The Story:
Ever since New York, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has been feeling a bit... off. Still tinkering with his suits, he is up to version # 42 when the movie begins. This causes a bit of unease with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) but when you're in love with a genius, there's a price to be paid. Unfortunately, a terrorist known only as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is attacking around the globe, and when one of his attacks injures Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), things get personal. Tony seeks revenge, but even he may be no match for the greatest threat he's ever suited up against.
I'm not going to lie, I loved Part 3.
: )
And the # 1 complaint of the movie going public/critics seems to be The Mandarin and his fate in the movie.
This guy? No problems at all with what unfolded. I thought it was a stroke of genius to be honest.
Stepping on board as director is Shane Black, in only his second outing behind the camera (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang), but he reteams with Robert Downey Jr., and he is the man who wrote Lethal Weapon, so the franchise isn't going to slip too much.
No, in fact, it rebounds from the disappointment of the 2nd film which gave us perhaps too much Iron Man (men) and in fact, let's Tony Stark spend much of the film sans armor.
This provides Iron Man 3 with its greatest strength, and that owes also to Marvel, Stan Lee, and all who followed in his footsteps in making Marvel the better comic universe to grow up reading:
The movie is about Tony Stark. Tony Stark IS Iron Man. You put any other guy in the suit, and while you can call him Iron Man, he's not. He's an imitation. Which is why Rhodey (Don Cheadle) became War Machine/Iron Patriot.
The human character is what made the heroes in Marvel lore stand out for me (and many other readers). Take them out of the suit, and the replacement versions just never clicked after that. Yet when you see the end of the Batman trilogy, it seems like they feel that if anyone jumps in the suit, they become Batman.
Meh.
So, there you have it, a review that hopefully gives nothing away on this opening weekend, but instead serves as a soapbox as to why I love Marvel heroes, and am thrilled to be seeing them brought to life on the big screen. Changed as needed from the comics to make as much sense as possible, but never leaving out the heart that made the characters so endearing in the first place.
Go see the # 1 movie in America. If you liked either of the first 2 installments, you won't regret your decision.
Final Grade: A-
Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd go again in a heartbeat, but I already got to see the film with my sweetheart. : ) So for now... maybe I'll just go pre-order the Blu Ray on Amazon.
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