Iron Man 3 - Review

You know who I'd hate to be right now? I'd hate to be Shane Black... well, sort of. Don't get me wrong, I'd give my right eye to have just a piece of the guy's talent, not to mention being the creative force of an established super hero movie would be awesome, but the responsibility to deliver a satisfying follow-up to the two Iron Man movies AND the awesomeness that was The Avengers has got to be unbearable. I can't speak for Mr. Black, but if it were me, I probably would have crumbled under the pressure. The first two Iron Man flicks were directed by Jon Favreau, an actor/filmmaker primarily known for comedies but proved that he had the capacity to helm an action movie as well. Plus, the film's had two other things going for it. One, the film starred Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, the super talented actor who was in the midst of a major career comeback after hitting a few rough patches. Secondly, both the first but especially the second films were the jumping off points for the ambitious and exciting prospect of The Avengers, not only carrying it's own franchise but also teasing bits and pieces of the other Marvel films and the proposed team-up. So now that we know that Iron Man is an awesome character, that comic book continuity works in a film universe, and that The Avengers kicked ass... where do you go from there? Well... to be frank, you make a film like Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3 takes place shortly after The Avengers. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back living in Miami in a committed relationship with his family company's CEO, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). After stopping the alien invasion of New York alongside his fellow Avengers, Stark has been having difficulty coping with his life. After fighting alongside Gods, Monsters, and Super Soldiers (not to mention having a near death experience), Stark can't help but feel like just a man with a machine, and therefore suffers from insecurity and PTSD. As a result, Stark often alienates himself from his friends and Pepper and instead spends most of his time in his lab building new Iron Man suits. His world is shaken, however, when a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and sets his sights on Stark. Faced against insurmountable odds, Stark must use his skills, intellect, and technology to save himself and his allies against this mysterious foe.

I'm going to preface this review by quickly addressing the recent commotion this film has started. In short, Iron Man 3 has a big twist about halfway through the film that has been causing some fanboys to lose their shit. As I've mentioned in previous reviews, I always try to avoid spoilers... especially for high profile new releases. I promise that I won't reveal or outright spoil any major plot twists or details, but I might slightly allude to them. Take that as you will.

I have to admit that I'm a tab surprised that the Iron Man films managed to strike such a chord with such a massive audience. The Iron Man was a reasonably popular comic and with a loyal fanbase, but aside for the usual comic nerds, Iron Man rarely had much of a following with the general audience. Plus, the movies themselves have never been that great... don't get me wrong, I personally love these movies, but I admit they have flaws. Cool concepts, great action, neat special effects, and some solid character moments have all been present, but the scrips have never been much more than good at best or average at worst. The screenplay here... is something of a mixed bag. Once again, the set-up is pretty solid, Stark being haunted by his near-death experience with the Avengers has promise. The idea of finally seeing The Mandarin in a live action movie also got me hyped, him being Stark's primary nemesis in the comics after all. The overall results, however... were kind of hit-and-miss. To reveal all of what works and what doesn't would be spoiling some major plot points, so I won't do that, but I will discuss a bit more when I get to critiquing the actors. I will say that the film had some strong character-based moments, the pacing is solid, and that it was cool to see Pepper Potts play a bit more of an active role, but there were a few plot-holes and dumb scenes that held back what could have been an excellent movie instead of just a good one.

Ultimately, what has elevated the flicks from simply good to straight-up awesomeness was the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Around the time of the first Iron Man (back in 2008), Downey was in the midst of a huge comeback after a few setbacks with hit films like Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (also directed by Shane Black). Make no mistake, if there was ever an man born to play the role of Tony Stark... it's Downey. He's such a versatile actor, that for four movies, he's managed to pull off every subtle trait of Stark, from the humorous fun-loving personality, his troubled past and bad habits, and his inherent heart of gold. Between the drama, comedy, and action... I really can't think of anyone who could have been better cast in this role. Gwyneth Paltrow gets what's arguably her meatiest role so far in the series, resulting in what's arguably her best performance as Pepper Potts. She gets in on the action a few times and shows some solid dramatic range in some of the heavier moments. I've always liked her character and was genuinely pleased with how she's stuck with the character the last few years... I still stand by that. The other returning cast members are across the board solid. Don Cheadle returns as Colonel James Rhodes aka War Machine (now Re-Christened as The Iron Patriot) and provides another solid interpretation of the character. The series' original director, Jon Favreau, once again returns as Happy Hogan, now promoted to Head of Security, and has some solid moments of comic relief... no complaints there. Overall, the returning cast members are pretty damn awesome, after playing these characters in 2, 3, or 4 movies, they're just straight up good... which is always good for me.

Now we come to the villains... and this is where it gets tough to critique. Like I said, I won't spoil any major details, but in order to give a reasonable review, I might allude to a few of them, which might in turn hint toward the reveals. If you don't want anything spoiled, skip to the next paragraph. One of the things that had really kept the first two Iron Man films from achieving greatness was the lack of a truly great villain. Jeff Bridges as Iron Monger, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, and Mickey Rourke as Whiplash were typically enjoyable characters played by good actors... but lacked the depth to be anything more than one-note. The Mandarin, here played by Ben Kingsley, wasn't exactly an extraordinary character in the comics, but an interesting one. Here the decision to re-imagine him as an international terrorist leader, with traits from a variety of cultures, while avoiding the previous Fu Manchu stereotype, was promising... and I was genuinely interested in seeing what the filmmakers would do with him. What ultimately becomes of him... well, that's what I can't reveal. It was an interesting idea, but ultimately something of a letdown. I won't spoil it, but I think you'll know what I mean. The other villain Aldrich Killian, played by Guy Pearce, is basically on par with the previous villains. He has some interesting moments, is played by a good actor, and is set-up well enough, but he's just too one-dimensional and not very memorable. It might have been due to raised expectations, but the villains, while not terrible, were a bit of let-down once again... too bad.

Fortunately, the film's faults are easier to take in thanks to some kick-ass action and special effects! Shane Black, with only two directorial efforts, has proved himself as one of the industry's most prolific figures in the action genre. The cgi has never looked better and the Iron Man have continually improved over the last few years (honestly, who wouldn't want one). Each action scene is one exciting thrill-ride after another, all culminating to a finale that sets the bar pretty high for the summer's upcoming blockbusters. Granted, I couldn't help but feel like the ending was a little too much of a toy commercial... but whatever, in this industry, it's part of the deal. It was also cool to see Stark get creative in how he battles the villains here, as there are a couple scenes where he is forced to fight outside of his suit. It just shows how much of a genius Stark truly is, and adds a nice little change of pace here and there. If all you're looking for in a Iron Man movie are great action scenes and special effects... I can all but guarantee that you'll be happy.

So that's Iron Man 3... not perfect but still pretty damn good. While the movie provides some conclusion to the story-arch, I have no doubt that we'll see Iron Man again in some form (Avengers 2 no doubt), but if it were to end here... it would be a satisfying send-off. As the first official blockbuster of the summer season... I'd say the season is off to a good start. See it!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5!