Iron Man 3 (2013)

“Iron Man 3” is a strange film. It frustrated me so much when I first saw it, the story crumbled under the weight of its multitude of plot-holes and the ending annoyed me to no-end. However, I kept returning to this movie, I re-watched it many times even though it didn’t blow me away at first. But now I love “Iron Man 3”, it’s a long way from perfect but it’s still a thoroughly entertaining and bold movie with lively performances and a hilariously daring twist! Of all of the MCU entries, “Iron Man 3” is the one that has grown on me the most over the years.

My anticipation for this film was sky-high, it was the culmination of the “Iron Man” trilogy, the first post-Avengers MCU movie and would kick-start Phase 2. Does it live up to “Avengers Assemble?” No. Is it as good as the first “Iron Man?” No. Is it a good stand-alone piece? Yes!

Despite its shortcomings, I do have a certain fondness for this film, mainly because it was the first MCU movie that I saw at the cinema. So I may be blinded by my nostalgia in a few places!

One aspect of “Iron Man 3” that I appreciate is that it feels like it was made by a director with a vision. Unlike some other MCU movies (“The Incredible Hulk” and “Thor: The Dark World” are good examples) “Iron Man 3” doesn’t feel like it was crafted in a board room by a few studio executives, this is very much Shane Black’s film. Black (who made his name by writing the “Lethal Weapon” movies and the highly underrated “The Last Action Hero”) brings a razor-sharp wit to this film whilst also flipping the audience’s expectations on their heads. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that “Iron Man 3” is a highly unique superhero story!

Robert Downey Jr. once again kills it as Tony Stark, he’s as charismatic and loveable as ever, but he also brings an extra level of nuance this time around. The storyline about Tony’s PTSD after flying through the wormhole in “Avengers Assemble” makes Iron Man more vulnerable and human than ever before. This tied into the film’s main theme extremely well, that Tony doesn’t need the Iron Man suits to be awesome and get the job done (“You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys, but one thing you can’t take away - I am Iron Man.”)

The supporting cast in “Iron Man 3” are also great, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau are all fantastic. But the best actor in this film who isn’t Robert Downey Jr. has to be Sir Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. Without spoiling anything (though everybody knows what the twist is), this film gives Kingsley the opportunity to play two brilliant characters almost simultaneously, both of which are absolute scene-stealers!

The action set-pieces in “Iron Man 3” are astounding! From the Malibu mansion attack sequence to the Air Force One rescue and the final battle at the docks, every sequence is incredibly well-constructed and enthralling! My favourite sequences are probably Tony’s escape from the AIM mansion (in which Tony’s only weapons are a gauntlet and boot from the Mark 42 and a gun) and the Air Force One scene (which is a rare example of a practical MCU stunt set-piece!) The crew should be commended for giving fans some of the most creative, interesting and exciting uses of the Iron Man armours in any MCU entry!

Brian Tyler’s score here is surprisingly excellent, it’s a jazzy throw-back to spy films rather than superhero movies; it’s more “Kingsman” than “Iron Man.”

My single biggest complaint with “Iron Man 3” is that it has an INSANE amount of plot holes! Usually I don’t harp on about plot-holes because nearly all films have them, the difference is that the best stories are engrossing enough to make the audience ignore them. But there are too many to ignore here; why would Tony don the only non-combat-ready armour he has, after giving a terrorist an invitation for a fight? Wouldn’t everyone know where Tony lives if he’s a super-rich playboy who throws parties (as we saw in “Iron Man 2”) anyway? If Tony can have the arc reactor and shrapnel removed from his chest now (spoiler alert), why couldn’t he have done that when they were poisoning him in “Iron Man 2”, or immediately after he returned from Afghanistan in “Iron Man” one? As much as I like this film, the plot does become a real mess at times.

“Iron Man 3” feels quite out of place when compared to later films because it has a very clear ending, it’s evident that the filmmakers set out to make a film that has a clear conclusion. It’s a lot more akin to “The Dark Knight Rises” in that respect than “Captain America: Civil War” or “Thor: Ragnarok.” The post credit scene doesn’t set up future movies and the final scenes are completely contradictory with Tony Stark’s next appearance “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Also, the Mandarin twist is almost completely undone in the Marvel One-Shot “All Hail the King.” I personally didn’t care for that undermining of this film because it’s obvious that Marvel chickened-out after the backlash and caved-in to fan demands. This disregard for this film is an issue with the wider MCU rather than “Iron Man 3” itself, but it does irritate me anyway.

Problems aside, “Iron Man 3” is yet another win for Marvel, its slick, subversive and stunning! It’s a fantastic deconstruction of the Iron Man character and a fast-paced action movie! It’s not the best “Iron Man” film, but it’s definitely worth a watch!