Iron Man 3

Warning: here be spoilers.Iron Man 3 sets out to return Iron Man to his roots of dark, believable action established in the first movie, while retaining the big-spectacle adventure of Avengers. To that end we see Tony Stark face off against a peculiar new representation of the Mandarin, a snarling, ethnically nebulous terrorist ringleader portrayed by Ben Kingsly. After an exasperated Stark promises to end the Mandarin's reign of terror, the mastermind seemingly orders the destruction of Stark's house, setting him on a quest to locate the Mandarin through an entertaining combination of detective work and MacGuyver-esque trickery. Stark is opposed by an army of mysterious flunkies who have been granted superpowers by Extremis, a genetic modification originally meant to help the disabled (as opposed to military nanites as in the comic).Viewers have made much of this film's twist- that the Mandarin is in fact a puppet of the real villain, AIM director Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has hired a degenerate English actor to portray a power-mad despot as part of a political misdirection. This was a polarizing twist- for those who are new to the franchise it is a clever, Shyamalan-esque turn, and for serious comic nerds, it's an unexpected twist that is not out of line with the spirit of the franchise. For many, however, the reveal that the Mandarin was not in fact his usual Ming-the-Merciless-esque self, or even real, was a huge disappointment. For me the twist worked- I was disappointed at how generic and ridiculously grimdark the Mandarin initially appeared, but the reveal that he was a fiction- and not a very bad guy in reality- was something I did not expect. One can also read the twist as something of a satire of Ben Kingsly's career, which has been heavily built on playing ethnic and foreign characters, just as his filmic alter-ego does.Another point of contention is that Iron Man spends so much of the film outside his armor. I would assert that this is important- by pitting the largely average Tony Stark against the super-powered AIM operatives who obstruct him we see him acting as a hero without the crutch of dominating technology. It makes for a refreshing reminder that under the armor there is still a hero we can root for.Although it's not as BIG of a movie as Avengers, Iron Man 3 succeeds at being a thriller, and action film, and just a bit funny all at once. It rekindles the new, fresh feel of the first movie in a way that the second missed, and develops all of its characters in entertaining, satisfying directions. Of particular note is Ty Simpkins as Harley, a bratty sidekick who attaches himself limpet-like to the unwilling Tony. I am always leery of kids in movies of this kind, but he's spot on. It's also hard to fault Shane Black, who blends 90s directorial sensibilities with modern FX and camerawork to create a movie that feels different from its predecessors and from the rest of the MCU. Among other things, Black dials back on the CG of Avengers with numerous effective practical effects (I could swear I spotted a cable when Iron Man rescues the crew of Air Force 1, though) and excellent set design and lighting throughout.Were I to complain about any part of the film, it would be the character of Tony's friend James Rhodes, AKA War Machine (Don Cheadle once again). Back when he was Terrance Howard, Rhody didn't even GET to be War machine, and he was only limited in the second film. Here once again the producers seem concerned that audiences will be confused by the presence of two Iron men, as War Machine spends most of his time out-of-scene, and participates in the climax out of his armor. I love Cheadle's take on the character, and would have loved to see him get a better part as what we DO see is well in line with the character as he appears in other media.PROS:-Unique direction makes for a film that feels genuinely different from the other coming attractions-Good acting from a pretty diverse cast of characters-Recaptures the feel of the first Iron ManCONS:-Editing is sloppy in some places-Soundtrack is not particularly memorableFINAL THOUGHTS:Iron Man 3 is a worthwhile entry in MCU canon, and its departures from the comics are justifiable as part of building the film.

Prior to being released, Iron Man 3 had a lot to live up to. Not only was it the third installment in the wildly successful Iron Man series, it was also the first movie in the Marvel universe to be released after the record-shattering and ultimate team-up flick, The Avengers. With the charismatic Robert Downey Jr. once again in the title role, and with the addition of veteran screenwriter Shane Black at the helm, Iron Man 3 officially kicks off the second phase of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, and brings us Tony Stark in his most vulnerable state yet.Iron Man 3 is a completely different animal than the previous two films in the series. Rather than overusing the spectacle of the Iron Man armors like the previous film, Iron Man 3 tells us the story of the man beneath the armor. In fact, this is very much a story about Tony and his beliefs, and shows the playboy philanthropist donning the armor only a handful of times throughout the movie. There are elements in the film not typically found in superhero flicks, along with underlying themes that really add to the story including the war or terror, propagandization, and revenge. It gives us Tony Stark at the most vulnerable point in his time as Iron Man, and tells a great story of a man trying to reconcile his past.This movie is very much a Shane Black film that's filled with witty dialogue and choppy quips, and has a definite "buddy cop" feel to it. Black, the writer behind Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, is a master of smart and pop culture injected lines, of which there is no actor better suited to deliver than RDJ. The direction Black has taken the character tells a darker tale than has been told before, but the outcome is one that works very well.As it turns out, the movie I saw ended up being very different from the one I expected to see...in a good way. The story contains some twists that I did not see coming, and that the marketing team did a good job of hiding in the trailers. There's some spectacular action sequences, particularly the aerial rescue and the final thirty minutes, and a lot more humor than the trailers will have you believe. There's also some memorable performances from the supporting cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, who is given a more action-oriented role, Don Cheadle, who has some fun back-and-forth exchanges with RDJ, Ben Kingsley as the memorable Mandarin (and who steals the show by the way), and Guy Pearce as the mysterious and manipulative Aldrich Killian. I was also pleasantly surprised by the casting of youngster Ty Simpkins, who, somehow, manages to out-banter Tony Stark.It may not be as high-flying or action-packed as the previous films, but it's a very worthy successor to The Avengers, and a terrific addition to the Marvel universe.