MARVEL | DIRECTOR Shane Black STARRING Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley
RATING M/PG-13
After teaming up with Earth's mightiest heroes and going head-to-head with Norse trickster Loki and his army of aliens, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) flies solo once more. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang's Shane Black takes hold of the returning chronicle of Marvel's Armored Avenger, where we see a very different Iron Man...
In the aftermath of the near-death experience of
The Avengers, Tony's feeling a high amount of anxiety, suffering from post-traumatic stress. He's not sleeping, he's on his toes and in his spare time has made over 40 new suits of armor.
It's not until a tech-savvy, bin Laden-inspired terrorist, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), attacks various American cities that Tony jolts back to the real world. This new enemy threatens the White House, the citizens of the good ol’ USA and even Stark himself; the Mandarin destroys Tony's Miami home, sending him on a harrowing journey using nothing but his intelligence and skills.
"This is not Tony Stark's finest hour, but he is still snappy, witty and confident."
Iron Man 3's not Tony Stark's finest hour, he's battered and bruised, secluded and obsessed with comforting himself with mechanical parts. But despite the problems, Downey Jr. retains his snappy, witty and confident demeanor, with rat-a-tat dialogue and hilarious swagger. He brings absolutely everything to the role - it's hinted that
Iron Man 3 is the last time he will play the role - desperation, arrogance, humour and at some points he channels his inner Macgyver.
Ben Kingsley is marvelous as the Mandarin, although if you're expecting a performance in the vein of Heath Ledger's Joker then you will be sorely disappointed. However, he's still a threatening presence throughout, bringing America to its knees, seemingly unable to stop him. Adding to the power of Iron Man's ultimate foe is Guy Pearce's slimy Aldrich Killian, the creator of the Extremis virus, which plays a significant part in the film. Another new addition is Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen, an ex flame of Tony and one of the women who helped create Extremis.
Unfortunately, much of the existing supporting cast in largely underused. Stark’s girlfriend and CEO of Stark Industries Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is increasingly exasperated with her partner, but isn’t in many scenes. One of the biggest disappointments of
Iron Man 3 is the little time we see Tony’s Army bud Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) in his newly redesigned Iron Patriot suit. “Rhodey” doesn’t get much to do here, and while there are slight elements of Black’s trademark buddy-comedy schtick, it’s also very brief.
Speaking of suits, there is plenty of high-octane action in this installment, although several chunks of it is without any armor. In this film, Tony’s not doing so well. He’s not at his physical or mental peak, and he never reaches full-on bad-assery in his Iron Man duds. His suits fall apart, stop working and become his main problem rather than his savior. It is, in many ways, very similar to last year’s
The Dark Knight Rises. And while there’s less iron than you would expect, there’s still plenty to satisfy, with fast-paced action sequences and an explosive final act that is edge-of-your-seat material.
Black, and newcomer Drew Pearce, have written a script that is tonally and thematically different to any Marvel movie before it.
Iron Man 3 displays Tony’s journey back to greatness, back to his heroic status, and most importantly: back to his normal self.
Not everything is doom and gloom, though. Several Iron Man trademarks remain, such as quick-fire wit, crackling jokes and still a good focus on fun, rather than darkness. Previous director Jon Favreau also returns as Happy Hogan, Stark’s bodyguard, for a bit-part.
As the entrance to Marvel’s second wave of films that will eventually culminate to form
The Avengers 2,
Iron Man 3 sets itself apart from any other superhero movie before it. It doesn’t break the mold, but it gets out of the formula. The protagonist isn’t unstoppable, but still remains an extraordinary hero. Tony’s at possibly his lowest point, but still jokes and lives in the moment as his usual brash self. Tony Stark’s got more to learn than the previous films in the series (aside from perhaps
The Avengers, where teamwork was key). Hard to believe it, but Black and Downey Jr. have crafted a fresh take on a four movie-old character, and a superhero no less. Should this be the last Iron Man film, a fine send-off it will be.
VERDICT: ★★★★ (Awesome)
This third installment delivers on explosive action, well-refined characters and a remarkable journey for its hero.