Film Review- "Iron Man 3"

Iron Man 3
Directed By Shane Black
Starring Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, Gwyneth Playtrow as Pepper Potts, Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin

Tony Stark returns in one of the stronger films in the Iron Man franchise, and possibly one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After his run in with Gods and aliens in The Avengers, Tony Stark (Downey) is facing some anxiety issues. He can't sleep and he's spending way too much time in his workshop. Meanwhile, an old business associate of Pepper's, Aldrich Killian (Pearce), returns with a new technology called Extremis, and a terrorist named The Mandarin (Kingsley) emerges.

When Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is injured in one of The Mandarin's attacks, Tony calls for vengeance, and a fierce conflict ensues. This puts Tony in a real tough position, forced to rely on his smarts alone to take down these villains and protect everything he loves.

The film is like a Marvel version of The Dark Knight Rises, as it leaves our hero isolated and battling his way out of the toughest challenge yet. It's a solid story that answers the question "Does the suit make the man, or does the man make the suit?" The action scenes are superb, from the terrorist attack at Tony's Malibu home, to the climax aboard an oil rig (Which is a fight scene that rivals the last fifteen minutes of The Avengers). But as well-written and action-heavy as the film is, it's really quite funny with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments.

Robert Downey Jr is again fantastic as Tony Stark. Gwyneth Playtrow is given more to do this time around. This is probably her best performance as Pepper in all the Marvel films. The returning supporting cast, Don Cheadle as Rhodey, Jon Favreau as Happy, and Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS (Who may just steal the show here), are all bringing their usual with A-Game.

In terms of the new cast members, Rebecca Hall is...average. She does a good job with what she's given, but she isn't given much. Guy Pearce gives a fine performance as Aldrich Killian, but nothing that really makes him memorable. Ben Kingsley is just fantastic as the film's Mandarin.

I'm writing this well after spoilers have hit the Internet, and everyone seems to either love or hate what they did with The Mandarin. I personally, was a little upset with how it was done, but I understand why it was done. When it comes to the Marvel films, the Iron Man films are the most grounded in reality, and what they did with The Mandarin character fits that mold. It's still a solid performance by Kingsley.

The ending will raise a lot of questions. Not to spoil, but I'm curious as to how much of the uncertainty in the renewal of Downey's Marvel contract factored into it, and I hope that what is done in The Avengers 2 doesn't just hit the "undo button" on the ending of this film.

In the end, Iron Man 3 is another solid film out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is absolutely worth seeing in theaters, maybe multiple times in theaters (I saw it twice).