We start with something pure, something exciting. Then we make some mistakes, compromises. That’s where our demons come in… Demons we make ourselves.

After returning home from his adventure with the Avengers, Tony Stark struggles to deal with the demons within him. A terrorist who is committing the perfect crimes requires Iron Man to save the president, the country and the ones he loves. Stark fights to be the hero he wants to be while being hindered by his own anxieties and desire to change.

This movie touched on several other points of Stark’s story, which may come from Iron Man’s newest director/writer, Shane Black. He has had a wealth of experience in writing past action films, but they were years ago and not well known. He has only directed one other movie. However, with having such limited experience with directing in his past, he did a phenomenal job with Iron Man 3.

Tony Stark is Iron Man. Everyone knows that. Without his suit, he’s a billionaire playboy philanthropist, but is he still a hero? That’s what this movie is about. Along with the good guy fighting the bad guy while trying to save the girl, this plot has something different. The audience watches as Tony struggles against his demons, inside and out. He is forced to outwit and overcome himself and the villains. He suffered from anxiety attacks from the things he couldn’t explain when there was a world outside his mind he needed to save.

Robert Downey Jr. was born to play the part of Iron Man. He faced a difficult challenge of altering the character from a strictly cocky character to one that is vulnerable and has several dramatic moments. There was a new Tony Stark in this film, a scared one, like a cornered animal full of fear. He accomplished that feat perfectly. His comedic timing is on point and he created a balance between dramatic and funny that made the movie entertaining all the way through.

Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, becomes more heroic, funny and amazing than ever before. Her role as Tony Stark’s girlfriend transforms into a much greater one. Pepper gets a taste of the battlefield and shows a side to her never before seen on past Iron Man sets. She even puts on a suit of her own for a bit.

Paltrow brings an entirely new Pepper to the next installment of the Iron Man series. Her humor is very prominent, and her dramatic scenes are perfect, which only improves the plot. Paltrow does an excellent job portraying the serious girlfriend as well as the hidden hero within.

Jarvis, voiced by Paul Bettany, is the real hero. Along with providing a large amount of humor throughout the film and just being awesome, Jarvis was the source of the most epic moments. His presence in the movie was greater than in the other two installments, and he made all the difference. It unified Tony with his technology in a way that provides an understanding for the viewer of why Tony has such a connection and boarder line obsession with it.

Guy Pierce plays one of the villains Aldrich Killian, a newly introduced character who did not meet the expectations that most have for what a villain should be. The way the character was written was odd, but the performance was not the best either. The way he said his lines and attempted to be witty and dramatic at the same time just didn’t work. It came off as awkward and comical when it should have been intense and dramatic.

Killian was, in a way, ridiculous. Although the regeneration abilities for him and his minions were pretty epic, his awkward one liners and the absence of an actual plausible evil scheme took away from the impact of the plot. His plan was never explained and really had no point other than to control the president for some unknown reason that we can only assume has something to do with taking over the world seeing as how that seems to be the general go to plan for villains.

The “Mandarin” played by Ben Kingsley, who has played dramatic roles in films such as “Schindler’s List” and “Gandhi,” demonstrated his comedic chops and provided a hilarious character. His portrayal of a strangely motivated villain was everything it needed to be. He was overly dramatic which worked for the character.

The score for this movie was okay at best. The choice of music in the funny moments really added to the humor but during the epic fight scenes the music didn’t seem to add anything. The music was forgettable in moments when it should have shined through. It merely hid in the background of the fights rather than providing any impact.

One must understand, Marvel is opening a new cinematic universe that may or may not follow the past comic books stories. Hard core comic book fans should get over it. It does not take away from the movie, plot or the fact that this is an amazing super hero adaptation. Stan Lee provided his stamp of approval through his usual cameo appearance, this time as a perverted old man judging a beauty contest, which was a testament to his own humor and epicness.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

We love Iron Man. Not because of the suit, even though the suit or suits in this movie are pretty awesome, but because of his intelligence and charm. He is the guy who can say anything and get away with it and the one Marvel comic book hero who proved that you don’t have to have super natural powers to be a hero.

Tony Stark will return…