It’s safe to say that everyone and their mom knew that the next Iron Man 3 movie was coming out as Marvel put promotions for the blockbuster on full force. After the crazy success of The Avengers last May, Iron Man 3 has big shoes to fill as the official first movie of the summer movie season.

The Avengers had the largest opening weekend ever in the United States, and after this past weekend, Iron Man 3 ranks just behind it for the most profitable movie opening of all time. And let me tell you, I don’t think the success of the film was well earned.

Don’t get me wrong, Iron Man 3 was good. In fact, I would say it was a pretty great film. In terms of the “hey man do you remember the part when …” factor, it was definitely a step up from Iron Man 2, a movie in which I can’t even tell you who the bad guy was and what his intentions were. However, Iron Man 3 doesn’t have near the impact as Iron Man, a movie right up with The Dark Knight as one of the greatest superhero films of the generation.

The plot follows a string of terrorist attacks being executed by a man called The Mandarin. After he attacks Stark’s assistant Happy, Iron Man feels compelled to join the hunt for the terrorist. Several plot twists later, the film ends with an action sequence that is the most epic in scale out of all of the Iron Man films. No spoilers here, but the two hour long-haul to the end of the film is worth it, and explosions will leave a ringing in your ears long after you’ve left the theater.

In terms of the actors, Robert Downey Jr. is great as Iron Man, and clearly it is the most comfortable and iconic role of his career. The performance by Downey as Tony Stark is great, but expected. Downey delivers the wit and charm that he has always brought to the role, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. On the third film, I’d expect another dimension to Stark, and the constant anxiety attacks he experiences in the film aren’t as convincing as the one-liners Downey can use with ease.

Gwyneth Paltrow is quite a force in the film. Her role as Pepper Potts is the best it’s ever been, and seeing Paltrow rock a six-pack and the Iron Man suit were definitely great additions to the script.

Iron Man 3 has set the high bar for the summer movie season, and while it is enjoyable film, don’t expect an experience provided by The Avengers or The Dark Knight. Iron Man 3 has done justice to the series and succeeded in recovering from the mess of the first sequel. That alone makes Iron Man 3 a great film.