I am a huge fan of the original Iron Man, and was extremely excited about going to see this film! But alas, I was also extremely let down when I did. And while Iron Man 3 was not all the way terrible, mostly due to Robert Downey Jr.'s usual stellar performance, it certainly wasn't good by any stretch of the imagination!

This installment tries to match the humor and heart that made the original such a standout success, but fails miserably with lame jokes (that come way to frequently), and "touching" moments that just come off as halfhearted and insincere a midst the never ending barrage of pointless, over the top action scenes (yes, even for the genre).

The antagonist(s) of the film were a major disappointment. Trying not to ruin anything, it seems as though the films creators tried to invent a "new" superpower for audiences that are becoming more and more inundated with superhero mythology, and while their goal was a commendable one, their execution was sorely lacking. These "new" powers, which served as more eye candy than anything, just make absolutely no rational sense whatsoever(again, yes, even for the genre), and in the end, destroyed the "willing suspension of disbelief" which keeps us engaged in a story.

But, in my opinion, the ultimate failure of the film was the "plot", which comes completely unraveled, and devolves into an utter mess by the end of the film. While I have to begrudgingly admit that I did enjoy one of the more original aspects of the story, which again, I won't go into detail about as to not spoil anything for those still wanting to see it, in the end it just wasn't near enough to save what promised to be such a great film.

The trailer for Iron Man 3 did indeed seem to promise a rise from the ashes which was the franchise's disappointing second installment, but once again it just served as yet another example of a Hollywood that's become more obsessed with marketing than making quality films. And while it's not at all surprising, I for one loath the fact that this, at best, mediocre film made the money that it did, as it will only serve to reaffirm the consensus in Hollywood that things like storytelling don't hold a candle next the sheer visceral experience of huge explosions and corny "one liners", especially when they're filmed in 3D!