Film is reasonably entertaining if not memorable.
By Deepak Chitnis
The summer movie season kicks off with Iron Man 3, a decent but unspectacular continuation of Marvel’s most popular cinematic franchise. The first of Marvel’s new batch of films that will culminate in 2015’s The Avengers 2, it’s certainly a considerable step up from 2010’s Iron Man 2, but not in the same league as the 2008 original. It’s an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours in a movie theater, but those expecting the next great superhero film will be let down.
Iron Man 3 picks up shortly after the events of last year’s The Avengers. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is struggling with extreme emotional and psychological stress due to climactic encounter of that film. His assistant/girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), runs Stark Enterprises in his stead, and turns down an offer from former acquaintance Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) to partner with his company in order to create highly advanced nanotechnology. Meanwhile, a terrorist known only as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) begins attacking the United States, prompting a military response led by Tony’s best friend James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). But when The Mandarin makes things personal for Tony, he realizes that all the Iron Man suits and all his money may not be enough to save him.
Once again, Downey steals the show as Tony Stark. This will undoubtedly become his most memorable character, and in his fourth performance in the role (or fifth, if you count his brief scene in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk), Downey has the character down cold. There are rumors that he may only do one more movie after this; if so, whoever succeeds him as Tony Stark will have large shoes to fill.
The rest of the cast is solid, as well, with Pearce and particularly Kingsley doing very strong work as the villainous duo. There is a twist involving their identities at the beginning of the third act, however, that may irritate audience members who are familiar with the comics; suffice it to say that Iron Man’s arch nemesis from the comics is treated as something of a joke in the film. Paltrow is still good as Pepper Potts, and she is given a little more of a role this time around, which is always nice. The one weak link is still Don Cheadle; although he’s a tremendous actor when given the right role, he just can’t hold a candle to Terrance Howard’s version of the character from in the first movie.
The movie has done incredible box-office numbers worldwide – it has already crossed $1 billion cumulative gross and is one of the ten most financially successful films of all time – but after the incredibly entertaining The Avengers last summer, Iron Man 3 can’t help feel like less of a spectacle. It also makes little sense that Tony Stark can’t call his new superhero friends for help in this movie, especially when one of them makes a surprise appearance after the end credits (it’s not a great scene, don’t waste your time). The second act also spends much of its time spinning its wheels, with a whole half-hour going by without very much happening. A tighter, more focused script would have helped this movie immeasurably.
Nevertheless, Iron Man 3 gets the job done. It’s reasonably entertaining, if not very memorable, and is a serviceable way to start off the summer. The next film in Marvel’s “Phase Two” is Thor: The Dark World, opening this November, followed by Captain America: The Winter Soldier next April and Guardians of the Galaxy next August.
Iron Man 3
Released May 3rd, 2013
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley
Director: Shane Black
Rating: B-
Seen in 2D.
To contact the author, e-mail: deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com