Do you remember the moment in the first Iron Man film when RDJ installed the electromagnet in his chest and then pulled a t-shirt over it and you could see it glowing underneath? That moment? Ya…well that was the moment I thought how cool it would be to have that look. I don’t need the suit, just the cool ice-blue glowing thing.
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest (really? Did you honestly think I could resist that bad pun?)
At a Glance: Robert Downey, Jr is back as slick-talking, sarcastic Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. In this third round he and Pepper Potts are a couple and are experiencing the growing pains expected in any relationship…involving a wealthy, obsessed, genius superhero. After a long, self-obsessed life, Tony Stark has left some destruction in his wake and in Iron Man 3 he discovers that no matter how fast you can fly, or how indestructible your armor, you can only stay ahead of your past for so long before it catches up with you…and exacts its revenge.
Pros: RDJ was born to play this role. He gets better at it with each iteration; smart cast; clever direction; a more mature film. Shane Black was the perfect choice to helm this film and it shows from start to finish.
Cons: Ben Kingsley is a bit annoying at first (but stick with it); post-credits scene was fun for me but judging from audience reaction it was a bust; credits go on for looong time. (I’m reaching here folks. I liked it).
My Thoughts: Shane Black revived Robert Downey Jr for me. With the brilliant detective film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black created a role that RDJ was able to crawl into and inhabit. It was the screen presence in that film that caused me to be very excited when Marvel announced that RDJ would be their Iron Man. Comic book films are fun, and I judge them by what they are. My expectations are often filtered through the “its a comic book movie” lens. But every once in awhile one connects with me on a slightly higher level and thanks in large part to Robert Downey Jr, the Iron Man franchise has made a connection. All three of the films have their inherent faults, but this third film, with an emphasis on existential angst and a theme of the boy growing up to be a man, is my favorite of the lot. Like the most recent James Bond film, there is a maturity to Iron Man 3 that I did not expect, but welcomed.
My Rating: 
I say this review is non-spoiler and I have made an effort to do that. But in the interest of fair warning I will say that I cover a few details of the film below and I do not pretend to be the expert in what information might spoil the film for you. No major plot point reveals, no specific conversations about the villain, just some details about a few characters beyond RDJ who impressed me.
Iron Man 3 had all the bells and whistles one expects from a big budget comic book film. The special effects were top notch, the action was choreographed to precision (yet mercifully interspersed with a great deal of dialogue and human interaction), the villain was appropriately villainous and our good guy, in this case, is the flawed ego-maniac that we’ve come to expect from RDJ’s portrayal of Tony Stark. And yet with Iron Man 3 we get something more.
Tony Stark is in a relationship with someone other than himself for once. He has something to protect that he cares deeply for. He has just experienced something life-changing, as fans saw in The Avengers. And now some of the people he stepped on while climbing to the top of his self-obsessed empire have begun to crop up in his present. The seeds he has sown are bearing fruit. Karma is a bitch, baby.
Upon that foundation writer/director Shane Black and writer Drew Pierce have built a story in which the hero has to face the anxiety, the angst, that comes with extraordinary abilities. As Uncle Ben would say, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Let’s face it, in the first two films (and The Avengers), Tony Stark is really just a big kid, albeit it one with bigger more expensive toys. In a brilliant move the writers of Iron Man 3 have cast an unlikely sidekick for Tony Stark in the form of Harvey Keener, a role played quite skillfully by young Ty Simpkins. It is brilliant in that the audience gets to see Stark essentially interacting with his younger self, doing battle with his conscience and all that went in to forming him right there on the screen. Loved that. Simpkins was pitch-perfect in the role and the interactions between he and Robert Downey Jr. were some of the best parts of the film.
I have long been a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow and I have enjoyed seeing her role increase in each film. The writers have allowed Paltrow to inhabit a character who manages to be both vulnerable and strong and in so doing has given the character more dimension than is typical of a female role in comic books and comic book films. Paltrow has more screen time in this film and she does a really nice job of making her presence felt without any unnatural upstaging of the larger-than-life Tony Stark character. Iron Man 3 focuses more on the relationship between Stark and Potts, and I am an admitted romantic sap so I ate all that up, infusing their on-screen relationship with my own feelings about romantic relationships. It worked for me and I enjoyed seeing them together on-screen.
I also enjoyed the fact that although RDJ spends a fair amount of time in the suit, a large part of the film sees Stark sans suit dealing with things as a mortal man. An incredibly smart and incredibly lucky mortal man, to be sure, but mortal all the same.
I thought the rest of the cast was very nicely chosen. I especially enjoyed Rebecca Hall in her limited role. I was slightly put off with Ben Kingsley’s performance at first but (no spoilers here) I guarantee that if you stick with it, it will all make sense. And whoever had the idea to have Paul Bettany voice Jarvis should get a bonus. I have enjoyed him every time.
In the interest of wanting you to enjoy the film I will start to wrap this up. Before I go I want to once again mention how impressed I was with Shane Black’s writing and direction in this film. Looking back over the films he has been involved in as writer and/or director there are many that I have enjoyed over the years. I wasn’t aware until earlier Friday morning that he was involved with this but once I heard that my anticipation to see the film shot way up, and obviously I was not disappointed. I think Black and Downey, Jr work so well together and it shows.
Stay through the credits, there is the typical Marvel extra scene in there. Given the bookends of the movie (this will make sense when you see it), I thought it was terrific. I did hear grumblings from some of my fellow movie goers, so mileage may vary. I will be curious if anyone else has this same experience: as I watched the end credit montage and listened to the score that played over it I picked up a real James Bond vibe, a vibe that only got strong with the “Tony Stark Will Return” tag line at the very end, mimicking what happens at the end of the Bond films. Were these purposeful nods to Bond? I’m not sure, but I would like your opinion.
Iron Man 3 was exactly the kind of fun I was hoping for given the quality of the cast and my experience with the last two films. I left it believing strongly that there were geek moments that I did not quite catch and references that flew past me because of my lack of Marvel knowledge. I look forward to catching more of those on subsequent viewings. While I would not argue that it is the best of the three films, it is by far my favorite because of the reasons mentioned above. The themes of maturity and taking responsibility coupled with the increased focus on the relationship between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts hit all the right notes for me. Based on those reasons I recommend starting your summer blockbuster season with Iron Man 3 (if you haven’t already done so with Oblivion). And if it happens to be snowing where you are, like it has in the last 24 hours here in Kansas City, then the Christmas setting of Iron Man 3 will ironically appropriate.
Glad you enjoyed it and I’m sure I’ll catch it some time as well but the movie I’m really looking forward to is Star Trek in two weeks…
Me too. Star Trek Into Darkness has been THE movie I’ve been looking forward to in 2013. All these additional geektastic films are just icing on the cake. Or, since I actually like icing better, they are the cake, lol!
Me three! I loved the reboot and I can’t wait to see Ben Cumberbatch as the villain . . .
I know, he was a great choice!
well this certainly has the sound of wanting to see this movie.. I hope I manage to go but with Star Trek opening in just 2 weeks..well, we’ll see. I loved the first Ironman but wasn’t crazy over number 2 movie (maybe because the first one made me laugh a lot).. RDJ has always been an excellent actor even in his poorer “health days”.. Chaplin made him as far as I’m concerned. but Ironman put him back on the radar.
Summer always was my favorite movie time..that’s when all the Indy movies and Star Trek movies etc always came out. NOw they split them between summer and Christmas.. I think this is because special effects became so good that sci fi wasn’t the only spec. effects needed..they added great Fantasy like Lotr and Hobbit etc..
Super review ..as always.. :o)
I can’t wait for us to be chatting about Star Trek, Pat. It opens the same weekend as Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 and I plan on squeezing a viewing in (hopefully on opening night) in the midst of those festivities.
If you enjoyed the other Iron Man films you will certainly enjoy this one. As with all comic book films it has its moments of silliness, but they are easy to look past given the film’s focus on the characters.
Got to watch in 3D with my 19 year old daughter. Laughed, cheered, loved this movie. The best part … I get to watch with my sons this week.
Glad you enjoyed it too Carl.
I forgot to mention that we watched it in 3D as well. Wasn’t because I wanted to see it in 3D, but it was on the bigger screen in the new local theater and I definitely wanted that sight and sound experience. The 3D looked really crisp and clear and I enjoyed that there were no obvious “look, its a 3D moment” shots in the film.
Glad you enjoyed it and get to see it again with your other children. Fun!!!
I’ve really enjoyed the first 2 Iron Man movies and will have to give this one a shot. The Avengers was great too. Thanks for keeping this non-spoilery.
If you liked all of those then this one is probably a no-brainer for you. You will be entertained.
Is it just me or does the women in that poster look much more like Kirsten Dunst than Gwyneth Paltrow?
Not just you, I thought that same thing. It is the way they have her hair styled, in my opinion, that adds to that look. It especially looks like a blonde version of her from the Spiderman time period.
Zachary and I ended up seeing Iron Man 3 Saturday night in IMAX 3D. Glad I caught it on the big screen. I have to say I liked it best of the 3 movies as well for a lot of the same reasons as Carl mentions above ( relationship building, etc. ). My son liked it but not as good as the first movie he told me.
As far as the 3D well I didn’t intend to see it that way and while they weren’t cheesy they didn’t add anything to the experience either. I thought they were more noticeable in the first hour of the film in a bad way but finally faded a little more after that. I will disagree with Carl on the sound being worth putting up with the 3D effects. If I hadn’t gotten a free ticket I would have happily choose to watch it in 2D for less money and better viewing experience even without the IMAX size and sound. I don’t find the IMAX experience to be THAT much better IMHO.
I also thought as far as ALL the Marvel movies go since Iron Man 1 that this was the best one. Even better than The Avengers for me. In fact I rate Iron Man 3 and Captain American ahead of The Avengers and I’m a Joss fan. Maybe I just find Shane Black to be a better writer. If you haven’t seen Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang then you’re missing out.
If you post a Spoiler review later let me know as I would be open to discussing the movie further but I don’t want to spoil anything for others.
That so doesn’t surprise me that you and Zach have different feelings about where the movie ranks. I had several fidgety kids in my showing (who oddly enough didn’t distract me from getting into the film) and I thought more than once that this felt a little more like a grown-up comic book film than the first two did.
We’ll have to agree to disagree on sound. I’d much rather pay a few more bucks for the best sound possible and the biggest screen possible. I didn’t see it in IMAX though, just on a big screen. With televisions getting as big as they are I have the quirk of wanting to see blockbuster films on the biggest screen possible to get something different than if I was just sitting at home. All of which means I should just buy a MUCH bigger television and surround sound, right? Tell me “yes”, I think if I can get permission it will all be okay, ha!
I hadn’t really thought of it, but at his stage I would probably be right there with you in thinking that this is my favorite of all the Marvel films. Of course this was built on the foundation of so many of those other films so those needed to be made, but I’m with you in that this really was better and again I think it is in large part because of story vs. special effects.
I would definitely like to talk more about this movie!!!
Mild Spoilers..
I stayed for the after credits scene. My wife didn’t want to but she indulged me thought she grumbled, “can’t you just watch it on youtube tomorrow?” And she was definitely disappointed and said “we waited for that!” But I didn’t care, I love watching the credits. But I missed “Tony Stark Will Return.” I don’t know how I missed it.
I liked that Stark was out of the suit and improvising new weapons in the movie. It made him seem much more heroic to me. Illustrating the fact that Stark is the real hero not the suit. And the scene towards the end of the film with Stark and Rhoads both going into the fray sans suits was the perfect illustration of how the two of them are different. They are both courageous, but Rhoads is a soldier and was comfortable in battle while Stark really is a “guy in a can” and looked ridiculously out of place.
I thought it was the perfect bookend for the film to have that be in the credits. It was funny and made sense with the rest of the film as to who he was telling this story to.
And I agree about the Stark vs. The Suit idea. He was much more of a human hero rather than a superhuman one in this film. I too really enjoyed Stark and Rhoads in the fight scenes together, sans suits.
In case anyone was wondering about all those Christmas references in IRON MAN 3, the film was originally scheduled to open at Christmas 2012. Whether it was LES MISERABLES or the congestion of holiday movies, it was decided to have IRON MAN 3 open in May 2013. Since the film has taken in $175 million so far, I’d say that was a smart decision.
I didn’t know that George, thanks. It does make much more sense now. And I agree with you, good decision!
Having just watched this last night, I really liked it. It had me on the edge of my seat. I worked through the Mandarin character, just cause you said too. The scene at the end was worth the wait though it made us late for our sitter. 🙂 i cannot wait for the Thor movie as well as Captain America and the next Avengers movie. My jaw dropped a lot in the movie and it kept me thoroughly enthralled. I hope there is more. 🙂 I would also give it a 4 out of 5.
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, you kind of have to not get too focused on the Mandarin’s weird vocal quirks, but it pays off. It was a pretty intense film, and very enjoyable for that fact.
Glad to hear it’s a good one. I was worried it might be going on too long, but if you say best of the three, I guess it is only getting better with age.
That was my opinion anyway, and its good to see that some others have come to that same conclusion.
Those were insanely long credits…I tell people to go ahead and use the restroom, you’ve time.
I like the Potts/Stark relationship and I enjoyed her being the moral compass and badass.
the casting really made the film, as well as revisiting our favorite things from the 1st film (Happy, jerry-rigging from found objects). I agree with you that Kingsley was infuriarating over the top with that Agent Smith-like inflective/tone; but he does become quite awesome. I adore Guy Pearce, I just do. I was a little frustrated by the child actor they settled on…
A really really fun superhero movie. getting excited now for Star Trek.
I know, for a second there I thought they may be trying to rival Lord of the Rings.
She is a good moral compass while not being too goody-goody.
Your comment reminds me that during the movie I was thinking that I was going to have to but a Macguyver reference into my review but forgot to do so.
I actually liked the child actor myself, I thought he was a nice smart-aleck. Maybe not the most convincing actor, but then again I enjoyed him.
I like Guy Pearce too. Been a fan since Memento.
Good call on the Agent Smith reference, it was very much like that.
I’m going to try really hard to squeeze Star Trek into Spectrum weekend. It isn’t going to be easy but I am determined.
What a great review! Can’t wait to see it, I agree RDJ was made for this role. We watched him on John Stewart a few nights ago and decided he IS Iron Man. Or Iron Man is RDJ…:) I’m also excited to see Gwyneth have a larger role. This franchise is one of my favorites.
Thanks Nicole. You’ll have to let me know your thoughts on it after you see it. I’m glad they chose RDJ to play the part. I hope there aren’t any Iron Man reboots in our future with a new actor like they’ve done with Spider Man recently.
The “Tony Stark Will Return” tag line is a jab at RDJ in that his contract was satisfied after completing IM3. He is in negotiations for Avengers 2 and TPTB know he has the upper hand as he defined the role on screen. They did a good job at setting this movie up as possibly being the last RDJ Iron Man movie in the way that it ended story wise. The tagline was Marvel’s way of attempting to calm the fears of their fanbase by saying, ‘Iron Man will continue with or without RDJ.’ I certainly hope it is with. Replacing spiderman was one thing…
Loved the way Tony donned the suit in IM3. I don’t count myself as a comic book hero fan per se but I have enjoyed the Marvel movies as of late. Having said that, there were two scenes in which Stark summoned his suit where I found myself ‘giddy’ (did I really just use that word?) and cheering like a kid with adult sized goose bumps. This is what I’ve wanted from these series of movies – child like, wide-eyed amazement – and finally found in IM3.
RE: Sound. I had the opportunity to see the movie at the only ETX Dolby Atmos screen in the area (AMC Barrywoods 24 screen #12 with Denver, Chicago and Dallas being the next closest screens.) My daughter works at the theater and attempted to describe why I should go see it there but finally ended with, ‘I can’t explain it, just go see for yourself.’ I did and am glad I did. While ETX Dolby Atmos is more than just improved surround sound – larger screen, sharper picture, etc. – it was the sound that I noticed the most. I truly felt surrounded – not just front/back, left/right, but also up/down. The sound flowed with the action. The suit coming to Tony was incredible as you could actually hear the parts coming from different locations before they appeared on screen. The best I can do is to paraphrase my daughter and say, ‘go experience it for yourself.’ Being an IMAX fan I must admit that this blew IMAX away.
Besides the above, no too much to add to what has already been said:
– Hated Ben Kingsley as Mandarin for the first half but disappointed when there wasn’t more of him in the second. Loved it!
– Enjoyed Ty Simpkins’ performance. (** slight spoiler **) I was disappointed that there wasn’t a scene at the end of him being bullied and then Iron Man showing up to defend him. I kinda felt Stark owed him that and the look on the bully’s face would have been priceless.
– Loved that Gwyneth Paltrow was given more depth and opportunity in this movie and feel she rose to the occasion. The contrast between Tony’s always seeking to be the one in the spotlight saving the day and Pepper’s being thrust into it was a nice touch.
– Pleased with Jon Favreau’s (Happy Hogan) performance/character. Anyone else have a Friends flashback to Monica saying, ‘You’re the worst Ultimate Fighting Champion ever!?’
– And finally, the whole ‘electromagnet in his chest’ thing? There’s an app for that. Load it into your phone, place your phone strategically under your shirt, and viola! you’re Iron Man!
Overall, loved the movie and thought it aptly brought its central character to the end of a long journey on the road of maturity in the Iron Man Trilogy that is the Stark Trek.
Funny! I just mentioned the Spiderman thing in my reply to the comment above yours and see you doing the same thing. I will certainly not be on board for any Iron Man change, same as I was not (am not) on board for the Spiderman change.
I too had that childlike glee watching this film. I’ve been very quick to poo-poo the comic book movies because of what they are, even when I enjoy them, and it was nice to go to one and just have an evening of pure fun.
Felt the same way about Kingsley. That may be the most brilliant writing in the whole film, how that whole thing flipped.
That sound system “sounds” great! Ours was good, but not that good. I did like that this same theater showed Oblivion in the 4K resolution it was shot at and I’m wishing all films would be shot that way. Get rid of 3D and just give me the finest resolution possible.
I like your end scene, I wish that would have happened too.
Totally agree with your thoughts on GP playing Potts.
Have to ask, was Favreau in a fat suit? His head looked more enormous than I remember from previous films I’ve seen him in.
Hey, I can be Iron Man!!! 🙂
I just saw Iron Man 3 yesterday and I loved it! I agree with you about Paltrow being portrayed quite nicely as a sensitive but strong female. I loved how she saves him in the end. Totally not the case in most movies. 🙂
I liked that aspect of the character too, Shaili. Glad you enjoyed it. And you are right, the role reversal is definitely not something typical in film.