Movie Review: "Iron Man 3"

- by Steve Garcia, 4 May 2013

Trash Mutant! I’m back to reviewing movies again, so let’s do it right! "Iron Man 3"!

It’s May, and that means that the summer movie season has officially begun! Kicking off the season as usual is Marvel Studios with the Avengers sequel, Iron Man 3. Yes, I say Avengers sequel because this film takes place soon after the events of The Avengers, and Tony isn’t doing so well. He saved the world from an army of aliens and a mullet god, but now he’s dealing with some personal demons—which is a very different Tony the audience is used to. To cope, Stark goes on a one-man crusade to bring down the menacing Mandarin, portrayed by the brilliant Ben Kingsley.

A huge issue riding on this film is the very fact that it is the first Marvel film to take place in a post-Avengers world. We know that Marvel Studios can pump out great hits, but can they maintain that blockbuster momentum? In this reviewer’s humble opinion, the answer is an un-doubtable yes. While The Avengers is pretty much required viewing when taking this film into account, new viewers shouldn’t have a huge issue trying to follow the events, as writer/director Shane Black did an excellent job keeping the audience’s investment. Pleasantly surprising, this film was also very self-contained, which was extremely refreshing after having sat through the two-hour Avengers commercial that was Iron Man 2. Tony’s alone here, and the other Avengers are off doing their own thing.

Iron Man 3 marks the first time in the trilogy with a new writer/director, Shane Black, and he absolutely knocked it out of the park.

It’s without a doubt the funniest and most action-packed Iron Man by far, and he clearly gives us a new side to Tony Stark that we’ve never actually seen before. He’s vulnerable, but even more so than when he was forced to build the Mark-I in a cave with a box of scraps all those years ago. Everything’s taken away from him, he’s alone, and frankly, he’s afraid and it shows. What Black recognized is that the Iron Man suit isn’t necessarily Tony’s greatest weapon; it’s his brain. Stark is forced to think outside the box for some of the more intense scenes, and it engages the audience in a fun, much more unique way. While there was certainly more Tony Stark than Iron Man, the audience I happened to be watching with didn’t seem to mind. He’s Tony Stark! We love him!

The acting in this film was rock-solid. From Robert Downey Jr. to Don Cheadle, to the newcomers Ben Kingsley and Guy Pierce, there wasn’t one weak link that this writer can pinpoint. They were all great, and they all had something different to bring to the table. The way Downey delivers his lines in this film is even better than before, especially when he’s being direct, blunt, and… well… Tony Stark-- to children. Downey worked insanely well with the kids that show up in this movie, and that just makes you love the guy even more.

Avoiding as many spoilers as I can, there is a huge surprise that may or may not piss off the die-hard fans of the Iron Man mythos, but as a fan myself, I had a gigantic smile on my face the entire time this “twist” was revealed. Without spoiling it, I feel that it worked for the tone of this film, and what the Marvel Studios franchise has built as a whole. Those of you who have seen the movie should know exactly the twist I’m speaking of. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll never see it coming. I know I didn’t.

Ben Kingsley is the Mandarin.

As much as there are great things to say about this film, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s perfect in every way. While Black knows how to get the audience invested, some of the pacing felt a little off—one second Tony’s having a serious moment of anxiety, and then the next he’s cracking a joke, followed by an action scene and another serious moment. It was all over the place. Another issue was that there were certainly many missed opportunities as far as the overall grand plot is concerned. This being a spoiler-free review, I won’t go into two many details, but there are certainly things that could
have (and should have) happened, but didn’t. That being said, however, this film maintained the blockbuster high from The Avengers, and that’s all that this writer ever really wanted. Being Black’s first time onboard the Marvel train, I’m sure that if he gets to do a sequel, it’d be even better after having a better feel for the character and potential story arcs.

All in all, Iron Man 3 was an absolute delight that just about anyone and everyone can get on board for. The cast is fantastic, the humor and action are superb, and it just knew how to put a smile on the face of the audience. If this is how the Iron Man franchise was to end (but it won’t, I promise) I would be 100% alright with that, as all the loose ends were tied up quite nicely with a red and gold bow. It’s a great time at the movies, and I sincerely hope you give the first film of Marvel’s “Phase Two” a
chance.

Oh! And don’t leave till that after credits scene! It’s a Marvel movie!


Did you see "Iron Man 3" yet? Leave your thoughts below, but try to keep them spoiler-free, for those who didn't!

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