More of a sequel to last year’s The Avengers (Avengers Assemble) than Iron Man 2, the third solo outing for Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man puts the iconic armour on the back seat to better explore the character of Tony Stark following the events of The Avengers.
Shane Black takes over from Jon Favreau as director giving
Iron Man 3 a fresh feel which sets it apart from previous instalments. The are
many traits and parallels from Black’s previous directorial role on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, such as the main character
narration, a Christmas setting and some ingenious plot twists (although I will
avoid spoilers so proceed without fear!) The movie pitches Stark against a
powerful and mysterious opponent, and stripped of his armour must use his genius
intellect (as he once did in a certain Afghan cave) to face this new threat and
save the one thing he can’t live without (and of course, the world at the same
time) Black made a point before the film’s release about its heavier focus on
Stark’s human side, so the lack of Iron Suit action shouldn’t come as a big
surprise. This also means we are treated to a great infiltration scene using
makeshift gadgets built from the contents of a hardware store.
Ben Kingsley provides an ominous and at times disturbing performance
as the Mandarin and completely steals the show any time he is on screen. Downey
Jr proves once again that there is no man better for the job as he plays a more
fragile Stark perfectly, but despite Pepper Pots being more integral to the
story this time round, it isn’t till the climax that Paltrow really gets to
shine.
The internet is abuzz with debate about the quality of the
film, and it would seem that it is the comic book fans who are left disappointed,
feeling that the cinematic renditions of certain characters just don’t ring
true with versions they have grown to love. However, from the outside
perspective of your average movie goer this will not be an issue and you will
be left with an original and well rounded experience full of some very
memorable new characters.
