For full review in Norwegian, visit student media in Trondheim at dusken.no. These are just some expanded thoughts on the film.

It was scary, going into this film, because how on earth could it be good? The third one in the series, the fourth appearance of Tony Stark – not counting the post-credit scene in The Incredible Hulk. How could I not feel a sense of disappointment?

When I left the cinema, however, I was still in shock. Had I enjoyed it? A part of me was slowly realising that not only had I enjoyed it, but I had enjoyed it more than the previous installment. Could this be possible? Surely, I was fangirling, blind to reality. I checked a few online resources and felt an enormous sense of relief: I wasn’t alone, Iron Man 3 was being praised as the best in the series by some.

In many ways it is, because it manages to have Tony Stark as Tony Stark, with all his faults and problems and awesomeness, and have him actually dealing with the consequences of that fact. The Mandarin, portrayed epically by Ben Kingsley, is one of the most memorable villains in the Marvel films (excluding, as always, Loki). Guy Pearce gets to be creepy-suave and Paltrow proves yet again that you can be a superhero’s girl without having to just lie about waiting to be rescued.

Iron Man 3 seems to do the impossible. It’s awesome and full of kick-assery, yet smaller in scale than The Avengers, as it had to be. It’s an incredibly organic and “realistic” continuation of the story of Tony Stark.

Dice roll: 5