Released worldwide in late April of 2013, this $200-million dollar super hero adventure
film from director Shane Black is well on its way to becoming the 16th movie to break
the billion dollar mark.
This picture marks the 4th time Robert Downey Jr. has played the title character: a charming
billionaire playboy mechanic who vows revenge on an evil terrorist mastermind after his
friend is hospitalized in a gruesome bombing attack right outside the front door of this
theater.
In the role that ostensibly resurrected his troubled career, RDJ is as entertaining and
arrogant as ever, narrating early, "You know who I am".
An analogy for the film's biggest flaw; as a standalone film, that quote embodies that
not much is done to establish these characters, or their universe...
but, if you're familiar with earlier installments, this 130-minute action spectacle is a real
treat.
Downey still has nightmare flashes to his actions in "The Avengers", which are incorporated
effectively into the rudimentary plot, that once again sees our hero stripped away of
his suit and powers, forced to MacGuyver one home-brewed solution after another.
A force to be reckoned with, Gwyneth Paltrow truly comes into her own as the sexy and formidable
girlfriend... and her chemistry with Robert is undeniable in their fourth outing together.
Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley play the bad guys, and both effortlessly slip into their bizarre
and eccentric characters.
Even the minor supporting roles, like Maya Hansen, Jon Favreau, James Badge Dale, Don
Cheadle, or child actor Ty Simpkins do a fine job with the fun and quirky material.
Unfortunately, the talented William Sadler is extremely underutilized and wasted as the
President...
reduced to nothing more than a MacGuffin for the protagonists.
Combining uber-cool glimpses of near-future technology with a wicked smart sense of humor,
this feature takes a bit of time to get going, but the chaotic finale with dozens of disposable
henchmen is completely delightful.
Meaninglessly set around Christmas time, this PG-13 rated picture showcases Iron Man at
his angriest, but also at his most vulnerable, forced to stave off attacks from the Mandarin,
his toughest adversary yet, especially when the unstoppable villain literally walks through
fire, a-la T-1000.
Fans of the source material mayn't be pleased with the inventive and original take on Iron
Man's iconic foe - but casual viewers such as myself will likely enjoy the twists this
film takes.
The patriotic score from Brian Tyler mixes drums, trumpets and strings to create a sense
of importance and urgency to the film's larger set-pieces: all of which are accomplished
with intricately detailed and realistic visual effects.
The
Marvel / Disney pairing should be applauded for consistently threading together another
fine picture within Stan Lee's creative comic-book adapted universe, even if it isn't always
believable.
A light-hearted, rewatchable, and enjoyable ride for all fans of the series, "Iron Man
3" has, "Simplified thrills with hectic effects."
Now for some of your reviews from the YouTube comments.
Here's "Iron Man 3" on the rate-o-matic... an EIGHT and an EIGHT.
Fans of the comic didn't appreciate the treatment of the primary villain, but applauded the
acting and visuals, scoring the film a GREAT.
On par with the trilogy's inaugural effort, this was a competently made and entertaining
movie with many laughs... but it ultimately wasn't as strong as it could have been, I'll
give it a GREAT as well.