Iron Man 3 – Review

Film Review by FilmFellaLozz – 7.9/10

It’s been three years since Robert Downey Jnr. reprised the role of smart-ass, quick-witted metal warrior Iron Man (well, in a movie of his own) and there’s been some changes. Most interesting is that Jon Favreau; the guy responsible for bringing Iron Man to the big screen and bagging the big bucks for Marvel stepped down from his directorial duties. The reasons are not entirely clear, but there’s a suggestion that the studio and Favreau couldn’t agree on speculated budget (constraints). Another reason could be that Favreau wasn’t happy about a scheduled released date prior to a script being written or even a concept being devised. Either way, Favreau only appears in the movie this time around as Stark Enterprise’s head of security, ironically named Happy! A bitter pill to swallow being told what to do within the world that you created, no doubt. This could also be the reason why Jon boy has put on about 110 pounds; lots of bitter pills, no doubt.

This time around, it’s Shane Black who’s taken over the reins and not too shabby a job has he done. To the average cinema-goer, it would appear that there has been no change, but this second sequel in new hands does have a slightly different feel. It’s definitely not as funny, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Black and Downey Jnr. previously worked together on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black’s debut, and that was a great collaborate effort, especially when considering he was directing notoriously difficult actors, like RDJ (and Val Kilmer). Iron Man 3 is his first dabble at a lavish CGI affair of action and adventure, and he hits the mark. It’s so easy to make a rubbish superhero movie, especially when you put it in the hands of Kenneth Brannagh (Thor). Nobody called Kenneth should direct a superhero movie. Nobody called Kenneth should be called Kenneth.

Tony Stark has stepped down as the top dog of Stark Enterprise and he’s just filling his time building more Iron Man suits and recuperating from his time in New York…alien invaders, thunder gods, big green monsters, The Avengers, you know. This is until a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) starts blowing some people up, hijacking the TV and executing people live for the world to see. Tony thinks he better do something about it and so dons the suit again to catch the beardy loon and save the day. This is obviously easier said than done, when dealing with a mad man, especially when there’s a possible puppet master at the helm.

The usual bunch are back too; Pepper Potts (Paltrow) and Don Cheadle’s War Machine/Iron Patriot and they do their thing, keeping Tony in check, but this time they are completely infused within the action. And the action is pretty impressive. I don’t forgive bad CGI moments, but there are none at play here. The line between real and make believe is seamless. If there was ever a budget constraint, it doesn’t show. (There are about 300 people (no joke) involved in the digital effects.  It filled the whole screen for a few seconds during the end credits!) For a newcomer to this genre, Black has a keen eye for the spectacular.  The final 20-minute showdown is outrageous, stupid and awesome in all the right measures.

It’s not all fun and games though. A lot of this movie doesn’t actually have Iron Man in it. The message to us; the suit is not Iron Man. Tony Stark is Iron Man, and he’s the hero of the movie, which is fine if the narrative was tight and original. Unfortunately, the premise is a little unimaginative, having seen major plot points in an episode of Fringe.

Iron Man will return, so says the end credits, and that’s ok because these are not bad movies. They are solid pieces of entertainment. Is Iron Man 3 as good as The Avengers? Probably not, but it’s far better than Thor and the atrocious Captain America. Oh and stay until the very end for an amusing after the credits scene!