Movie Review: "Iron Man 3"

Iron Man 3  2013.  Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Ben Kingsley.  Rated PG-13.  Running time 130 minutes.  Directed by Shane Black

How does one react after events from not only the first two films, but the epic battle we saw in The Avengers?  Well, Iron Man 3 makes those events part of Tony Stark's demons, as the super genius inventor and superhero finds himself crippled by anxiety and the "what ifs" arising from his fear of what comes next.  Into this realm comes that threat, in the form of the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a terrorist with a flair for the dramatic who may not be all that he seems.

Past demons also arise in the form of Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a think tank inventor who will factor heavily in the coming events, and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) as a nano-biologist helping Killian along with his scheme.

In the course of the film, Stark suffers a personal loss, finds himself lost in nowhere (small town Tennessee to be exact), buoyed by a child's support and finally, using his own smarts to get back in the fight.

However, all this feels a little hollow, especially as satisfying as the first two films were.  Shane Black has a good eye and feel for action, but the plot doesn't feel that meaty and seems to overload on action in place of story, while trying to tell us its not a superhero film.  Visuals are top notch but characterization is at a minimum.  Kind of sad considering how Favreau and Downey, Jr. basically hand picked the director.

The sharp wit of the previous two films is still present, but its more scattershot, seeming more one linerish than Tony's ego coming out.

Overall, not a bad way to start the summer off, but not quite what I expected.  Iron Man 3 is a good film, but if you want a great superhero flick, grab your Avengers disc.

B-