Okay, I've returned from seeing Iron Man 3, and I recommend it. All of the performances were top notch, as were, of course, the effects. The kid was very good, as was the entire section where Stark has to do without the suit. And while I found parts of the story line predictable, they were no less enjoyable, especially the climactic one featuring Pepper.
However, the major plot twist involving one of the characters-- though carried off well--I did not like at all.
It was one of several elements that seemed to have been placed in the story to "wrap up" the trilogy. All of these pissed me off.
While I have had no problem with previous revisions to Marvel characters in the translation to film, in this case, fealty to the strictures of the "three picture deal" over cannon seemed to dictate plot elements specifically written to end the series. The final credits ran over stills and clips from all three movies and even the "Tony Stark will return" message at the end said only that.
Downey, of course, hinted that he wouldn't be back--and since he made more money than God with his back-end Avengers percentage deal--that may be true, though he is expected to be in Avengers 2. Even so, the script shouldn't have queered things in terms of character elements and villains for someone else going forward. So while I recommend the film, I didn't like it. But then I could just be jaded after The Avengers.
