Tony Stark is back in the third installment of the popular Marvel series” Iron Man”, directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey, Jr.
The film begins with a flashback to the late 90’s where Stark and a mystery woman are at a party. A mysterious fellow named Aldrich Killian, played by Guy Pierce, invites them to join his new startup company. They have a chat and Stark, with a reputation as not being the nicest person, invites him to the rooftop so they can further their conversation. What happens after that, sets the stage for the rest of the movie.
The sarcastic yet eccentric Stark, played by Downey, Jr. is once again fighting crime although this time he must do so while tackling his emotional struggles.
The events that occurred in Marvels last epic film “The Avengers,” where Stark and the rest of the avengers had to protect New York City from an attack, left Stark battling emotional demons that gave him anxiety. Not to be alone in his personal battle, his computer side-kick Jarvis and his significant other Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, helped him along with his recovery as well as a younger character Starks meets along the way.
Iron Man’s main nemesis in this film was The Mandarin, portrayed by Ben Kingsley. The Mandarin was bent on terrorizing the world as most Marvel villains do.
What this film did that was a positive was that the audience saw Stark’s personal side. His reputation of a hot shot billionaire was not evident throughout and it made it easier to connect with the character. He also was not in his Iron Man suit as much this movie although his suits did keep him up at night.
“Iron Man 3” certainly had no shortage of its action scenes. Each fight scene was well done and kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
There was also no shortage of comedy in this movie. Downey, Jr. has become somewhat of a comedian in his recent flicks and it was no different here. An MVP for comedy in the movie would have to go out to Kingsley’s character. He supplied good humor in what is seen as a serious role.
Not all was positive with this sequel.
The movie offered a few twists that would turn off some viewers. At times throughout the movie, it was a little slow paced and confusing. Followers of the comic book series may not be pleased to see how the “Extremis” storyline was played out on the big screen.
Overall, this was another good effort for the comic superhero Iron Man and although he might not be in the next Avengers movie and there possibly will not be an “Iron Man 4,” at least Robert Downey, Jr.’s portrayal of the famed Iron Man will go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
3.5/5 stars.
