The original Iron Man movie surprised everybody. Downey Jr.
was as inconsistent as he was troubled, John Favreau had yet to prove himself
as an action director, and the main character wasn’t nearly as iconic as the
likes of Superman or Batman. The movie however was a blast. A larger, louder
sequel was perhaps inevitable, but Iron Man 2 was a massive disappointment, and
it wasn’t until Joss Whedon came aboard that genius billionaire playboy
philanthropist Tony Stark got his groove back.
Iron Man 3 pits him against his deadliest enemy yet – that
would be Tony Stark then. Not to mention a fine array of dastardly villainy
including goofy geneticist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), death bringer The
Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and fiery force of nature Eric Savin (24’s James Badge
Dale). Credit goes to writer/director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) for
keeping his leading man grounded; Downey Jr. is so good you’ll barely
notice how little he plays Iron Man on screen.
Like Whedon, Black is able to draw from a large ensemble
without ever sacrificing the pace of the movie. Everybody shines in Iron Man 3,
be it Favreau’s Hogan (comical), Cheadle’s War Machine (heroic) or Paltrow’s
Pepper Potts (peppy). There’s even room for an unlikely - and potentially
damaging - sidekick who bags some of the best scenes. The bad guys fair just as
well. Pearce adds another eccentric string to his bow, Kingsley provides the
film with its biggest punch line, and Savin outguns them both with an
unexpected turn, full of feverish menace and icy cool.
Despite the prospect of going too dark, Shane Black keeps
the mood light, and as a result Iron Man 3 is the funniest entry in the series
so far. The action sequences are striking, not least an audacious skydiving sequence
that finds Stark likening the rescue of civilians to playing “Barrel of
Monkeys”. With a cool cast, great comedy, stunning action sequences and Downey
Jr. on top form, Iron Man 3 is the best of the series so far. Tony Stark will
be back indeed. AW
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