Exciting, tense, funny - an all round hit! Marvel gets it right again!

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2013)

After the incredible success of the Avengers it's fair to say a stand alone Marvel superhero movie had a lot to live up to. With new director Shane Black at the helm who knew what to expect from Iron Man 3 but in my opinion it was a blinding success!
By far the best of the three movies, Iron Man 3 is heart-racing, mouth- gaping, visually stunning and surprisingly hilarious! Shane Black has done a brilliant job, and I liked the way he focused the story more on Tony Stark than Iron Man. We see Tony as an individual.He is struggling with the fallout of the Avengers' battle in New York, his relationship with Pepper has become extremely strained, he distances himself from Rhodey (a brilliantly cast Don Cheadle) as well as fighting his own personal battles as Tony admits in the opening monologue "we create our own demons"
Not giving Tony anytime to think is the villainous Mandarin (played by Ben Kingsley, or so it would seem) who arrives on the scene to "teach America a lesson" through violent terrorist attacks. Also causing Tony problems is the shady scientist Aldrich Killian (portrayed excellently by the wonderful character actor Guy Pearce) who apparently has a hidden agenda against Tony, from the "history" the two have. The film is exciting from start to finish as the audience watched Tony trying to cope with these powerful new threats, his own problems, and the anxiety that arises from putting on the Iron Man suit, all building to an awesome climax upon which rests the safety of the world. No pressure then.
Full of outstanding effects, most notably the astonishing siege on Stark's mansion, and a brilliant script filled with zippy one liners, most seen between Stark and Harley a small boy he befriends. These scenes show Downey Jr's unbelievable charisma and abilities as a comic actor. Also hilarious and deservedly given more screen time is Stark's driver and best friend Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).
The relationship between Tony and Pepper is also captured well by Black , this movie feels much more emotional and human than the first two, an all round great achievement, with new additions to the cast Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall all proving themselves excellent choices.
Now Marvel has gotten us all excited again, we anticipate and speculate what surprises will be in store for us with the release of Thor 2 due later this year, and a teasing post-credit scene that leaves us drooling over the prospect of Avengers 2 but I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for that one.