Pretty darned good movie

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2013)

I was a little worried about this movie, as the early returns on this page had some pretty excoriating reviews. However, we attended a late- night showing last night, and it prompted me to actually make an account and post a review.
This movie is quite entertaining. Funny, action-packed, and really, a pretty good story. Robert Downey Jr. continues to show why he was the absolute best choice to play Tony Stark in these movies. Razor sharp delivery, and timing, as always. He gets to stretch a little more this time around, with a host of issues chipping away at his cocky exterior. The whole tone, in fact, is much darker than previous Iron Man movies, despite the comedy, with Tony's whole life thrown into turmoil.
The middle does play a bit like a Lethal Weapon movie, with Black falling back on what got him noticed in the first place; comedic interaction with disparate personalities in stressful situations. The scenes with Rhodey and Tony are funny and interesting.
I am now going to use this forum to disagree with some previous reviewers, and here come the spoilers...
First of all, I liked the Mandarin Twist halfway through the movie. I certainly didn't see that one coming! Some have said that this destroys the comics' vision and story. I have been a comic reader all my life, and long ago realized that the stories in the comics are never going to be perfectly true to them when translated to the film medium. Just acknowledging this has allowed me more happiness to enjoy this movie and those like "X-Men: First Class." You get the gist of the comics story, with lots of little inside bits, but things are going to change. I for one am glad there were no 'magical' rings...And, of course, the door is still open for Aldridge to assume the mantle of the Mandarin ("I am the Mandarin") in any future installments.
I also liked the addition of the young kid in the middle act. This provided some of the best comedic moments of the film, and gave something to the character development of Tony Stark.
The third point from previous reviews is Tony's surgery. In my opinion, the reason he did not do this previously was the fact that the chest reactor made him feel like the suit was a part of him. Even if he could have done so, removing the reactor would have somehow made him less Iron Man. His realization that he can be Iron Man, and yet not be a slave to the shrapnel in his chest is a major point.
So...all in all I quite enjoyed this movie. I might have a couple of little quibbles (how come the president couldn't do anything in the IP suit, but Rhodey could trigger the repulsors and fly them away?) but all -in-all, very satisfying. I was entertained by this movie, and really, isn't that the point?