Review of Iron Man 3 (2013) by Hoops2448 — 03 Jun 2013

Some might argue that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is more himself in this film than in any of his others. I unfortunately am not one of them and while Iron Man 3 is a solid film, it doesn't really fell like Iron Man was even in it.

The plot revolves around what happens when a close friend of Tony's is caught up in a terror attack orchestrated by a villain called The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). Tony heads on a journey of vengeance and re discovery as those he left behind are targeted in his stead.

Like the Avengers did, Iron Man 3 takes a large portion of its opening to re-introduce the characters in Tony's world from Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts to Don Cheadle's James 'Rhodie' Rhodes, but unlike The Avengers it drags.

The labored opening gives way to a 2nd act so fantastically funny it doesn't seem to belong to the same film. Shane Black brings his signature black comedy to the Iron Man universe and while making this world a lot more interesting than Iron Man 2 it does remove that familiar Stark feel.

In fact it feels more like Harry Lockhart (also played by Downey in Shane Blacks's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) has replaced the troubled hero with his own overly narcissistic, sarcastic and all around vulgar self.

The only character who seems to maintain their identity in this film is Rhodie who is just as fun loving as he was in Iron Man 2. In fact the replacement of Terrence Howard for Don Cheadle has proven pretty successful as he is much more accessible a character now.

The main detractor from Iron Man 3 is that it doesn't really feel like the Iron Man from The Avengers or Iron Man, he seems to be just as likable but this film doesn't really live up to the character that has been built over the span of 4 films.

Another problem is that the film relies heavily on the relationship between Stark and Potts and Gwyneth Paltrow just seems bored this time around. Her scenes drag, her delivery is flat and she doesn't put any effort in.

The middle section which coincidentally is almost Paltrow free allows Downey to shine with the whip smart dialog and the introduction of a small boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins) is ingenious because he is almost a mini Stark but with a little more compassion.

They interact in an almost brotherly way and you really understand why these two interact so well, they are both really well fleshed out and both deliver some killer lines (Simpkins has one line that is so completely unexpected and hilarious it almost makes up for the slow open).

Iron Man 3 while chock full of action is ultimately a comedy film with a very lighthearted tone. The film flounders when the jokes aren't flying so even the action, which looks fantastic, is lacking something.

The finale shows that Black can direct a big budget actioner but it just seems like a little too much for a film that feels like a stand alone but is trying to be a conclusion of a trilogy. Finally despite the great Downey performance the best comes from Kingsley who is not only the perfect villain but has a chameleon quality that allows him to be anyone, if anything you should go to see it for him and him alone.