Tony Stark is pushed to the limits and is asked questions about who he is

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2013)

WARNING! – !!!THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS !!!
NOTE - This film was viewed in 3D. The review will be based solely on the movie itself. How well or not the 3D effects were, will play no part in judging this film.
Phase two of the Marvel film franchise now begins just as phase one did, with Iron Man.
In this instalment Tony Stark is pushed to the limits and is asked questions about who is Tony Stark and how strong is he without Iron Man. Iron Man 3 is set following the aftermath of The Avengers and shows how Stark is coping with what happened in New York.
IRON MAN 3 AKA TONY STARK RISES
The film suffers from the Nolan 'Dark Knight' syndrome that a lot of directors are following of late. Iron Man 3 should really be called Tony Stark Rises, as with 'The Dark Knight Rises' the screen time is mainly devoted to Stark than Iron Man. While also like 'The Dark Kinght Rises' the story does ask questions of Tony Stark the man while Iron Man takes a back seat. The problem with this is the action from Tony Stark can never match that of when he's Iron Man and for that it suffers a little. The overall feel of the film has also changed from the previous titles. This is down to a change in the director this time round, with Jon Favreau sitting this one out to concentrate on playing his character. Shane Black does a decent job and brings much more humour and bigger action to the series.
DOWNEY JR. UPSTAGED
Robert Downey Jr. is once again outstanding as Tony Stark. This should come as no surprise as he showed this by the end of the first Iron Man. He has made this character his own and as through each instalment has just cemented the fact more so. However what will surprise you is that Downey Jr. is upstaged by another this time round. I am talking of Sir Ben Kingsley who plays the villain The Mandarin. Downey's performance is solid with more humour than ever but Kingsley's performance as The Mandarin takes the award. The praise is not for the character of The Mandarin but his other character. Trevor Slattery. Kingsley's performance as Trevor Slattery will not only surprise you but steals the lime light from Downey Jr. For which never returns back.
OPERATION CLEAN SLATE
As the end of the film progresses you get the feeling of closure and ends on an anti-climax that leaves you asking what now? With the next Iron Man film with or without Downey Jr. a new chapter will begin. The events of The Avengers and Iron Man 3 has changed Stark and things will never be the same again. Stark has matured and his goals have changed, this is all evident as the film plays and becomes fact in the closing scenes when Stark commands to J.A.R.V.I.S to start operation 'Clean Slate'.
DOWNEY JR. OUTGROWS IRON MAN SUIT
Iron Man 3 is almost going back to the roots of the first film. Stark must search inside himself and grow in order to fulfil what is required of him. The story is good and the action scenes bigger and better to be more on par with The Avengers. Starks' dialogue is witty and fun only to be out done by Ben Kingsley. In the way the movie wraps up you can't help but think that the next Iron Man films will maybe a reboot to the series. This would mean that Downey Jr. may only play Tony Stark one more time in the upcoming Avenger's Sequel. If that is the case then it will be a shame as Downey Jr. really has set a high benchmark for this character and it won't be easy to replace him. But in the way Iron Man 3 finishes it seems like Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark story has come to an end. At 130 minutes it's the longest film in the series but doesn't feel too long. It's an enjoyable experience only tripped up by little things plot wise and the main disappointment of how little screen time for Iron Man. But with that being said it's still the best film in the series. Be sure to watch after the credits to see a post credit scene as with all the Marvel films.
3D
The 3D effects in this film do it justice in the way that it's not overused and works okay when it needs to. Like some other action films of late where you can see the extra effort put in to show off the 3D effects or a scene shot just for 3D. This is apparent here too with one of the big action scenes where Stark's Malibu home is attacked. But for me the best use of 3D is the scene set at night with the aftermath of an explosion. The falling debris, ash, flames and dust all look great in 3D. Overall the 3D doesn't really add or take anything away.