Iron Man 3 - A Two-Minute Movie Review

Iron Man 3 is the best Iron Man to date. While some may have a soft spot for the first edition's origin story, those who prefer action in their movie-going diet will eat this one up. Is it the best Marvel movie? No, not at all. I still prefer The Avengers and Captain America. And it's not without its flaws.

The film's villain (at least on face value) is Ben Kingsley's wonderfully played The Mandarin. As is often the case in movies of this ilk, there always seems to be another evil-doer in the background, in this case Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian. And this is where Iron Man 3 shows its real weakness. While The Mandarin's motivation is clearly defined, Killian's is alluded to, but never brought fully into the light. Is it just me, or do comic book bad guys get their feelings hurt way too easily? And when they do, they tend to create the most elaborate schemes to show the world they aren’t to be trifled with. A good comparison is Javier Bardem’s Silva from the latest Bond film, Skyfall.

Acting:

Kingsley steals the show, but most of the other performances are solid. Gweyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts is a strong-willed, reluctant hero. Robert Downey Jr. is a more emotional, troubled Tony Stark that comes across as genuine and not forced. Don Cheadle’s Colonel James Rhodes, while not asked to do much, is again spot-on as Stark’s right hand man. A special nod should also go out to the young Ty Simpkins for his Harley Keener.  Child actors are often miscast (think Star Wars: Episode 1) or their asked to do more than they should. Simpkins’ Keener is a welcome addition to the story, neither annoying nor “forced.”

Screenplay:

Aside from the villain motivation issues we discussed above, the screenplay does what it’s asked to do. You won’t leave the theater replaying the storyline in your head, like you would the first Mission Impossible, but that might not be a bad thing.

Special Effects:

Not to the par of Star Trek Into Darkness, but above and beyond most titles in this genre.

Wrap-up:

Iron Man 3 is a good way to spend 130 minutes of your day. Don’t ask the villains to explain themselves and you’ll find the film one of Marvel’s best.


Iron Man 3 is rated PG-13.