As someone you've never met I will corroborate your friend's opinion with my own - it is indeed pretty fantastic.
Regarding the ties to Iron Man, Avengers and all that, I understand that Oliver Platt's character is actually supposed to be that reference. He doesn't have a name, after all, he's just "a man in a black suit."
And Moseph, who says Xavier isn't 17 when he gives his doctoral thesis? He is a pretty smart cookie, after all, eh?
And they definitely tie it into the continuity of the first 2 films what with one particular mutant Charles and Erik try to recruit but has no interest whatsoever in joining them, as well as when Mystique briefly ages herself. And if absolutely nothing else, Bryan Singer helped write the story and served as a producer on the film, so this this was kind of his stepbaby or nephew - that is, not his own project. I reckon they're all pretending X3 and Wolverine: Origins didn't happen.