Year of release: 2013
Director: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyenth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Like most other huge movie
franchises, I’ve been a bit late with getting into the Iron Man craze. I seem
to have quite a habit of completely missing the boat and then stumbling across
them way after everyone else. I didn’t
really know much about the Iron Man movies until the third one was released
earlier this year and after hearing so many people raving about it I decided to
get watching. After seeing the first movie, my love of Iron Man was well and
truly established. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, as unlike most
superhero movies Tony Stark doesn’t actually have any crazy superhuman powers,
he just happens to be a techy genius – his ‘super power’ is his brain which I
thought was pretty cool. It also helped make the story more believable in my
opinion. So after the first, I quickly went on to watch the second, followed by The Avengers and then finally the third.
The
film begins with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) recalling a New Years Eve party
back in 1999 which he spent with scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), the
inventor of a regenerative treatment known as Extremis which is used to help
people recover from crippling injuries. Whilst they are leaving the party, they
are approached by disabled scientists Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) who offers
them a chance to work in his company Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM), an offer which
Stark rather rudely rejects. The film then jumps back to the present to find an
anxious and over-worked Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) struggling to cope with panic
attacks following the events of the alien attack in New York (in The Avengers),
whilst he attempts to discover the identity of a terrorist organisation,
fronted by a chap known as the Mandarin. After his head of security, Happy
Hogan (Jon Favreau), is hospitalized after a suspected terrorist attack outside
the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, Stark makes it his mission to find the man
responsible before anyone else gets hurt.
This third instalment is
certainly much darker and more sinister than the previous films and Stark is
faced with a greater sense of threat and danger from his enemies than ever
before. The villains in the film, led by disabled scientist Aldrich Killian, are
able to regrow body parts and can withstand almost any form of attack following
their treatment with Extremis, leaving them seemingly impossible to defeat –
Stark certainly has his work cut out with this lot. You really do doubt whether
the almighty Iron Man will be able to pull it all off this time or if he has
finally met his match. And with his on-going battle to deal with his anxiety,
Stark is presented with his greatest challenge yet.
 |
| Quiet Please. Genius at work. |
Whilst the plot is fast-paced, exciting
and action-packed, it can be a little vague at times. The villain’s attacks
often seemed a bit without reason and it was difficult to really grasp what their
motivation was. But despite this minor ambiguity, the film is hard not to like –
it has everything you would hope for in a superhero action movie. The special
effects were spectacular. Everything from the explosions, to the creation of
the villains, to the Iron Man suits was exceptionally well done. I particularly
liked Tony’s new method of getting suited up, which was very comical as well as
being incredibly cool! This third instalment definitely upped the ante with the
superhero armour and techy gadgets, although there is less of a dependence on
the suit in this film and more of a focus on the man who created it. Stark
really has to prove his worth and is often forced to rely on his own genius and
ingenuity rather than on the suits alone. But, of course, when the suits are
used they are undeniably spectacular – a positive outcome of Stark’s obsessive workaholic
behaviour at the start of the film.
Stark, as always, retains his
likeability as the charming and witty genius. Although this instalment shows
Stark at his most vulnerable, allowing viewers to see a more caring side to his
character, particularly through his relationship with Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). I liked the
development of the romantic storyline between Tony and Pepper and it served as a
refreshing inclusion amongst all of the chaos and violence and people blowing
up all over the place. I also loved the introduction of 10 year old Harley Keener
(Ty Simpkins) who helps Tony get back on his feet and inspires him to put his
genius to good use when his suit is temporarily out of use. The duo made a very
unusual but very lovable and comical pair.
Packed with plenty of charm, humour
and rip-roaring action, this third instalment is a thrilling superhero delight
that you will want to watch again and again. So if you haven’t done so already,
do yourself a favour and get watching!
Favourite bit: This was a hard
one to pick but I did really enjoy the scene where Stark makes numerous
attempts to “call” his suit when he’s held hostage. The threats he splutters
while waiting for his armour did make me laugh.
Rating: 9/10
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