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Iron Man 3

This Japanese poster seems to suggest this will be the last outing for the titular Iron Man/Tony Stark character (さらば　- 　アイアンマン。= Farewell Iron Man) but as long as the box office continues to ching-ching, I'd say that's a premature assumption. Certainly, he'll reappear in the next Avengers movie at least. And I kind of hope he doesn't disappear. He's one of the most likeable 'superheroes' I've seen - a flawed smart-arse who runs like a 'suit' avoiding the rain and reacts to surprises with either a cocked eyebrow or a look of exasperated acceptance. All credit must go to Downey Jr. for this - he's good in other films but this is his Harry Potter or Alan Partridge, he may never be able to shake this role.

But the film itself? I'd have to say it's better than it's immediate predecessor but not quite as good as the original. Kind of what you'd expect from a third installment. The script has some gems but at the same time seems to play it a little safe, especially towards the end. I do like the fact that the thematic slant seems to be against 'big business' rather than any foreign foes, the whole series has been ostensibly set up this way. This is part of the reason I despised Captain America so much - that and the main character is a prime twat.

By far the highest card Iron Man 3 pulls is this fella below. Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin is immense and it sits just below Don Logan in Sexy Beast as his best creation. He really is fantastic, I can't think of a better comic book movie villain (X-Men's Magneto, maybe....). Guy Pearce is quite good too as a live action rendition of Syndrome from The Incredibles. You'll get the idea once you've seen the film - I don't think that's a spoiler. An enjoyably clever popcorn flick. Worth a look (if only for Kingsley).

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