Friday, May 17, 2013

Iron Man 3 - 3 stars

Better than Iron Man 2, possibly better than Iron Man 1 but not as much fun.

After 2 Iron Man movies and The Avengers, seeing Tony Stark flying around in the Iron Man suit just isn't that exciting anymore.  I'm much more interested in seeing the character Tony Stark and watching him develop.  Robert Downey Jr. delivers snarky remarks better than just about anyone, and that's what I'm looking for.  That's exactly what this movie delivers.

Tony Stark is having anxiety attacks after the events of The Avengers.  Flying a nuke into a wormhole and fighting a bunch of aliens will do that to anyone.  When a terrorist known as The Mandarin starts setting off bombs around the country, Tony decides to stay out of it.  Iron Man can't solve every problem.  But when one of The Mandarin's attacks hurts someone close to Stark, he vows revenge. 

After his home is destroyed, Stark crash lands in rural Tennessee.  His suit is damaged and the world thinks he's dead, so he stays in hiding for a while.  He finds a barn which he can use as a workshop to repair his suit, and he befriends a kid who could use a father figure.  Just when you think the movie is going to turn sappy and sentimental, Stark tells the kid to buzz off and stop being a yutz.  Funny stuff.

Shane Black takes over writing and directing duties for this 3rd installment, and it's exactly what the franchise needed.  Black's last movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was one of the best movies of the last 10 years, and he really should work more.  He knows how to write for Downey Jr. better than anyone.  And the finale, with Stark and Rhodes going into the villains lair with guns drawn, is reminicent of Lethal Weapon (also written by Black).  Ben Kingsley plays a great villain with a secret, and Guy Pearce also has some fun moments.  I really enjoyed Iron Man 3, and I hope Shane Black comes back for Iron Man 4.

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