A few months after the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark is both obsessed and haunted by what he has seen. He spends many sleepless nights building new models of the Iron Man suit (the official count is around 42) as he now feels he needs to be prepared for anything. Even the mere mention of New York City triggers crippling anxiety attacks in the once headstrong hero. Tony's emotional instabilities come at an inopportune time as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), the leader of the terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony in the first film, has been threatening the American government with multiple attacks around the country. On top of that, Tony's antics from before his days as Iron Man come back to haunt him in the form of Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has created a regeneration serum known as Extremis, and is out for revenge on Stark for refusing to help fund his company 13 years earlier. When Tony issues a public challenge to the Mandarin, the Mandarin promptly responds by destroying Tony's home, along with most of his Iron Man suits, leading the world to believe him dead. Left homeless and mostly Iron Man-less, Tony has to figure out the connection between the Mandarin and Extremis if he is to protect what he holds close to him.
Last year in The Avengers, Captain America asked Tony Stark what would happen if the Iron Man suit was taken from him. Exactly one year later, we find out just that. Iron Man 3 is one of the more character driven entries in the series, and Tony Stark is in front and center. The movie culminates everything we've come to know about the character and just how far he's come from being the reckless playboy of the original film, to having to get by on the bare essentials. It brings to mind the character arc of Bruce Wayne in last year's superhero threequel, The Dark Knight Rises, but I think it's done much better here. Robert Downey Jr. has been a knock out as Tony Stark ever since he stepped into the role, and he's arguably at his best in Iron Man 3, playing a much more vulnerable Tony Stark than what we've seen before. Gwyneth Paltrow is also arguably at her best as Pepper Pots here, as the stress of having a constant superhero presence in her life, and actually donning the Iron Man suit for a brief period of time. Guy Pearce is also enjoyably despicable as Aldrich Killian, certainly better and much less goofy than Sam Rockwell in Iron Man 2, though his plan comes off as a bit extreme when you stop and think about it. And then there's Ben Kingsley, whose portrayal of the Mandarin is rather unconventional, and will likely alienate some longtime fans of the comics. I've personally never read a single panel of the Iron Man comics, but I can tell you right now that I wasn't expecting the angle writer/director Shane Black took with the Mandarin, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Those of you who have seen the movie, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Speaking of the angle at which the movie takes, Iron Man 3 is surprisingly comical and light in tone. The other movies were like this, but the trailer for Iron Man 3 made it look like this was going to be much darker with Dark Knight-like themes and villains, but that is not the case in the finished film. Don't get me wrong, I was enjoying the wit and humor that Iron Man 3 brought but the other films, and more importantly The Avengers, had a better balance of humor, action, and character. I thought I was actually laughing too much with this movie, but a lot of good humor is better than a lot of unfunny humor, so I guess I can't complain too much.
The best part of Iron Man 3, besides it's extra devotion to character development, is its action sequences. From the destruction of Tony Stark's home, to the airborne rescue of Air Force One passengers, to the sensational climactic showdown where we see what Tony was up to during those sleepless nights , each sequence is more intense and satisfying than the last. The new features that Tony puts on the Iron Man suit also lead to some very creative moments in the film, especially in the climax. The action's not quite on par with The Avengers, but it comes very close most of the time.
I feel bad constantly comparing Iron Man 3 to The Avengers, but that's sadly going to be the case with all of these "Phase Two" movies. Marvel has created pretty big shoes for themselves to fill, and despite the occasional odd choice and slight imbalance in tone, Iron Man 3 does pretty well for itself in taking the first steps in filling these shoes. I eagerly await what "Phase Two" of Marvel's Cinematic Universe has in store. Your move, Thor.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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