When Iron Man came out in 2008, its bright colours and brash and brilliant protagonist were a welcome change from all the angsty super heroes with their accompanying sombre palette. Iron Man 2 in 2010 carried on the good work with lovely ladies, weird villains and super music (AC/DC rocks and how!). Any fears of the sequel fatigue was quickly put to rest as Iron Man 3 enthusiastically ticked all the superhero movie checkpoints.
So there is charismatic, flawed superhero in Tony Stark/Iron Man, an evil megalomaniac villain in Mandarin and crazy science in Extremis. Lovely ladies, smart one-liners and absolutely mind-altering set pieces complete the package.
Iron Man 3 has so many high points, it is difficult to pick a favourite. Is it the Happy Hogan’s fondness for the television show Downton Abbey ? The unmasking of the Mandarin? The stunning attack when Tony sees the power of Extremis? Tony meeting his greatest fan? The stunning free-fall rescue from Air Force One? The terrorists’ reaction to Rhodey’s password? One could go on and on, as the movie is so filled with fun moments.
The cast expectedly rocks. Robert Downey Jr. has made Tony Stark his own to the extent that one wonders if the character will work without him. However, since he has said there is still stuff to do with the character, we can safely assume that the talented Mr. Downey Jr. would be around for a couple more outings. Gwyneth Paltrow as Tony’s girlfriend Pepper Potts is full of grace and gumption as always while Don Cheadle as Rhodey is solid and dependable. Jon Favreau, who directed the first two Iron Man movies reprises his role as security chief Happy Hogan.
Joining the cast is Guy Pierce as the bitter inventor who was slighted by Tony, Rebecca Hall as Maya, a botanist who helps develop Extremis and Ben Kingsley as the evil Mandarin — he is a hoot. If there is a lack in Iron Man 3 , it is the music of AC/DC. Otherwise it is the perfect summer blockbuster with action, romance comedy and jaw-dropping stunts galore. Go ahead, and indulge in some heavy-duty movie magic as things are only getting hotter with the Star Trek sequel around the corner.
Genre: Action
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley
Storyline: Iron Man’s party past comes back to bite him
Bottomline: Full on fun
