Not without flaws but still a hugely entertaining ride.

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2015)

**Spoilers**
I'll dive right in and start by addressing the obvious elephant in the room by which I mean Iron Man 3's many questionable plot points and outright flaws. Following on from 2012's stunning dream team-up The Avengers, Iron Man 3 had the unenviable task of picking up the pieces and going solo again.
My first nitpick is Tony Stark's PTSD regarding his flight through a wormhole above New York. A man who has an innate ability to predict the future (for aside from his mechanical genius that is Stark's 'power') would surely be well equipped mentally to cope with the revelation that aliens are indeed out there. His breakdown due to this one factor is something that doesn't smack of the comic book Tony Stark. I simply don't buy his anguish.
Another jarring choice is the difference between pre-Extremis Killian and his super- powered version. A more subtle physical performance for the pre-enhanced version would have been preferred from Guy Pearce. And whilst on the subject, the level of power that Extremis gives its subjects is pushed just too far. Rapid regeneration and the ability to heat up to 1,000s of degrees is just taking things too far to remain wholly believable. These guys make the T-1000 look tame. A little more restraint is all I'm asking.
Another nitpick is the last line which was changed from the scripted one. One of the film's better ideas is taking Tony Stark and stripping him of his suits but even without them he's still a guy who can make something out of nothing and survive, he still is Tony Stark yet the closing line of "I am Iron Man" as opposed to the original line of "I am Tony Stark" is a bizarre choice and in a way prevents Tony's story arc coming full circle.
These are personal nitpicks and some may see other major plot points as flaws and whereas I once did, I've now come to appreciate some of Shane Black's more bold choices. So let's deal with the main one, The Mandarin. Whilst I was with the majority initially and hated the big twist now I see it as a stroke of genius and very brave writing. Killian himself addresses the matter when he says, "You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a Bin- Laden, a Gaddafi, The Mandarin, you hand people a target." It's all there in that one line, The Mandarin was the ultimate decoy. And let's be honest about the Mandarin from the comics, he's an outdated Fu-Manchu racial stereotype that borders on being offensive. And let's not take any credit away from Sir Ben, as both The Mandarin and Trevor Slattery he's just pure entertainment.
What IM3 gets right it does so with aplomb. The film's humour is spot-on most of the time and typical of a Shane Black film. The three main action scenes (there are lots more besides) are a masterclass in frenetic, well staged and jaw-dropping action. The helicopter attack on the Malibu house is superb and the Air Force One skydiving rescue scene is phenomenal and one of the greatest set-pieces I've ever seen, the majority of it filmed for real with only minor CG enhancements. The final House Party Protocol battle is the stuff of fanboy dreams and is wholly satisfying. Apart from Tony then blowing up all his suits that is. Bum move Stark, you might need those soon!
So in summary it's a film that fires along at a cracking pace and thoroughly entertains if you can ignore some of its more questionable plot choices. For me it's the most entertaining of the three Iron Man films and one that I initially disliked but have now grown to love. It stands up to repeat viewings as much as any of the best MCU films. I still lament Marvel's avoidance of some the darker elements from the books relating to Stark's alcoholism which would give RDJ an opportunity to really stretch his acting muscles and give extra depth to the character. The film's mis-steps are often significant and have irked many a hardcore Marvel fan but they're mostly forgivable when you take into account just how very high those many high points are.