Set aside the witty one-liners and prepare to be on your seat cheering on Tony Stark through all the mayhem and mishaps in “Iron Man 3.”

“Iron Man 3” was released Friday, and it has had second-biggest opening since “The Avengers,” which also starred the wisecracking Iron Man.

Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a genius, philanthropist and millionaire playboy who puts on a suit of high-tech armor and becomes Iron Man. Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is Stark’s beautiful, intelligent leading lady.

In this newest film, Stark suffers from a series of panic attacks after seeing what was on the other side of the wormhole in “The Avengers.”

A new terrorist is introduced, and he calls himself the Mandarin. The Mandarin bombs certain locations in the U.S. with no forensic evidence left behind, so investigators are left clueless.

One of these bombing attacks injures Happy Hogan–Stark’s close friend and former bodyguard–and puts him into a coma. Stark seeks revenge against Mandarin to put a stop to his plans.

“Iron Man 3” brings something new to the table that the previous Marvel movies haven’t been able to do: A dark side. The movie has several dark moments and motifs. The Mandarin agents seem impervious to pain as they torture and shoot people; this brings some creepy and dark elements to the story.

There seems to be no end to Stark’s witty comebacks, as well as some genuinely funny moments. Stark’s snarky humor and the dark themes of the film tie in well together.

The film was enjoyable though there were noticeable differences from the previous Iron Man installments. The film progresses between dialogue and action-packed sequences, but it shifts between the two well. The high points of action are in the first and third parts of the film, leaving the second act full of mystery. “Iron Man 3” even manages to pull a few twists and turns.

When there is action, it is highly impressive. While there are some one-liners and witty comebacks, even the fight scenes seem so much darker than those of previous Iron Man films. There’s a lot more on the line in this movie and that makes the action more intense. It’s a crazy and powerful ride, and you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat cheering on Iron Man.

Seeing this film in 3-D is not a necessity as there’s not too much of a difference from its 2-D counterpart. While the film is much darker and more dramatic than its predecessors, these elements make the movie into an enjoyable experience. You truly feel an emotional attachment to Stark as he goes through all the mayhem that happens. Superhero fans should not miss out on what is possibly the best Iron Man movie yet.