel Rhodes aka War Machine aka Iron Patriot). Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan) is also given decent screen space and performs admirably.
But, while many factors have worked in its favor, the film suffers from a few flaws as well. The dialog is not as crisp or witty, the laugh out loud moments are few and far apart. Most importantly, the film creates a vicious set up that is let down by an elaborate but weak climax.
Also, there remains a nagging thought that Ben Kingsley as Mandarin had the capacity to truly strike fear a la Heath Ledger as The Joker. Instead all he became was a victim of a script twist. Fans of the Comic books will know that Mandarin is the Arch-Nemesis for Iron Man and what becomes of him is extremely disappointing.
Still, the film has managed to salvage itself from the debacle that was Iron Man 2 and hats off to Shane Black for creating something of such epic proportions.
P.S. One would have wished that the end credits scene contained some reference to the Guardians of the Galaxy Movie or maybe even Ant Man. But its worth the wait, nonetheless.