Iron Man 3 (2013) Directed by Shane Black. Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle. IMDB says: “When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.”
Full disclosure: I’ve had days to write this review but I put it off because I had so much crap going on this week. Like my to do lists have to do lists. Cut to today, now I’m feeling under the weather and can’t for the life of me clear my head. “Iron Man 3 was awesome now tell the people why!” It should be simple but anyone who has ever had writer’s block or sinus issues will tell you otherwise. So because of all the aforementioned reasons and also because I don’t really want to get too deep with possible spoilers, I’m just going to bullet point some of my favorite elements of the film. I mean, you should probably just go see it because it’s really good but whatever…here’s some reasons:
- The Story: You go, Shane Black. I wouldn’t consider myself a huge fan of Mr. Black but I really appreciated how much he made this Iron Man story his own. I didn’t even find out until after I had watched the movie what some of his trademarks were but I did like how this Iron Man installment felt so original. It’s hard to do that when entering into this superhero genre but he pulls it off quite well.
- The Action: I’ve always dug Iron Man over the other Avengers because I love Tony Stark’s character so much. But this movie gives me tons of Tony while never sacrificing the ball busting action sequences. The scenes were completely gripping and seemed to barrel in and out of the film with perfect pacing.
- My Favorite Avenger: I know I already said this but it’s so true! I don’t really care what anyone else thinks, I loved Iron Man and Iron Man 2. I easily prefer anything Tony/Iron Man is in to all the other independent Avengers films. The character has that hyper smart, lovable dick thing going on that just makes him a complete badass.
- Pepper = Badass: And speaking of badasses, Pepper Potts gets to totally do her thang in this movie. I absolutely love Gwyneth Paltrow as Potts and she gets even more screen time in this installment.
- Nice Wrap Up for the Trilogy: Overall, it’s sort of sad to see the trilogy capped even if I know I’ll be seeing Tony again. RDJ made the character and even at week points in the series, it’s that character that keeps me coming back. I’ve rewatched the first two films plenty of times and I know IM3 will be getting the same treatment.
The only other point I should mention is that you don’t really need to see it in 3D but if you do, the movie gives out some pretty cool glasses.
Iron Man 3 opens in U.S. theaters Friday, May 3rd.