I just got back from the midnight showing of Iron Man 3 in 3D IMAX at mt local multiplex and I’ve been trying to think about what to write here for the last hour or so. There’s a lot to love about Iron Man 3. Shane Black has done a great job bringing new life to the character of Tony Stark. The action is incredible and it is hands down the funniest of the Iron Man films.
That said, there were some times in the movie when I felt myself starting to bubble over with anger at the screen. There are certain aspects of the film that, if you have never read the Iron Man comics, you would probably not have a problem with… In fact, you might even think them clever. However, if you grew up reading Marvel comics, you are going to want to jump out of your own skin during certain parts of the film. The only parallel that quickly pops to mind about how certain things are so fundamentally different than the source material would if you ever read the Stephen King short story, Lawnmower Man, and then you went and watched the Stephen King film, Lawnmower Man. It was so different that it may as well not have had the same name.
The movie is worth seeing for the action and the comedy alone. I laughed out loud (and so did the rest of the audience) several times and a lot of the action was serious, edge of the seat stuff… especially when there are multiple armors involved. However, if you were to ask me what the final resolving action of the climax was, I already am having trouble remembering it.
The after credits scene is also really great. It is not what I was expecting, but it was very funny and very charming. That’s all I’m going to say.
All in all, Iron Man 3 was a very enjoyable movie. It wasn’t quite as good as Iron Man, but it was a whole lot better than Iron Man 2. The action is intense, the humor is solid, and the plot is good – as long as you are ok with a totally different take on things that you might be used to from the comics.
Grade: B
Iron Man 3 stars: Robert Downey jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, and Jon Favreau.
Official synopsis for Iron Man 3:
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
