No matter how any audience member feels about “Iron Man 3,” the latest installment in the ever-expanding Marvel universe, there’s one thing everyone can agree on: Things get quite explosive.

In “Iron Man 3,” Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark, a billionaire genius who became a hero after designing an iron suit that allowed him to escape from a terrorist organization. After two solo adventures, Stark joined the Avengers, a superhero team that saved the world from aliens. However, the climatic battle in “The Avengers” wreaked havoc on Tony’s nerves as he actually flew a missile through a giant wormhole and destroyed an alien spaceship.

That would probably wear on our nerves as well.

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Several months later, Tony couldn’t sleep because he was haunted by visions of that battle. He became a hermit locked up in his workshop building new suits. However, Tony is forced to investigate and finds the real villain may be a lot closer to home than he thought when a terrorist known as the Mandarin begins committing terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

The film is an explosive blockbuster meant to kick off summer 2013 in high style. But does it deliver the goods? And how does it rank among superhero movies?

Karsten Burgstahler: I’ve learned to limit my expectations as far as blockbusters go. I was incredibly hyped for “The Dark Knight Rises” last summer, and it was a letdown after sitting through the Batman marathon and becoming pumped up for the finale. It just didn’t crack the barrier the first two movies did, so I tried to keep my expectations in check going into “Iron Man 3.” It worked, because I was pleasantly surprised. The film not only delivers the goods, but it has good pacing and a well-written plot along with a knockout twist that disappointed me when I first heard about it. Director Shane Black has a different style than Jon Favreau, the man behind “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2,” so the film has a darker color pallet and a more twisted sense of humor. I’m not sure how much I like that compared to the first two films, but it certainly didn’t damage the movie.

Austin Flynn:  We’re going to butt heads on this one. I will commend the movie on one thing: most of the main characters’ acting. As usual, Robert Downey Jr. brought his sarcasm into the spotlight and made me smile throughout. Audiences will be happy to see the same actor that stole the show from his super pals in “The Avengers.” However, there’s not much more I was impressed with besides an incredibly acted Tony Stark, a few cool explosions and an interesting final fight scene. The movie’s first half went along smoothly and kept me interested, but the second half left me hanging. Between a cute but completely out-of-place father-son relationship between Stark and a random Tennessee kid and a super cheesy villain who inexplicably breathes fire, “Iron Man 3” was kind of a hot mess. Did I mention that Stark makes an impromptu Iron Man suit from generic hardware supplies? He uses an Ove Glove.

KB: I will agree that this movie has a slam-bang opening. The destruction of Tony’s house, which has been the focus of the film’s advertisements, is nothing short of amazing and must have taken quite a bit of work to pull off. However, I think the second half is stronger, especially as the different twists and turns become clear. The film’s final battle gets slightly confusing at times, as there is so much going on and the writers certainly let the movie fall into a couple of plot holes. Ben Kingsley’s performance is solid from beginning to end, and Pearce’s performance was decent even though he won’t stand out from the other series villains. The villain who breathes fire did so in the comics, so I’ve got no problem with that. And the father-son relationship might not have been explored it fullest extent, but it added quite a few laughs. I heard quite a few rumors about this movie before it came out and many of them were true, but I’m OK with the twists and the detours. They make for a more a more emotionally-charged Tony Stark, which results in a more emotionally-charged movie.

AF: The movie wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t anything special. Robert Downey Jr. did his part, which is a must, but the villain was nowhere near what he was in the comics. He wasn’t even a shell of his former self, and I think comic book fans will hate that about this movie. It was like putting Joker in a Batman movie and turning him into a a villain with telekinesis or super strength. They took an existing Iron Man villain and wrecked everything he was supposed to be. I also thought Ben Kingsley was kind of impersonating Austin Powers toward the end of the movie. I was excited for the movie, but I don’t think my expectations were unreachable. “Iron Man 3” kind of let me down. As always, I tip my hat to Robert Downey Jr., but I’m not the most impressed with the rest of the film.