I don't rate Robert Downey Junior and I hate Tony Stark. I've never liked Iron Man and I never understood why everyone likes him.
But it seems that (shock horror) I was wrong. Iron Man Three is a great film, on a par with the Avengers. Tony Stark has lost a bit, but not all of his annoying pretentiousness. The humanity he shows in this film unbinds Tony Stark from not only his over-inflated ego, but also his suit for most of the film. This is what makes the film better than the rest. It seems that Tony Stark is indeed a real person, one who can be vulnerable and loving, protective and 'normal'. The panic attacks he suffers in this film make him endearing and his not being in a suit for most of the film allows RDJ to show off his acting ability.
And, James Badge Dale as Eric Savin! Wow, I love him. I have followed James Badge Dale's career for a while and I think he's a great actor. His intense stare makes for a great baddie. Guy Pearce is strong as Killian and I think that Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts had her best film yet.
Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin was great, until the twist, then he wasn't.
The suits are cool, the destruction of Stark's home is stunning and I loved how Stark's suit was killing people before he even got into it. Some pretty amazing special effects really set this film up with the better superhero films. Special mention for Paul Bettany as Jarvis. We love Jarvis.
I hope they don't make another one. Time for RDJ to hang up his suits and go out on a high.