Iron Man 3

Rating: 4/5

Iron Man 3 may not the weakest in the Iron Man films, but it's definitely not the best.

Time has passed since the Avengers saved New York City, but Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is having a hard time putting his near death experience behind him. Struggling and unable to sleep, Tony spends his time updating and creating new Iron Man suits, with his newest model being one he can summon from a distance. Meanwhile, a new threat has begun preying on the fears of America. A terrorist who calls himself the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) has taken over the airwaves and has begun broadcasting bombings and killings, making it clear his violence has just begun. When an attack launched by the Mandarin hits close to home, Tony calls him out on national TV, and finds himself as the next target on the Mandarin's reign of terror. Not realizing the severity in his actions, Tony doesn't prepare for an attack at home, but is soon to learn that Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the rest of America will be in dire need of the Iron Man.

Though it rightfully received better reviews than the 2nd installment of the Iron Man franchise, the third still isn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but in my opinion, just not as great as others may seem to think. My reasonings for this is focused around the concept that Marvel is usually quite adept at creating long climactic fight sequences that keep your attention throughout its' duration. For example, look at the ending battle of the first Avengers film. That movie had numerous heroes fighting at once, yet it was brilliantly organized and choreographed so that every character got their moment to shine, and even though the fight scene lasted roughly twenty minutes, it didn't appear to overstay its' welcome. I can't say I feel the same way about the ending of Iron Man 3. For one, there were fewer people involved, yet it still seemed much more disorganized and scrambled compared to other Marvel films, and the need for inserting jokes came off as a bit desperate and out of place. That being said, the visual effects were still just as impressive as they always are.

Marvel always seems to be spot on with their casting, and that can easily be said for Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. He's perfectly arrogant and narcissistic, but not in a repulsive way. Specifically in this film, Tony has truly found someone he cares for, and therefore is no longer as self centered as he once was. He is definitely still conceited, but he no longer thinks only of his own well being. Gwyneth Paltrow is again great in her role of Pepper in Iron Man 3. Paltrow is a somewhat controversial actress in that there have been many reports of audiences disliking her for one reason or another; but I think this role is definitely a bright spot in her career. Pepper's one of the few people who can verbally spar with Tony with equal wit and sarcasm, and she's quite humorous as she does it. It is not hard to believe the two to be a real couple, and it definitely helps to sell one of the central focal points of the film's plot.

What I really appreciate about Iron Man 3 is the way that it discusses the impact the events of New York have had on Tony. In far too many movies, a character experiences some traumatic incident, and then in the sequel, they're basically fine and just barely needing to deal or comprehend with the trauma they've experienced. Even if some may think this film doesn't exactly paint the most realistic picture of someone coping with fear and anxiety, it is still refreshing to see a movie take into consideration the actuality of a human being not being able to just move on from a frightening or traumatic time in their lives. It's bizarre that this appears in a heavily fictionalized film, but not enough in those belonging to the more realistic genres.

When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you'd be hard pressed to find a film that any viewer could consider "bad", as they are almost always so well made. Iron Man 3 isn't as new or exciting as the original, but it is a fun and entertaining superhero movie nonetheless.