“Iron Man 3” always had a lot to live up to. Being the finale to its own trilogy is difficult enough seeing as how many trilogies end on a bad note, as well as a pseudo-sequel to the third highest grossing movie of all time, “The Avengers,”  the odds were against this film managing to satisfy the expectations that come from its predecessors, especially after the lackluster second installment. I’m here to tell you that it absolutely exceeds these expectations. “Iron Man 3” is the best film in the trilogy and a worthy follow-up to “The Avengers.”

The plot revolves around Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) trying to overcome his feelings of inferiority and anxiety following his traumatic near-death experience in New York with the Avengers. He has been upgrading not only his suits, but himself. Unfortunately he begins alienating those closest to him, especially the one most important to him, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). His insecure, frail state comes at a time when a new terrorist threat by the name of the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is threatening America and Tony makes himself a target. The reappearance of past mistakes Tony made while he was still an immature playboy in the years before his kidnapping by terrorists in the first movie return to haunt him as well. What follows is an epic superhero thriller filled with political intrigue, high-tech sci-fi action, fire-powered super soldiers, and more Iron Man suits than you can count.

Director Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”), replacing the previous director of the first two movies, John Favreau, utilizes his background in action-comedies to create the darkest, most action-packed, and funniest film in the series. This film pushes Tony and his allies to their limits, with the need for many daring escapes and rescues, gives us the most breathtaking and fun action sequences seen in the series, and it gives us the most laugh-out-loud moments. It’s impressive how well-balanced everything is, with comedy being thrown in during highly dramatic scenes without ruining the tension. Black was very well-suited to this type of movie and it’s great to see his individual signature as a filmmaker shine through, meaning that despite the amount of money being used to make these movies and the corporate ownership of Disney, those who actually make the movies will still have their identities and unique qualities shine through.

The cast is also brilliant, as these Marvel movies have been very good at casting. Robert Downey, Jr. reprises the role of Tony Stark for the fourth time, and it’s exactly what you expect. He has this role down to a science, being the role that revitalized his career he plays it just as strongly as ever, with just right amounts of heroism, snarkiness, and seriousness required to play the role, and I don’t think anyone could play it as well once he retires from the role.

Gwyneth Paltrow continues to shine as Pepper Potts, the pillar which holds him up and the chain that keeps him grounded. She manages to be equal to Robert Downey, Jr. at all times, never letting him overshadow her. Pepper has always been the stronger of the two emotionally, and you can truly believe that Tony Stark needs her. Her character really gets put to the test like never before, being involved with the fight against Tony’s enemies in a more direct way than in previous films.

Ben Kingsley plays a truly effective and awe-inspiring villain, being a sort of combination of major terrorists and dictators such as Osama Bin Laden and Kim Jong Il; he is truly someone to fear. Guy Pearce (“Prometheus,” “Memento”) is great as always as Aldrich Killian, a genius blown off by Stark in the past, along with Rebecca Hall (“Parade’s End”), who plays genius botanist and one-night-stand, Dr. Maya Hansen. You really can believe that they are super-scientist geniuses and they are great at portraying how Tony Stark will never truly be free of the consequences of his past debauchery, no matter how much he changes.

Unfortunately, the one cast member who gets the short shrift is Don Cheadle, who is sorely wasted as Colonel James Rhodes, AKA War Machine AKA Iron Patriot. He never once gets to use his suit in a fight, and his character is mostly played for laughs, not getting a character arc of his own like the rest of the cast. This is my biggest issue with the movie, as he is a great actor who should be utilized better, but the good ultimately heavily outweighs the bad in the movie.

Also, being a superhero action movie, the effects and fights are the best in the series yet, with amazing action scenes with Tony both in and out of the Iron Man suit. This movie really emphasizes Tony Stark being Iron Man, with or without the suit. The movie also does a good job of showing how the character and the world is changing after the alien invasion that happened during “The Avengers.”

Watching all of these Marvel Studios movies is really rewarding, and they are doing a great job of connecting them without forcing people to watch them all (even though you should). “Iron Man 3” continues the trend of Marvel movies kicking of the summer blockbuster season, and it does so spectacularly. It accomplishes the rare task of having the third film in a trilogy being the best one, it shows that the second phase of Marvel movies (those coming after “The Avengers”) may prove to be even better than the first. I, for one, can’t wait to see what comes next.

SIDE NOTE: As always, don’t forget to stay for the post-credits scene.

“Iron Man 3” is rated PG-13 and runs for 130 minutes.