By SCOTT IWANIEC

Contributing Writer

Going into Iron Man 3, I was like a child on Christmas morning. Being a huge fan of all of the Avengers movies and familiar with its source material, I had my expectations for this movie, but did it meet these expectations?

To start off, here’s crucial advice EVERYONE going to see this movie should keep in mind:

1. The trailer is VERY misleading. Do your very best to forget about the trailer. Walk into the movie with a blank slate and no assumptions.

2. Keep an open mind.

With that being said, I am proud to say Iron Man 3 is a great way to kick off Marvel Phase 2 and the summer movie season. First and foremost, the director change is apparent. Shane Black takes this movie into a completely different direction than Jon Favreau’s first two installments. This movie explores the character of Tony Stark’s emotional depth in a way that we have never seen in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, or The Avengers. It is slow, but savory; however, this doesn’t mean it is without laughs.

As dark and surprisingly complex as it is, Shane Black doesn’t fail to add the laughs we crave. In fact, this may be the funniest of all the Iron Man movies, despite having the least amount of jokes (quality over quantity people!). The same goes for the action. Similar to The Dark Knight Rises, this is mostly about the person wearing the suit, rather than the superhero himself. It does have significantly less of Iron Man in it, but the action we do see tops that of any Iron Man movie before it.

Not to say this is without problems. The villains remain to be rather vague, despite a frightening performance by Ben Kingsly in the first act of the film. Speaking of the villains, about 45 minutes into the film comes a huge plot twist that will make you either love the film, or hate it. There is no doubt in my mind this twist will anger a lot of people, especially hardcore fans of the source material, hence why I said “keep a VERY open mind”. At the same time, I do know people who enjoyed this twist.

My final verdict: Iron man 3 is a really great experience, but a much different experience than before. Its level of character is absolutely superb and makes for a great and intriguing time. My prediction is the fan base opinion will be divided over the plot twist, which I will not name. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Avengers movies, but warn you that hardcore comic fans may be disappointed. Regardless, it is a must see.

P.S. 3D doesn’t really add much. Go see it in 2D; it’s not worth the extra $3, and as always, stay after the credits.