Hype can oft-times get in the way of ones expectations of a film. I’ve read teaser after teaser about how astonishing the third act of Iron Man 3 is. And, while the third act is fantastic, it does pose a few problems for me.

The Avengers set the bar VERY high for how a super hero movie is made. It is going to be tough for any Marvel movie after that to live up to that spectacle. Iron Man, being the first of Marvel Phase 2 is the first to face the scrutiny of that.

Iron Man 3 is solid. Shane Black does a respectable job filling Jon Favreau’s shoes. As well as anyone could. I enjoyed the movie, but, I also had quite a few problems with it.

As a summer tent pole movie. One expects a certain amount of tension and drama and as a director, that definitely needs to be done a certain way. To me, not once did I fear that any character was truly in any danger.

When Happy takes a knee after a blast early in the film, there’s no doubt he’s coming back. And yet the well placed coma gave Tony enough fuel to declare vengeance? I don’t buy it. Take a stand. Take out Happy. You took his job as director, take his job as head of security as well!

I also felt the Pepper in danger stuff was a bit hokey. Yeah, it played into the ending, yada yada, but again, I was not in the least bit fearing for her life. Even when Pepper takes a tumble, there’s no drama there. I don’t see the vengeance in Tony’s eyes there. Inconsistent.

Even the big moment where Operation House Party is initiated… I expected more fanfare. A few more seconds of tension here and there. A few more glimpses of the suits in action… milliseconds. It’s directing. It’s editing. Sooo close. I wanted so badly for that “Hulk” moment that the Avengers had. It was almost there. I saw the spot where it was supposed to be… and it just fizzled.

That being said, there are some fantastic bits and terrific set pieces. The destruction of the palatial Stark mansion in the hills is great. The scenes with the kid were well done. Air Force One. Great stuff. Perfectly shot.

Ben Kingsley is fantastic. Absolutely superb. Earlier today when I heard on the radio, “Call now and tell us who Ben Kingsley plays in Iron Man 3 to win a pair of tickets” Man did they get it wrong! Guy Pearce is always great. Well he usually is, and he plays a fairly decent villain here. Ben Kingsley could have been the high point of the movie for me. He was a perfect fit.

The whole point of Iron Man 3 is to have Tony Stark deal with being the man without the suit. It was done a little half-way. I truly feel with some better editing, a little more tension, and come on, let’s not replace alcoholism with insomnia. It’s not the same thing. Let’s deal with some heavy issues already.

I read that alcoholism was forbidden by corporate because Disney-type parents don’t want their children to see their hero with a bottle in his hand. Perhaps I am wrong and misread… but, Hello… Disney… you would be showing the absolute worst of it. the RIGHT message will be sent out. And, on top of that, I just sat through at least a solid forty on-screen deaths of innocents by gunshots to the face and terrorist explosions… that’s acceptable? Hypocrites.

I know it’s popcorn. I know it’s glossy. But, Shane Black knows gritty. So, Disney, Marvel, take the handcuffs off. Let the man loose and let him do what’s right for the character.

It’s not a bad movie. It probably is the strongest of the three. One was an hour of a man making suits… Two was a mess. And three almost did it. It’s really not bad. But, it’s not the movie I wanted it to be. It could have been so much more. It could have shown the true struggle of a man coping with the world coming apart at the seams. It’s there. Just do it and not pussyfoot around it with insomnia and “anxiety attacks”

One last thing… what was with the cheesy 70s A-Team intro-like end credits?!