TJX MAY IRON MAN 3 | Spoiler Free Review

Roughly half a decade ago, who would have known that a certain comic book character, not as popular as the X-Men would end up making history at the Box Office and not only that, being quite the favorite among casual to a good number or ardent comic book-film fans.  Whether it’s smart planning mixed in wtih daring risks and or clever casing of the charismatic Robert Downy Jr. who can say? But the bottom line is at the end of the day, Marvel Comics sure have a winner with Iron Man.

BACKGROUND INFO

Iron Man 3 was a tremendously heavy burden for all factions interested;

1. Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios: After tremendous success and closure to their Phase One plan of launching comic book characters onto the big screen with The Avengers, Marvel Comics had no option but to make the headlining act work.  That headlining act being Iron Man 3.  From various sources, intel is that the direction taken by Iron Man 3 would set the template for the rest of the films to follow (Thor: The Dark World later this year Captain America: Winter Soldier next year and The Avengers 2 in 2015).
2. The Avengers 2: In the comics Captain America may on most occasions be the leadership pillar for The Avengers, but on the big screen, Robert Downey Jr. is the main draw. May hurt for some, but when it comes to the big screen and drawing in a wider audience, ‘appeal’ factors in alot.  Iron Man 3 flopping would not have been good for The Avengers and their main draw card.
3. Robert Downey Jr.: The man has talked about ‘leaving’ and or taking some time away from the character. Officially, his contract expires after The Avengers 2, no way would it have been good for him to bow out under bad report returns… 😉

In short, Iron Man 3 had to succeed. Financially more so than in any other department. So with that in mind, shall we review?

THE REVIEW

“It’s not a serious movie…but we seriously dig into exploring more of Tony… What you’ll see in Iron Man 3 is some very unique directions that were taken.” Kevin Feige Marvel Studios President of Productions

The above quote from Kevin Feige in this year’s January edition of Total Film magazine, nicely sums up what any casual film goer and die hard comic-book film fan should expect from this comic-book adaption.  Whether it’s good or bad, it’s up to you 😉 Shall we start then?

The Good

It’s funny. Well placed and delivered humor. You will laugh. The biggest humor spot centers around a certain tremendous crucial reveal surrounding Ben Kingsley’s character. Fine that reveal is a point of contention, a serious one true, but regardless of your feelings afterwards or during the reveal you will laugh.  Humor scripting is pretty difficult, and the fact that the Iron Man franchise has managed to blend it well with the different stories (forget Ion Man 2, that was a waste and we don’t blame the then director Jon Favreau) throughout is impressive.  The humor is spot on, but with its negatives. More on that later on…

Kiss me…

The acting is good. The actors never take their roles too seriously, they know who they are and the role their character plays in the overall picture and deliver.  Special mention; Ben Kingsley is a scene stealer!  His voice as The Mandarin is chilling yet captivating, not forgetting the time when we finally see him…  Gwyneth Paltrow is also spot on, even more so now with more screen time and greater role to play.  Jon Favreau (former directer Iron Man, Iron Man 2) as Happy now promoted to Head of Security at Stark Industries, is also effective in his role. Don Cheadle again, although we have to say we felt his character slightly stripped off the necessary seriousness and military impact from the previous installments. Wrapping things up with the two main characters; Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) taken aback by the new confident and motivated Killian (Guy Pearce)

Guy Pearce is a tremendously gifted actor, yet to some extent underrated.  His addition to the Iron Man 3 cast had the necessary impact.  He delivers. His first appearance has you feeling sorry for him, then happy when he is reintroduced then after that, let’s just say he is just as effective in his role as Robert is in his of the star/hero.  Speaking of  the lead, Robert Downey Jr. is the main pillar of the entire film.  If Ben Kingsley steals the scenes and if Guy Pearce has you not rooting for him effectively, then Robert as Stark/Iron Man has you loving and enjoying him.

That steely–err ‘iron’ look.

Clearly Robert Downey Jr. enjoys his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man or he is just a good actor and the role fits him 😉 either way, the balance between the real-life charming Robert and the charming onscreen Tony Stark is well struck.  You just can’t help but root for Tony, and that’s the main point of a superhero film, the whole point of a good vs evil film. In that aspect, well done Marvel, well done.

Lastly, the effects and armour.  The credits at the end showed an uncountable number of personnel attached to the visuals and special effects. The number of companies in total is an eye popping one.  So if you’re a fan of the visuals, enjoy 🙂

One awesome looking prototype…

The Bad

Not every film is perfect, Iron Man 3 is no exception.  Earlier on we had mentioned humor as one of the film’s strong point, but alas in some instances it dilutes the seriousness of the film.  As much as Kevin Feige (the guy we quoted earlier own) states that that was the purpose of the film, it’s a pitfall.  There were several scenes that required a moment to pause and reflect on, let them sink in, let the viewer’s sentiments get drawn in and wrapped around but alas, it gets blanketed by a joke or gag.

Another perhaps minor crippling factor regarding Iron Man 3 is the misdirection in their marketing.  What?? Yes! In short there are some parts in the trailers that are missing in the final film.  That leads to what we feel was a marketing oversell that never delivered on a serious believable level; Tony Stark going through the most trying moment of his life. Yeah…right. That never really happened. We never felt like the man was in danger, at all!

A hopeless Stark?

Regardless of where he ended up or where he was, he always had a way out. Everything was made to convenient for him in such a simplistic way.  He was too charming and invincible, even without the armor.   Gone is the seriousness of the armor, especially in relation to the shrapnel in his chest as well told in Iron Man. The armor, and Iron Man himself serves as a gimmick, a toy for the billionaire playboy Tony Stark.  He parks it outside a cafe like it’s a car! That’s possibly the only spoiler you’ll get here, apologies 😉

The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)

Lastly, there’s a certain crucial plot twist/reveal that may rub comic book enthusiasts the wrong way.  It’s done in such a clever yet daring and hilarious way that you have to applaud them for the risk taken!  Regardless, you’re feelings at the end regarding the reveal may be mixed to livid after the laughter fades that is 😉  We are still undecided on our reactions back here regarding that reveal, non-comic book buffs won’t care about the fuss and will dismiss it, tru. But to that we say; if you have ever had a beloved novel translated to the big screen and had a major pivotal character such as an arch-nemesis ‘abused’ or totally misrepresented onscreen, then please understand the enthusiasts out there.

Overall

As a film that represents the summer season of fun and enjoyment, Iron Man 3 leads the pack, for now…  It hits home and deserves its fair share of applause.  But rating it from a point of view that balances the enthusiasm and expectations of fan-boys alike and the average movie goer who knows nothing of the source material or comics alike, we give it…

Movie Jabber Rating: 7/10

What’s your take?

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