A great beginning to phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2013)

Iron Man 3 had a lot to live up to, coming off of, one of if not the, best superhero movies ever. Does it succeed? Yes. Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?(Disney) The script is really good, it contains great dialogue, a good interesting plot, great humor and wit, and a bad ass plot twist (More on that later). Robert Downey Jr. is once again incredible as Tony Stark, and everyone else in the cast does good in their roles as well, especially Ben Kingsley. And the film also contains some bad ass action scenes and great special effects. Now to address fan complaints. First of all: This is a look at Tony Stark's character, a look at in his inner demons. Those of you complaining about him not being in the suit enough: You are damn morons. Like, you really need constant action? And now the big one: The plot twist (Spoiler Alert!!!! Please move on to next paragraph if you don't want the plot twist laid out of you). This is a movie IDIOTS!!!!!!!! Naturally they are going to change crap. Let's be honest here: if they had stuck to the comics, and had a stereotypical Chinese terrorist going "Ah, Iron Man, ah" China and the rest of Asia would have been in an uproar. You know why? Cause the character of the Mandarin was based off of Asian stereotypes. And comic books and movies are a completely different medium, you have to expect some stuff to change. And the Mandarin story line in the comics was honestly pretty cliché and predictable. This is THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE, not the comics. You want the comics? Read the comics. There are a few problems though: The true villain is kind of generic, and the pacing of the film is a little bit too fast for my taste. Iron Man 3 is a great summer blockbuster, a great entry into Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that kicks it off with a bang, and a worthy follow up to the Avengers.