Iron Man 3 review

The wait is over - Tony Stark is back in UK cinema screens as Iron Man 3 hit on Thursday and boy, have we all missed that self-confessed genius, billionaire, play-boy and philanthropist.

Being a massive Marvel and general super-hero fan, I could barely wait for the next addition of this adventure to arrive and I was not disappointed. At all. Here is the trailer to give you all a refresher of what to expect...
WARNING - probable spoilers below video.

Rating: 10/10
So we see the irresistible and wonderful Robert Downey Jr return in his fourth outing as Tony Stark/Iron Man - and once again I say whoever did the casting for the first Iron Man deserves a medal; absolute genius.  He fits the role so perfectly, you begin to wonder whether he is actually Tony Stark away from the big screen. It was another stellar performance from the main man - we see a totally different side to the cocky Tony Stark we are now used to seeing in the cinematic Marvel universe. We see Stark struggling to deal with the impact of his near-death experience in Avengers Assemble, and his worries to keep his assistant-turned-girlfriend Pepper Potts (the wonderful Gwyneth Paltrow) safe. It's actually refreshing to see another side to Iron Man, a side that when the first Iron Man arrived, that we wouldn't have expected to have seen but it was wonderfully portrayed by Downey Jr. But don't fret; you of course do see the confident side of Tony Stark we've all grown to love. The film still has all of the funny one-liners and great scenes - it just wouldn't be a Marvel film without them and once again, there are scenes which will have you in stitches. Look out in particular for the duo of Stark with his Colonel friend, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), with wonderfully hiliarious scenes with the pair of them.

But we can't just mention the actors; once again, the script and the visual effects do make the movie as incredible as it is. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen this but there is a MASSIVE plot twist - the villains aren't who you expect and it is wonderfully written, with the plot twist having you gasp in your seats. Mentions must go to the performances of Sir Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce, as the Mandarin and Aldrich Killian - both were fantastic and put in performances that you would not expected had you read the press releases before the film. The twists and turns of this story are really something.

The visual effects once again are stellar - the scenes in particular where all of Tony's Iron Man seats (majority of them unseen until now) arrive to fight, and also when Tony mind controls the newest suit (Mark 42) to attach to him. It's amazing stuff - that is one major part of what makes the film so incredible. The choice of director must also be applauded - the fact that Shane Black had worked with Robert Downey Jr before the film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was always going to work out well, and it really was a good performance from the director. He has made a quite frankly 'awesome' film, which can be viewed as one for all of the family to enjoy.

And I loved this film so much, I have rated 10/10. So if you are into Marvel films, or just like Robert Downey Jr or like the look of the trailer, I implore that you go and watch this film immediately. It is not one to be missed.

Iron Man 3 is out in UK cinemas now, and opens in the USA on the 3rd of May.

Which films are better - Marvel or DC?

Forget the US election - THIS is one debate that has been going for yonks among us superhero geeks around the world. The different comic organisations have released arguably two of this best films separately this year, with both breaking box office records respectively. So I'm here to ask this: which films are better - Marvel or DC? Could Iron Man beat Batman in a fight?

Well let's weigh up the differences between the two. Marvel are quite fun films in my opinion - they do address the whole 'seriousness' of the whole superhero genre, but with added humor. For example, you must have all been in hysterics when the Hulk absolutely pummels the living daylights out of Loki in Avengers Assemble. That is something you wouldn't really see in a DC film. Let's take the fantastic Batman trilogy - they are gritty, serious and perhaps a little more believable than the Marvel films. The Marvel films are all great storylines, but some times, they may not be as believable as possibly Batman is. All of the Batman trilogy are fantastic with Christopher Nolan directing them all fantastically, with a stellar cast. Aside from Christian Bale as a great Batman, I give a lot of credit to Tom Hardy as Bane; that was a great villain in the final film. 

But you could argue that the only films holding DC up at the moment is the Batman trilogy - the other films that they have made have often been let-downs or not as good compared to what Marvel release. The Green Lantern for example; looked absolute amazing in the trailers but the actual film was a let down. Same for Superman Returns. The only films DC have been really releasing recently have been Batman, whereas Marvel you feel have released hundreds. 

I also love the cleverness of how the whole Avengers universe has been written into the recent films - starting back at Iron Man through to Captain America and Thor. It was very very clever done, and you have to give credit to the writers at Marvel. It meant that if you were a die-hard fan (like me), you could watch all of these films and then understand the whole concept and plot behind the Avengers. Brilliant. 

Plus, you get the feeling Marvel has a much bigger cult fan-base than DC do. Yes everyone loved Batman and I thought it was brilliant - but when you get Comic-Con come round the corner, how many people dress up as Batman? If people are cosplaying, it's usually always Marvel characters, and Marvel events. Like the Iron Man exhibit in San Diego this year, which then had the cast of Iron Man 3 onstage, including Mr Downey Jr himself. You get the feeling Marvel is more liked in that sense than Batman.

So who is better - Marvel or DC? In my opinion, I think Marvel just. If DC had released more films which are just as epic as the Batman trilogy, then I'd probably be saying DC. However with only really the Batman trilogy holding DC up, as epic as it is, I prefer Marvel for the amount of great movies they have released and how successful they are. As much as I like the grittiness you get from a Batman movie, I prefer the fun yet serious movies that Marvel always seem to produce. I also love how cleverly written the Avengers universe is - very well done. I have loved both films that were brought out this year by Marvel and DC, but I think Marvel just shaves it for me.

As always, I'd love to hear your opinions about this so I'd love everyone to write a comment underneath saying - Team Marvel or Team DC! Go go go!

PS. I'd also love to hear who you guys want to win the US election. I'm a Brit and doesn't really matter to me but would love to hear - so also leave a note in your comment saying Team Obama or Team Romney! Follow my friend nathangenese for his blog on Election day!