Friday, May 3, 2013

Iron Man 3 Movie Review

Robert Downey, Jr. stars as/in Iron Man 3

From our friends at DC Film Review...

Iron Man 3: A Barrel of Monkeys

Marvel’s Iron Man has always stood out as the funniest (and cinematically, most successful) Avenger. Humor plays a pivotal role in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, against a background of dazzling (though repetitive) action sequences that closer resemble the ending of a 007 movie than a third (fourth, if you count Marvel’s The Avengers) outing for America’s new favorite superhero.

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

What’s Best: Downey is Iron Man, and carries the movie with his unique comedy stylings (can you say sarcasm?) In Downey’s capable hands, adjectives like arrogant, pompous and smarky (It’s a word... at least according to Urban Dictionary) come across as terms of endearment, ditching their negative connotations at the door. Whether he’s delivering zippy one-liners, ‘Follow the mullet,’ ‘Jarvis, drop my needle!’ or simply waiting in costume (sitting, legs crossed on his sofa) for Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow,) Tony Starks/Iron Man 3 is downright adorable/deplorable. P.S. Nice touch using Eiffel 65’s Blue (Da Ba Dee) to open the film. P.S.S. A daring rescue aboard/outside Air Force One looks pretty darn cool.

What’s Not: Downey’s excellent performance notwithstanding, the third Iron Man feature comes dangerous close to “jumping the shark.” In just five years, Iron Man has evolved from a crudely constructed suit of armor to an impossible-to-swallow set of endless vessels that Starks dives in and out of (with nauseating ease.) One could effectively argue that Iron Man is running almost entirely on remote control. Here’s hoping the next chapter takes it down a notch or two (or risk losing a big chunk of its audience.) Hint, hint: One Iron Man (and one War Machine) are more than enough.

Best Line: Just about everything that comes out of Downey’s mouth is funny. His plainspoken rapport with 10-year-old tyke Harley (Ty Simpkins) is appropriately grown-up, highlighted by, ‘You know what keeps going through my head? Where’s my sandwich?’ Not to be outdone, one of the Mandarin’s guards “backs off” in grand style with, ‘Honestly, I hate working here. They are so weird.’ If only more henchmen were this smart.

Overall: I went into Iron Man 3 with lofty expectations, and for the most part came away satisfied. Downey’s a stitch, who turns throwaway exchanges (like a give & go with Gary, a TV engineer/big fan... ‘I’ve patterned my whole look after you.’) into comic gold. Starks coos ‘Tony needs Gary,’ but Black’s film needs Downey a whole lot more. Without him, all we’re left with are bad guys with over-fiery personalities and an equally hot mess of Iron Man costumes flying in all different directions. Surprises abound, resulting in even more humor. Die-hard fans of the comic book series may be in for a let down; but those in search of the year’s first summer blockbuster are in for a real treat.

GradeB