Movie Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)
Written by Anthony Sargon
How do you follow the immensely popular "The Avengers" without leaving audiences feeling a little empty? It was the first movie of its kind after all, and it basically spoiled us to the point of no return. Lucky for us, Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect man to kick-off Marvel's second phase of movies, which will eventually lead us to "The Avengers 2". "Iron Man 3" is a great addition to the Marvel canon that offers loads of entertainment while keeping the series from going stale.
The movie opens with a flashback; it's 1999, and Tony indadvertedly makes a couple of bad decisions that will come back to haunt him, and they involve scientists Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall). Fast forward to the present, and we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) struggling to cope with what happened in "The Avengers". He can't sleep, and he doesn't feel safe knowing there are powers far beyond what he can control out in the universe. To make things worse, a deadly terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) shows up and threatens to destroy everything that Tony holds close to heart.
Shane Black has taken over the director's chair for "Iron Man 3", the first film in the series not directed by John Favreau. It's nice to see the character through a different set of eyes, and Black brings a lot of humor to the proceedings, but throws in plenty of darker moments as well. In a weird way, "Iron Man 3" is the funniest and darkest of all the Iron Man movies, but Black pulls it off in spectacular fashion.
The film has its fair share of memorable action set-pieces that don't fail to impress, but it also spends a lot of time with Tony Stark, and the character gets tested in a way that we haven't seen since the first film. The man is a shell of his former self, and at a certain point finds himself homeless, suitless, and with nothing but his smarts to get him out of his rut. The story goes back to basics, and after the events of "The Avengers", that was probably the smartest thing to do.
The movie obviously benefits from the amazing Robert Downey Jr., who owns the role as usual. He is Iron Man, and he gives his best performance yet as the billionaire/playboy/philanthropist. Gwyneth Platrow is back as Pepper, and she has a very interesting arc in the film. Don Cheadle finally gets more to do as the rebranded Iron Patriot, and he manages to get a lot of laughs as well. The performance that'll divide audiences is Ben Kingsley's turn as the villainous Mandarin. It's a vastly different interpretation than what's in the comics, but it works with the story that Black and co. have come up with. Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian actually ends up being one of the most interesting characters in the film, and Pearce is great in the role.
Anthony's Verdict:
It's great to report that "Iron Man 3" keeps the Marvel streak going. It may possibly be the best Iron Man movie to date, and proves that there's plenty of life left in the character. Rejoice, Marvel fans, phase two has begun, and the road ahead looks promising.
Numerical Score: 9/10
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