"Iron Man 3" -is the third time a charm for Robert Downey, Jr. and company?

Before I get into how the actual movie was, I should let you all know that I am a huge nerd. Not a costume-wearing, convention-attending nerd, but rather the type who absorbs the culture and enjoys it. I have been a comic book/superhero nerd since I was about 2 years old, so movies about these characters have always appealed to me.

Robert Downey, Jr. has played Tony Stark 5 times now, counting the new "Iron Man 3." He had me hooked from the first movie. His Tony Stark is a spoiled, immature playboy brat that could be a version of Bruce Wayne gone wrong. The role is a perfect fit for Downey's charisma. in "Iron Man 3" we start to get at the heart of Tony's issues, from his relationships to his inner demons. It all comes down to fear, as these types of things usually do. Tony is afraid of losing the first meaningful relationship he has ever had.

Add some colorful villains and some really amazing action sequences, and you have this movie in a nutshell. Director Shane Black puts the hero first and the villains (Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley)are a distant third, behind Tony's love, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), as well as Tony's longtime friend, Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), who the President has appointed to his personal security detail and redubbed "Iron Patriot."

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. As the first movie of the "summer season," it will be followed by several highly anticipated projects. My expectations were just for solid entertainment. On that, the movies delivers. I never gets too serious, but it carries enough weight to move the story along, and I found myself relating to Tony in a real way. On the whole, it's just pure fun. It didn't bother me a bit that Tony does not wear the Iron Man armor for most of the movie. I enjoyed seeing Downey take this character into a different place than he had been before. Although some of my fellow comic nerds are upset about a certain plot twist, I found it to be quite amusing. If you want a solid 2-plus hours of entertainment, this one is for you. I give it a 90 out of 100.

"Iron Man 3" is now playing at AMC New Lenox Showplace in standard, 3D, and IMAX 3D formats.