Review of Iron Man 3 (2013) by Joanna B — 24 Oct 2016

As per expectation, the stunts are stunning, the suits are a spectacle and the story reaches audacious comic book proportions, but the driving force and key factor behind the Iron Man franchise success remains Robert Downey Jr. With his offbeat personality, self-deprecating humor, likeable presence, bang on comic timing and new found brawniness, Downey's approachable edginess sideswipes the fast-paced graphic heavy handedness to find purchase and once again smash Box Office Records.

Mentally suffering the effects of his encounter with aliens and otherworldly forces (yes, The Avengers) , our "only a human man with a suit" superhero Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is all consumed by his work, losing touch with the outside world, incapable of sleep and pushing away the affections of his now live-in girlfriend Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow).

When a new merciless Bin Laden inspired baddie, known from his menacing broadcasts as the Mandarin (a memorable for all the right reasons, Ben Kingsley) captures his undivided attention, the irritated Stark willingly offers his home address (aka engineering lab and fortress) as a public challenge. The invitation for a showdown is met leaving his personal and professional world in ruins.

Perceived dead, Stark must embark on a treacherous and harrowing quest for retribution to regain his life. Relying solely on his own devices, ingenuity and instinct, he must protect both the 'one he can't live without and the President of United States and stop the Mandarins reign of terror.

The key lies in uncovering the source behind a series of mysterious explosions that lack a detonation device, obviously connected somehow it highlights a new player in the endgame, or is it just an old discard of Stark's now demanding his attention.

In the end, as per all comics, there is always a moral to the story that secretly haunts the main character, and Iron Man is no different: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Balancing our dynamic superhero with some key one liners, is the perfectly manicured and impressively buffed Guy Pearce as DNA tampering Aldrich Killian, and proving the conduit for some emotional depth is talented youngster Ty Simpkins in the role of Harley (also giving Downey a run for his smart alec money).

Needless to say, if you have seen the trailers hinting at Stark's cliff-side mansion collapse, the massive oil-rig explosion, the mid-air human monkey-barrel style plane rescue and the obscene amount of superfluous Iron Man clones all doing their fighting whilst flying thing, the innovation and execution of the films booming visual effects is simply jaw-dropping spectacular.

The Verdict: In what can only be described as the best installment yet (and in saying that, hopefully the last to end on a well-deserved high note), Iron Man 3 delivers on every super-hero flick requirement. From imagination to excess, wit to star power, as far as entertainment goes this is the best option around; even if the plot and its quirky twist is as outlandish as Starks gizmos.

Published: The Queanbeyan Age.

Date of Publication: 10/05/2013.