13 people plummet to certain death, forcibly sucked out of an aeroplane with a gaping hole torn in its side. Iron Man swoops down from the aircraft, just before it explodes, calms a free-falling and screaming stewardess, then gets her to grab another passenger. “Easy, see? 11 more to go,” Tony Stark announces.

Welcome to another day in the life of Mr Tony “I build neat stuff, I’ve got a great girl and occasionally save the world” Stark. The brilliant man who has seemingly everything, (played by Robert Downey Jr.) however, can’t sleep.

Following an identity crisis after the traumatic events of The AvengersStark is visibly distressed. A shadow of his former self, thanks to insomnia and sudden panic attacks, he deals with this by tailoring more suits—42, to be exact. This obsession and social withdrawal estranges him from his girlfriend, and Stark Industries’ new C.E.O, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Cue a narrative flashback to 1999 by Stark, where he pompously stood up disabled geneticist Aldrich Killian (played by Golden Globe Award nominee Guy Pearce) just to sleep with Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), a fellow researcher apparently working on the ‘Extremis’ virus. This proved to be a huge mistake in the future.

Fast-forward to present day United States. An elusive terrorist known as the Mandarin (played by Oscar-winning Ben Kingsley) leaves authorities baffled at the series of bombings he’s responsible for. When Stark Industries security chief Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) becomes a casualty in one of the forceful explosions, Stark brashly challenges the Mandarin without much care for consequence.  In a typical cocky fashion Stark embodies so well, he declares to the world’s media “I’m not afraid of you. No politics here: just good old fashioned revenge.”

Stark quickly finds himself on the run from the Mandarin together with a newly found child sidekick, Harley (Ty Simpkins)­, who’s every bit as snarky and insensitive as the man in the armour himself, providing for plenty of snide remarks exchanged between the 2 egocentric males. Harley constantly pokes fun at Stark’s anxiety issues, and has little regard for his insecurities, reminding viewers of the Tony Stark before he took on the role of a superhero and saviour, Hilarity ensues.

Countless of mirthful moments and action sequences later, we have the finale—a spectacular mish-mash of intense fight scenes, visually stunning explosions, comical side-splitting junctures and killer plot twists that one will find hard to forget.

Keeping fans in mind, director and screenwriter Shane Black, of Lethal Weapon (1987) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) fame, doesn’t disappoint with an abundance of references and surprises throughout the movie. The highlight is undoubtedly the army of Iron Man suits responding to Stark’s call in the battle against Extremis-augmented soldiers, letting us fans (yes!) have a first look at the highly anticipated Hulk Buster armour in addition to Rhodey’s (Don Cheadle) newly fashioned Iron Patriot suit.

On the other hand, one may question Black’s almost blasphemous portrayal of the Mandarin, however entertaining of a depiction that might be. (SPOILER ALERT) Successfully surprising movie-goers with one hell of a plot twist, The Mandarin is eventually revealed to be an inebriated British actor hired to fool the public and Iron Man himself. Deviating dramatically from the character we know from the comics, this might prove to be a move that could potentially put off hardcore Marvel fanatics who are used to a brutally evil yet honourable megalomaniac on print. However, this bold move just might have been saved by Ben Kingsley’s brilliant performance in the film, proving the 69-year-old veteran actor to be a valuable addition to the already stellar cast.

Set design and visual effects were richly intense and flashily flamboyant, the epitome of which being the scene where Stark’s mansion’s blown to pieces. With armed helicopters firing rockets and bullets indiscriminately, reducing Stark’s multi-million dollar home to mere rubble one explosion at a time, it’s definitely a captivating experience, enhanced even further in 3D screenings, albeit a tad overdone ever so often.

More of a standalone film, Iron Man 3 is a vast improvement from the previous 2 Iron Man films, being a lot more creative and convivial, and almost on par with prequel The Avengers, which may have been due to the fact that Shane Black was directing instead of Jon Favreau.However, Iron Man 3 falls short when compared to DC’s The Dark Knight, which had a much more serious and relatable tone. Nonetheless, it is still a skillfully executed superhero movie.

As with its predecessors, costume design was flawless. With 42 different Iron Man armours to ogle at, don’t be surprised to hear an occasional squeal from Marvel fan boys watching the movie.

In a turn for the worse, suits weren’t the only things in excess in the film. It feels like Black and Downey might have overdone it with the copious amount of humour and jesting, leaving little room for introspective moments with the latter’s character even though the film revolved mostly around his identity crisis. Perfect opportunities to develop Stark’s character emotionally and show a softer, more sensitive side of him were wasted on sometimes-overindulgent comedic interjections.

Despite the various setbacks that hinder the depth of the film, Marvel has executed the visual effects perfectly and presents an enjoyable rollercoaster ride of a movie. Storylines are typically not Marvel’s strongest assets with regards to the big screen, but if you immerse yourself in the sights and sounds rather than the plot, Iron Man 3 could be one of the most polished blockbusters of 2013—for both amateurs and diehards alike.

Rating: 3.5/5

Release Date: Apr 25

Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins

Language: English

Censorship Rating: PG 13

Genre: Action / Science Fiction

Director: Shane Black

Main Actors: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley