Review: Iron Man Three

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.