FILM REVIEW: IRON MAN (12A)

I approach the third instalment of any film franchise with caution. Surely I’m not alone. The Godfather, The Matrix, Spiderman and Back to the Future (to name a few) all disappointed with their third offering. Does Iron Man 3 continue this pattern?

I’m pleased to say it doesn’t. Far from it!

Iron Man 3 follows on from where The Avengers film left off. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is left haunted by the memories of the alien invasion that struck New York in last year’s popular action flick. This results in some serious self-reflection and anxiety attacks.

2013’s first major blockbuster treats us to multiple villains. Ben Kingsley steals many scenes as the terrorist, Mandarin, whilst Guy Pearce plays the mad scientist, Aldrich Killian. Even their evil henchmen are tough enough to be honoured with a ‘villain’ title. With the enemies at their most terrifying, and Tony at his most vulnerable, things don’t go too well for the multi-billionaire.

The opening scene of this movie is of an explosion, with plenty more to come. Stark’s rivals invade his private life by setting off mysterious bombs around him. These explosions harm Stark’s friends, destroy his home, and worse… destroy the famous iron suit.

Remember in The Avengers, there’s a scene where Steve Rogers says to Tony – “Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?” In this film, we find out.

Stark seeks revenge on those responsible for the bombings, but has to rely on his ingenuity and instincts to protect him, and not a bullet-proof suit. Tony hasn’t felt this human since we saw him in the Afghanistan cave in Iron Man 1.

Iron Man 3 contains voice-overs and is set around Christmas time. For these reasons it won’t surprise many that Shane Black is involved as writer and director. This is Shane’s first film as a director since the action comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. Therefore I was surprised Marvel bosses chose this particular film-maker to take on this hugely popular franchise, but I’m glad they did. Black has provided us with a hit with just the right amount of humour, heart, and an epic finale that rivals the one seen in The Avengers. Last Avengers reference!

The bar has been raised extremely high for this year’s other Blockbusters, which even Superman may struggle to reach.

Iron Man 3 does have plot holes. It certainly isn’t perfect. But it’s everything you’d expect and more from this type of movie. Go see it… and stick around until the end of the credits for a bonus scene.

Mikey Clarke

Genre: Action, Adventure & Comedy.

Length: 130mins.

Director: Shane Black.

Written By: Drew Pearce & Shane Black.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Ty Broussard, William Sadler, Dale Dickey, Miguel Ferrer & Paul Bettany. [youtube id=”Ke1Y3P9D0Bc” width=”600″ height=”350″]