Feel free to read the article below or click on the short embedded YouTube video for a comprehensive review of the latest addition in the Iron Man franchise.
Iron Man 3 is the latest film effort from Marvel studios that again follows one of their most beloved comic book movie characters, Tony Stark. Set shortly after the events of The Avengers it finds Tony a changed man, clearly emotionally damaged after the events in New York. Drifting so close to death and nearly losing everything he holds dear clearly did a number on the once seemingly carefree and arrogant billionaire with a new and unfamiliar sense of paranoia creeping into his world.
Unlike Thor, The Hulk and to a lesser extent Captain America there’s a sense that Tony Stark is all too aware that he is merely a man, and without his suit perhaps he’s not much use to anyone. He quips during the film that his autobiography could be titled ‘a cheap trick and a one liner,’ and although he clearly meant this as a joke, it can’t help be thought that on that some level he believes this about himself. Because of these insecurities he’s been a busy man working out, fine tuning his martial arts and building multiple variations of his armour in order to protect those closest to him.
Iron Man 3 is one of the better films in the Marvel movie universe and on the decent side of comic book movies in general, and like the first in the series it is a good way to kick off this Phase in the ongoing interconnected saga. Its narrative comes loosely based off the popular story arc Extremis, and sees bioengineering advanced to the point where a human beings DNA can be altered making them capable of going toe to toe with any incarnation of the Iron Man suit.
The villainous new threat comes in the form of the Mandarin, a powerful warlord whos reach extends right back to before Iron Man origins. His army of T-1000 style extremis soldiers and influence over politics and big business set up a suitable threat for Tony, Pepper Potters and Jim Rhodes, even if that threat doesn’t quite seem so ominous in the end.
Iron Man 3 attempts to strip things back to basics, similar in that sense to Skyfall, by robbing Tony of his confidence in himself and functioning battle armour. It’s a fine idea for a set-up; however the brevity and light heartedness in which it’s handled is often at odds with the serious nature of what’s at stake. That same brevity and light heartedness though is one of the strong suits of the movie, this is probably the funniest of the series with a lot of the humour extending from Tony’s prototype and malfunctioning suit.
Many of the changes made to some of the major characters will no doubt come as a shock to the audience, especially those familiar with their origins. And in relation to this it’s unlikely most will see the major plot twist coming, but it’s hard to believe that certain marvel fans won’t be upset by the way in which some of the main players are handled.
Iron Man 3 is certainly an improvement on the second, a major strength being the supporting cast are given more to do. Don Cheadle’s War Machine turned Iron Patriot finally gets the screen time that was promised to him in the first and Gwyneth Paltrow gets more to do than clip clop around in high heels waiting to be saved. Even the part of John Favreau’s Happy Hogan gets an expanded and more pivotal role, which I found most welcome considering how well he plays the part.
Iron Man 3 though is lacking is many departments, as mentioned the issues Tony Stark faces are set up well and yet not really properly resolved and the ending is perhaps a little too clean cut, wiping the entire slate clean in preparation for what comes next. That being said there is a lot to enjoy here, the action scenes are spectacular including a large scale daring aerial rescue and a particularly impressive combat sequence in which Tony takes out a number of armed guards using only a gauntlet and boot. Robert Downney Jr is of course as cool as ever, he’s so cool he even gets that cut at the top of his nose action hero’s get when the want to appear hurt, but hurt without messing up their pretty faces. Also it’s a welcome site to see that the final confrontation is not just Iron Man facing off against a different variation on Iron Man.
Iron Man 3 will no doubt come as a disappointment to some and I’d be lying if I said there weren’t certain things I would have liked to have seen embellished on. The question also remains as to where the character will head next, the popular Demon in a Bottle story arc seems out of the question considering the films conclusion so perhaps some form of the Civil War saga is now on the cards. Wherever the next progression heads, Iron Man 3 has ended up being a good, just shy of great addition to the Marvel universe.
So if you have seen Iron Man 3 and what did you think of it? Leave a comment below, contact me via twitter @mrsundaymovies or click on the link below to visit my Youtube page that covers all things movies including film news, reviews and my ongoing series Making Movie Franchises Not Terrible. There you can also enter for a chance to win an Iron Man: Extremis graphic novel and DVD pack. Thanks everyone, take care.