Iron Man, due in large part to Robert Downey Jr.'s ridiculously charming portrayal, just might be the most popular fictional character on the planet right now. From the relative obscurity of Marvel's B-team (not popular enough to ensure that major studios purchased his film rights in the decades before 2008's "Iron Man" in the way that Marvel's premier properties Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four were bought by Sony and Fox) he's gone on to anchor two solo films that were huge hits domestically and worldwide as well as be the center of the 3rd biggest movie of all time, Avengers. It's odd then, in light of all this success that Iron Man 2 is widely seen as a slight misstep and the weakest entrant of all the Marvel flicks. After disagreements about its production led to the departure of director Jon Favreau, Marvel made the unorthodox decision to bring on writer/director Shane Black. Black, who had previously directed Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, is most well known as the screenwriter of legendary action flicks like Lethal Weapon and The Last Action Hero. In this atmosphere of (admittedly slight) discord, Marvel moves into the post-Avengers era with its biggest star.After the events of Avengers and the final battle that nearly took his life, Tony Stark finds his world shaken. He's buried himself in his work, making continued advances on his Iron Man technology while hardly finding the time to sleep or interact with the outside world. In the meantime, a new terrorist threat is rising, threatening the nation and Stark with mysterious and highly advanced attacks.
The Good: Downey, simply put, was born to play this role. His quips, mannerisms, quick tongue and steady supply of one liners makes Tony Stark simply one of the most loveable characters in pop culture today. Iron Man 3 is an extremely funny film, not afraid to play for a laugh whether it be through sight gags (I especially enjoyed 90's Happy Hogan doing his best Vincent Vega), one liners, or downright ridiculous small characters. The writing was tight and effective, with several twists that were unexpected. The film makes the interesting choice of having a large portion of it take place while Tony is nowhere near an Iron Man suit, forcing him to use his genius in other ways, which really serves to drive his characterization while grounding the flick away from expansive CGI. Never fear, true believers, for there is plenty of Iron Man action including cool tricks with new suits. Gwenyth Paltrow's Pepper Potts has an easy, familiar rapport with Downey and the two really serve to ground the goings-on as they have through 3 other films now. There are some great action sequences and strong supporting performances from Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce's menacing anti-Stark of sorts and blog favorite James Badge Dale. I like that the film manages to at once exist in the Marvel Universe and yet be a stand-alone Iron Man flick. The Avengers are acknowledged, but this is Stark's show, and that doesn't feel forced or false in the least.
The Bad: there are a few choices as far as plotting and character development that I feel were perhaps ill-advised. There's a decision with the Mandarin that I feel largely wastes the potential of the character and Ben Kingsley altogether. I'll leave it at that, but in all honesty, that's my primary critique. It wastes a potentially strong plot device for continuing to drive the Iron Man and Marvel universe. In addition, the film, while very funny, at times dances on the line of sacrificing its necessary gravitas for a laugh. I won't say it ever crosses that line, but it's dangerously close a time or three.
In all, this is a splendid summer action flick and a strong entrant to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it's not as much of a joy to watch as the first Iron Man film, it also doesn't benefit from the origin story, which is always the most easy to tell. It's definitely a step up from the messy Iron Man 2, which falls apart at times and struggles with tone through its second act. Interestingly, this flick plays more like a conventional action film and less like a superhero movie. A lot of the credit/blame for that surely goes to Shane Black, but it works here, and really sets this flick apart from the other films.
Ultimately, this is a fun time at the movies that while falling short of the peak of the superhero genre, remains a strong addition to Marvel's roster. Whatever the future of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark may be, this is a solid addition to the series.
8/10.
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