Iron Man 3 Review

Does the Suit Make the Man?

Hello world!  It's been a while since my last product review.  I've been busy lately and I also had to overcome a case of writer's block.

But, I'm back.  And today, I'll be reviewing the latest production in the slew of recent superhero movies - Iron Man 3, with Robert Downey Jr playing the genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist, Tony Stark.    Does this third film solidify the Iron Man franchise as one of the best superhero trilogies ever, or does it fall flat on it's face?  Read on to find out.

I've always been a big fan of the Iron Man films, mainly because of RDJ's consistently brilliant comedic/dramatic performance of the title character, Tony Stark.    The first Iron Man film, released in 2008, played a huge role in revitalizing Downey Jrs career.  That movie set the new standard for comic book flicks.  Iron Man 2 kept the good vibrations going a couple of years later, even though it was a slightly less balanced adventure than its predecessor.  RDJ then headlined the mother of all blockbusters last summer, The Avengers. Thanks in large part to these movies, he's been a highly visible A-list movie star over the past few years.

You can see, then, why the announcement of Iron Man 3 was met with such hype anticipation.  I can say with full confidence that it does not disappoint.

Before I talk about why Iron Man 3 was so enjoyable, I first have to discuss the flaws in its predecessor.  Iron Man 2 was a fun film, but it fell into the trap of many other blockbuster sequels - it sacrificed substance for style.  It was flashy and slick, but was largely shallow in terms of plot and character development.  What anchored the movie was RDJ's acting, no doubt.

The film makers completely righted the the ship with this third movie, however.  Many viewers will notice that this third movie looks visually different than the first two Iron Man films, and that's because this movie had a new director - Shane Black.  Black has worked with RDJ previously in the movie Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.   I think that Black does a terrific job directing here - the entire movie is well-paced from beginning to end and the dialogue is witty and meaningful - just what Iron Man fans have come to expect over the past few years.

I don't want to spoil too much about the story here.  The movie doesn't take itself as seriously as say, The Dark Knight trilogy, but us Iron Man fans wouldn't want it any other way.  It is this lighthearted approach to the superhero genre that makes Iron Man so much fun to watch.  Mixed with Downey Jr's perfectly glib portrayal of Mr. Stark, it works.  Having said that, this iteration of the series is a tad darker than the previous two movies.  Fairly early on in the movie, Tony Stark loses nearly all of his material possessions and those that are closest to him are put in grave danger.  So, take away that powerful suit of armor, and what's left?  Tony has to figure out the answer to that question in time to save the people he cares about most.

The special effects are also brilliant.  There are several dazzlingly done set pieces in the film, the favorite of mine being the climactic ending battle, which I won't spoil.  Another one of my highlights is the chemistry between Downey Jr and basically every other actor around him.  The viewer can tell that he had fun making this movie and enjoyed his scenes with Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, and a young boy that he makes an unlikely (yet funny) relationship with.

All in all, I loved this movie.  It's the perfect start to the Summer movie season - it's fun and stylish, but also has an important message at its core: Sometimes you need to lose everything to figure out what's most important to you.

Rating: 5 / 5