High-octane return to form for the Iron Man movie series

Rating: 7/10 (28 April 2013)

Kudos to Iron Man 3 for avoiding the third-superhero-movie curse. Marvel's "Phase 2" is off to a great start, with a movie that feels perfectly stand-alone, and which delivers character-centric, lighthearted action.
The script starts off a bit rambling and all over the place, but it doesn't take very long for big action set pieces to roll in and make us cheer for Tony Stark. Not that we need a lot to cheer him: Stark is as charming and funny as ever, and he steals the show every second he's on screen.
The action is loud and imaginative; the character angst is amped up and the stakes are high. This is a cool summer action superhero flick, much better than Iron Man 2. My only disappointment is the Mandarin, who starts as a very strong visual presence, but turns into something less impressive than I hoped.
I'm curious to see other Phase 2 movies, now. I may not collect Marvel superhero comics any longer, but I sure feel like I'm subscribed to Marvel movies. As long as they make them all like this--focused, lighthearted, fun, and character-driven--I'll keep on watching.