Iron Man 3
So the first film was amazing and the second film was sub-par. Does this film return to the amazingness of the first one? Let's find out.
We start off in a flashback where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) informs us that this is where something went wrong. He's at a party with Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) when he meets a nerdy fella named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). Tony disreguards most of what Aldrich says, but after their conversation in the elevator, he tells Aldrich to wait outside for him. So he does, but Tony never shows up. Instead, he's spending the rest of the flashback with Maya, where she shows him some interesting things she's been working on. In the present, a terrorist known as the Mandarin has been attacking nearby Middle-Eastern towns and has announced that he will attack the U.S. After some time passes, we find Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) talking to the older Aldrich. He shows her his new holographic technology and eventually leaves. During this, Hogan (Jon Favreau) begins keeping eye on a strange man. A while later, terrorist attacks are shown on the news. These attacks are done by a man that calls himself the Mandarin. He sends a threat to the Americans that he will begin attacking America soon. So now Tony has to try and find a way to stop this mad man.
Like always, I'll start off with the amazing things about this movie. The action scenes have been vastly improved from the last film. There's a lot more at stake and there's actually a bigger connection between Tony and the villain when compared to the last villain. With this bigger connection, we as the audience begin to feel a lot more for these characters and why they do what they do. The villains motives actually seem to make sense due to what happened between him and Tony years ago. As for the other characters, Pepper gets a major character upgrade through the plot of the film. She's no longer a damsel in distress as she saves Tony quite a few times in the film. While I still feel a little off with the actor change for Rhodey, it doesn't bother me as much here as it did in the last film. Here, he's actually a bigger part than a sidekick. Yeah, he still does what Tony tells him to, but he can actually take care of himself. I also loved the fact that the Avengers movie wasn't just treated like some spinoff. It has major effects on Tony due to what happened at the end of that film, which I won't spoil for those that haven't seen it. As for the humor of the film, it's just as funny as the past two films. Actually, scratch that. It's funnier than the second film and almost reaches the humor of the first one. The jokes reach their peak when Tony meets this child who basically acts like a mini version of himself.
Alright, enough pleasing this movie. Let's get to what irks me about it. Well, there's not a lot to say actually. My biggest problems are those for comic book fans. The Mandarin isn't the same one here as he is in the comics, which I know will send a lot of fans home crying/complaining. The ending also seems a bit weird as it seems to leave us wondering if the Iron Man series will continue. I wouldn't put it past them to have Tony be a cameo in future Marvel movies, but what about the Iron Man films in general? I personally know a lot of fans of these Marvel films that see the Iron Man ones as the best, including myself. It would be a shame to see it end, but I understand why if they end it here.
So, should you watch Iron Man 3? Certainly. If you didn't like Iron Man 2, don't let that stop you from seeing this third installment. It's a lot better. It's almost as good as the first one, but not quite.
We start off in a flashback where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) informs us that this is where something went wrong. He's at a party with Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) when he meets a nerdy fella named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). Tony disreguards most of what Aldrich says, but after their conversation in the elevator, he tells Aldrich to wait outside for him. So he does, but Tony never shows up. Instead, he's spending the rest of the flashback with Maya, where she shows him some interesting things she's been working on. In the present, a terrorist known as the Mandarin has been attacking nearby Middle-Eastern towns and has announced that he will attack the U.S. After some time passes, we find Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) talking to the older Aldrich. He shows her his new holographic technology and eventually leaves. During this, Hogan (Jon Favreau) begins keeping eye on a strange man. A while later, terrorist attacks are shown on the news. These attacks are done by a man that calls himself the Mandarin. He sends a threat to the Americans that he will begin attacking America soon. So now Tony has to try and find a way to stop this mad man.
Like always, I'll start off with the amazing things about this movie. The action scenes have been vastly improved from the last film. There's a lot more at stake and there's actually a bigger connection between Tony and the villain when compared to the last villain. With this bigger connection, we as the audience begin to feel a lot more for these characters and why they do what they do. The villains motives actually seem to make sense due to what happened between him and Tony years ago. As for the other characters, Pepper gets a major character upgrade through the plot of the film. She's no longer a damsel in distress as she saves Tony quite a few times in the film. While I still feel a little off with the actor change for Rhodey, it doesn't bother me as much here as it did in the last film. Here, he's actually a bigger part than a sidekick. Yeah, he still does what Tony tells him to, but he can actually take care of himself. I also loved the fact that the Avengers movie wasn't just treated like some spinoff. It has major effects on Tony due to what happened at the end of that film, which I won't spoil for those that haven't seen it. As for the humor of the film, it's just as funny as the past two films. Actually, scratch that. It's funnier than the second film and almost reaches the humor of the first one. The jokes reach their peak when Tony meets this child who basically acts like a mini version of himself.
Alright, enough pleasing this movie. Let's get to what irks me about it. Well, there's not a lot to say actually. My biggest problems are those for comic book fans. The Mandarin isn't the same one here as he is in the comics, which I know will send a lot of fans home crying/complaining. The ending also seems a bit weird as it seems to leave us wondering if the Iron Man series will continue. I wouldn't put it past them to have Tony be a cameo in future Marvel movies, but what about the Iron Man films in general? I personally know a lot of fans of these Marvel films that see the Iron Man ones as the best, including myself. It would be a shame to see it end, but I understand why if they end it here.
So, should you watch Iron Man 3? Certainly. If you didn't like Iron Man 2, don't let that stop you from seeing this third installment. It's a lot better. It's almost as good as the first one, but not quite.