Blue Beetle and Iron Man

Well, the summer movie season has officially kicked off in style with Iron Man 3.  I found the movie to be a big improvement over the second installment, although the first is still my favorite in the trilogy.  I really enjoyed the dialogue and the way the film focused on Tony Stark this time around, who has had to share screen time with lots of other colorful characters in his last two film outings.  The action was very inventive as well, with three major sequences and a lot of cool new gadgets.  Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley seemed to be having a great time in their villainous roles, and they provided some of the more surprising moments. Supporting characters Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts get a little more to do this time around, and  Jon Favreau and Gwyneth Paltrow give solid performances.  The movie is not perfect - it has a slow first half hour of build up and just not enough of Iron Man in costume.  I figured with the head's up display view of the helmet, it wouldn't be an issue, but the movie finds a way to keep Tony out of the suit for much of the running time.  I wish that Rhodey had been a little better utilized as well, Don Cheadle does a lot with what he is given, but the character comes out looking like a bit of a chump. Still, those are small nitpicks and should not dissuade you from checking out Marvel's latest cinematic outing.  It's very interesting where they leave the characters and I am intrigued to see where they go next.