Review: Iron Man 3

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

The summer movie season has finally arrived, and what better way to start than with another entry into the Marvel universe. Marvel seems to have a very firm grip on this first weekend in May. After last summer’s “The Avengers,” why not kick off this summer with their next stand-alone feature with arguably their most popular character?

For the sake of not playing the spoiler role, I’ll be brief and somewhat vague.

“Iron Man 3” begins some time after the events in “The Avengers,” though they do not specify how long. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is having difficulty sleeping and suffers from panic attacks. He attributes his recent struggles to the events that took place in New York during “The Avengers.” His relationship with his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) has continued to grow. His best friend Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is away acting in his new role as the Iron Patriot (a rebranding of the War Machine suit we saw in “Iron Man 2,” complete with a new paint job). So things, for the most part, could be going better.

Then all hell breaks loose with the emergence of an evil terrorist, known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who no one can seem to find. The Mandarin is blowing up places around the globe, yet he’s not using any type of explosives. Interesting.

Elsewhere, a mysterious scientist with a brief history with Tony shows up looking for Stark’s assistance. This is Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). Stark’s personal assistant, Happy Hogan (former “Iron Man” franchise director Jon Favreau), becomes suspicious of Killian and his muscle man, Savin (James Badge Dale). Happy stumbles upon Killian and Savin in the midst of evil deeds. The result of such deeds leaves Happy incapacitated for a time, and Tony out for revenge.

Shane Black has his fun with this one. Who could blame him? He’s the latest filmmaker to get an opportunity to direct something for Marvel, one of the only studios out there that seems to be playing all the right cards at all the right times. Personally, I’m not a comic book fan, yet I’m somehow drawn to these films every time a new one is released. Producer Kevin Feige has done tremendous work for this studio bringing the entire comic book universe to life.

I find no fault with Black and Feige wanting to have their fun. “Iron Man 3” is an extremely satisfying addition to the Marvel universe. No doubt it will leave fans chomping at the bit, waiting to see where Marvel choses to go next. And there’s still three more Marvel movies coming before we get the next “Avengers” installment.

The problems that lie in “Iron Man 3” are the same issues that plague just about every other big budget summer movie. Black sacrifices substance for spectacle. Action sequences with heavy effects drive the film. There might be four or five large-scale action sequences in this film, but everything in between is mere filler that does little to advance the story.

Downey, Jr. plays his role just as well as he ever has. As Tony Stark, he appears much more exhausted and lifeless at times, the wear and tear of being Iron Man clearly taking its toll on him. Black’s effort to make Stark seem more human than in previous installments works quite well. You almost feel bad for Tony, until you realize he’s a billionaire and you’re not.

Despite his success with Tony, Black misses the mark with his villains. Motivation for their sinister plans never seems to be fully established. It’s almost as if they woke up one day and thought it would be fun to go start fires around the world, and, while we’re at it, kill Tony Stark too. Sure, there’s some back-story that doesn’t make things too out of place, but its so loose and generic. It’d be like me suddenly reappearing to seek out some sort of misplaced vengeance against the kid who broke my wrist in the sixth grade. Yeah, I remember that and I remember how it felt, but is that really worth my attention after so many years?

I’m splitting hairs. Sacrificing substance for spectacle is nothing new in the summer months. We all know Black knows how to write (“Lethal Weapon” anyone?). Everyone knows what they’re in for when watching this. Downey’s sarcastic humor is right on, as usual. The action sequences are great. At times they can even be borderline intense. That’s what everyone wants.

The shortfalls shouldn’t even be a concern. Die-hard fans of the comic books, no less, will find fault somewhere. They always do. Not being a fan myself, I have no idea who these characters are other than the information that’s presented in the films.

No matter what type of fan you are, this will be one of the most fun experiences you’ll have at the movies this summer. Even with such a stacked slate of action films, “Iron Man 3” should hold up very well. It’ll be a busy summer, and we’re only getting started.