“Iron Man 3” is just as good as the last two “Iron Man” movies. It keeping you wondering what will happen next to the characters throughout the movie. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), whose sarcastic comments provide comedic relief at scenes that were emotionally deep or action packed, make the film hysterical from beginning to end.
The movie shows how Tony is suffering emotionally more than ever because he has developed post traumatic stress disorder due to his fighting against Loki and his alien army in “The Avengers”. Thankfully, this is the only reference to “The Avengers”, so the movie is not overshadowed. It had its own story, not the side story of “The Avengers” or a “where they are now” type movie. It had its own flair and was a continuation of Stark’s life.
The plot was average, as it was lacking in depth. The storyline was a typical super hero storyline in the way that there was a villain, a hero’s internal conflict and a girl the hero had to save from the villain. However, the action and Downey’s narcissistic lines carried the parts of the movie that the script couldn’t because they made you forget the lack of depth the script had.
The villain that Stark was fighting, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), proved to be the most difficult villain for him to defeat because of the little amount the S.H.I.E.L.D. and the CIA know about him. Kingsley did a fantastic job as the Mandarin, he was serious when he needed to be and hilarious at the comedic parts, both of which he accomplished with ease. Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), Stark’s girlfriend, has a bigger role compared to the last movie and had her own fighting scenes, unlike in previous movies in which she waited for Tony to help her.
Also the CGI effects are incredible too, as they look very realistic. The armor enhancements are amazing and they can do so many astonishing things, for example form to Tony’s body wherever he is just by him doing a simple motion. All of the armor enhancements are thanks to the fact that Stark isn’t sleeping anymore because of his PTSD and is working on his armor 27/7.
Brian Tyler had the hard job of composing because he had to add more to the movie and he skillfully accomplished this job. He added the music in at the perfect times adding to the movie. It made action scenes more intense and it gave the viewers an emotional connection to the movie. The music reminded me a lot of a mix of “The Avengers”, composed by Alan Silvestri, and “Chronicles of Narnia”, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, with a metallic feel created by clanging of metal in the background which made it more original. Overall the composed music was great but the music they chose by mainstream bands were not a very good fit, like Imagine Dragons who could have been a good choice if they had a different song. They felt oddly placed and they had a weird edgy sound that didn’t fit with the movie.
Shane Black is the new director of “Iron Man 3” because previous director, Jon Favreau, of “Iron Man 1” and “Iron Man 2” resigned because Marvel reportedly offered him a lower salary compared to the previous movie. Whereas the first two movies had more on Stark’s character, this movie has more action, louder explosions and more intense fighting sequences.
The ending makes it very difficult for Marvel to do another Iron Man because they tied some loose ends that made Iron Man, well… Iron Man. Other than that the movie was a good movie to see this summer. Make sure you stay until the end of the credits to see an additional scene.
by ARIELLA APPLEBY
