Review
‘Iron Man’ lives up to major hype
May 9, 2013
The explosively awesome next chapter in the “Iron Man” series rockets into theaters this week with thrills, spills and plenty of good action to entice all viewers.
It’s been a hard time for weapons manufacturer/billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) since his battle alongside gods and hulks in New York. He has been on edge, can’t sleep and is getting panic attacks from all sides. Not helping is a new rising threat against the U.S. in the form of the terrorist The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsly), who has put people all across the Earth in a state of panic through his horrific acts. With terror and impossible odds closing in on all sides, Stark will have to muster up every ounce of his being to combat this new foe and the shady backstory behind The Mandarin if he is to protect the ones dearest to him and to ever fight another day as Iron Man.
As if I need to say anything about how the “Iron Man” series has been so far, but I will. The films have been funny, dramatic, bombastic and utterly excellent in terms of film quality, writing, special effects and acting all around. So how does my viewing of “Iron Man 3” feel after a series of continuing ups? Still as good a ride when it started, if not a little slow on the throttle.
“Iron Man 3” is not so much like the earlier “Iron Man” films in that it takes the character of Stark to a new level. It doesn’t focus on life, death or personal decisions but rather his struggle to deal with being able to protect others when he is just one man himself. Throughout the film we see his anxiety when looking back to the events of “The Avengers” film and reflecting on who really saves the day in the end, the armor or him.
But by the end, we get to see exactly why Iron Man is my favorite of the Avengers when Stark manages to overcome odds and situations using his own genius and ingenuity. It’s a well told story overall that will scream to the inner superhero fan in everyone and hear a welcome echo back.
The direction and special effects of the movie are also just as good if not way better than the previous films. The action knows just when to enter the plot and knows when to take it slow as you take in and process the action you saw already. It never feels overwhelming, even though some scenes can feel brighter than others and bring an unwelcome sting to your retinas. But it’s all well done and gives benefit to the movie.
However, the movie strangely felt somewhat unfulfilled to me in the grand scheme. While I did like all of the action it gave out, I felt that some villains and enemies got repetitive in their fighting strategy and never felt too big to me like a big suited enemy did for the earlier films.
Even the eventual gathering of the Iron Man suits (you saw the trailers, you knew it was coming) felt downplayed in the final fight because I never looked at any of them, and said to myself that they were reaching their full potential with this big fight scene. The whole movie had that slight undertone to it that could have made for some creatively awesome action, but felt a tad underwhelming in some of its elements.
But that’s not to say what I and many others in the theater that night got was squandered. “Iron Man 3” is a treat for all movie goers to see and especially for those who have seen every Marvel film up to “The Avengers” last year. It’s got the action, jokes, and characters every “Iron Man” film so far has been expected to have and delivers them all in a nice iron suited package. So go and see “Iron Man 3,” it is all that you expected it to be.
Ryan Funes is a lover of all things movie, TV, video games and stories and wants to become a television writer someday. In his spare time he enjoys hanging with friends, tapping into his imagination, and watching cartoons of all kinds.