this movie's a god damn bore.

real talk, what the fuck has happened to editing in hollywood? when did we reach this unspoken accord that all movies must be 2.5+ hours long?

(SPOILERS)

the entire botanist subplot is completely useless (and boring). just start the movie on the scene of the first guy exploding, cut to a broadcast takeover by the Mandarin and we're off.

i actually liked the acting of the little kid, but that subplot was unnecessary (and wholly unbelievable) too.

the core idea of the fake Mandarin and the bio-engineering gone wrong isn't bad, but all the extra fat around it just drags down the entire thing.

there's what...probably 15 total minutes of actual Iron Man in this thing? the rest is horrible, cliched dialogue, Paltrow and Cheadle sleepwalking through their performances, and RDJ on snark auto-pilot.

how many times did he get saved at the last minute by the remote-assembled armor? how many times did armor break into a hundred pieces? how many attempts at humor fell flat (the only line that got a chuckle was the henchman saying he really didn't like working there).

complete disappointment for me. and i'm baffled by the universal praise.