Iron Man 3
It’s been several months since Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) helped to save the world with the Avengers; and, while the battle may have been won, the psychological damage he sustained continues to be an impact. The cocksure and whip smart inventor/millionaire now spends his sleepless nights in his workshop tinkering while paralyzing anxiety attacks appear to run their course at random. But, when a new and unknown terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) begins bombing seemingly innocent targets including Tony’s personal body guard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Stark’s ire is mustered, something must be done. Making matters worse, backing the Mandarin are two incredibly sharp individuals from Tony’s past– an ex-girlfriend and a like-minded inventor (Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce). Stop The Mandarin and his associates, save his love, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), save the country, and help his friend in the Army, Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), oh, and get over his anxiety, tall orders, but who better to put to the task than Iron Man?
Directed and partially written by Shane Black, no slouch to the genre, the action blockbuster is alive and clanking making for an entertaining and interesting watch. And, for the first two thirds a compelling story seems to take shape, sadly, it’s the all important final act where things become a bit mundane and played out. Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily make the film bad, but leaves a fairly average finish to what was a strong start. Of course acting all round fits nicely. Effects and CGI work come across nicely on screen and anthemic scoring adds extra polish. Big, loud, and flashy, it’s fun. Iron Man 3 is rated PG-13.