I love movies. More importantly, I love seeing movies before almost everyone else. Certain movies will get me to the theater at midnight, so I figured I’d see them first and write a review the next day so you can get a real review from someone that isn’t a Hollywood hack.
In this installment… Iron Man 3.
Synopsis: Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man 3? pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
How do you follow a legend? With Iron Man 3, Director Shane Black has been asked to not only take over for Jon Favreau, director of the first two Iron Man movies, but also follow in the footsteps of last summer’s smash hit The Avengers, directed by the Great One, Joss Whedon. How do you top an alien invasion of Manhattan that requires the services of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to defeat? The simple truth: you don’t. Instead, you go out to make the best movie you can with just Tony Stark as Iron Man.
The plot of Iron Man 3 is based VERY loosely on Warren Ellis’ excellent Iron Man story arc, “Extremis”. When I say VERY loosely, I do mean VERY LOOSELY. If you’re expecting a live-action version of the Iron Man: Extremis motion comic, you’re going to be VERY DISAPPOINTED. That being said, the story is well done, and contains a number of interesting twists and turns, including a very big one about two thirds of the way through. The final sequence is an incredible bit of cinema, and very well done.
The acting is also very, very good. Robert Downey Jr. continues to be excellent as Tony Star. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts and Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes both get a much bigger role this time around, actually saving Tony on more than one occasion, rather than the other way around. The newcomers to the series, Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian and Sir Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin, are both excellent.
In the grand scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man 3 isn’t quite as good as The Avengers, Iron Man, or Thor, but better than Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Incredible Hulk. Consequently, I’d call it “very good”; better than good, but not quite great. Worth a viewing in the theaters, and be sure to stay for a funny after credits scene.
Final Score: FOUR BANANAS.
Image via Wikipedia.
