If there is to really be an Avengers 2...well then, this is a bad start!

Rating: 5/10 (17 June 2013)

I loved the first Avengers films and really enjoyed the first two Iron Man films, even if I have no nostalgic attachment to the character of Tony Stark. I had decided before the release of this film, to not watch any trailers and to have no idea of what movie to expect. Seeing as this review has come a little late, it will be SPOILER HEAVY! I was thoroughly disappointed by this film and would call it the worst of the trilogy...yes, worse than Iron Man 2.
SPOILER HEAVY: Since the events of 'The Avengers' and the alien attack of NY, Tony Stark has faced nightmares but only realizes that his nightmare is about to get worse as the Mandarin has shown his face and has begun to cause chaos. Tony Stark must find the Mandarin who turns out to simply be a drunk, idiotic actor playing out the bodyguard role.
The first hour had some laughs and had some good action and overall was heading off in a nice direction, even if the pacing was rather slow. The jokes came together nicely and I was expecting something nice and a great second half. However, the moment the plot twist happens I come to realize that there is no way that this film could pick itself up again. "Why do we fall?" "To show Iron Man 3 that we can pick ourselves up again" This plot twist is so absurd and such a slap in the face to Iron Man comic fans who have grown to love the villain, The Mandarin. Without being a fan of Iron Man, I myself found the entire second half of the film pretty bad.
The Mandarin's presence was definitely felt and I expected something that would end perfectly with some fun action, a sense of intensity and purpose but following the twist, the jokes went dry, the action sequences became rather engaging and Guy Pearce's villain was completely uninteresting and just not the same threat of the drunk actor.
This proves that Director Shane Black gave no consideration as to how his audiences may have felt, seeing as many were fans of Iron Man and the Mandarin. The overall direction that the film takes is poor. A great first half and a very poor second half.
Robert Downry Jr is fantastic as Tony Stark, and he will always be. Ben Kingsley was just brilliant as the drunk idiot and Guy Pearce did a great job, even if his character wasn't anything. Visually, this movie looks gorgeous and the attack on Stark's house and saving the passengers on the plane scenes were breathtaking however nothing else in the film comes off as memorable.
Iron Man 3 suffers from poor writing, poor execution and just a terrible plot twist that makes what could possibly have been one of the best 2013 films, one of the most disappointing. This plot twist made me appreciate the twist in The Dark Knight Rises all the more...something which I hated.