Iron Man 3 Review

Introduction (Warning Contains Spoilers)

With an extended version of Avengers: Endgame arriving in cinemas this September, Marvel is attracting renewed attention.

Avengers: Doomsday is also scheduled for December. That makes this the perfect time for another journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We have decided to revisit the Marvel films in chronological order. Our journey now brings us to 2013 and Iron Man 3.

This movie marks the third and last solo Iron Man movie to star Robert Downey Jr.

Jon Favreau was responsible for directing the first two movies. Shane Black replaces him for this movie.

Shane Black also collaborates with Drew Pearce to write the script. This becomes clear right away. Each director has his own style.

However, for me Shane Black’s style does not fit in well with Iron Man. The film feels different from its predecessors. In some ways, that difference is refreshing.

It also makes the movie seem less like a typical Iron Man movie. Robert Downey Jr. is back as Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts.

Don Cheadle is back as James Rhodes. Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, and Ben Kingsley are among the new additions to the cast.

This movie is set after the events of The Avengers.

Tony is struggling with the psychological consequences of the Battle of New York.

He is also increasingly dependent on his Iron Man technology. A mysterious terrorist who goes by the name of the Mandarin starts to threaten America.

Tony finally realizes that his personal life is in ruins. His home has been invaded. His armor is broken. He is stripped away from his technology.

This should make for an ideal scenario for character development. Tony has always been an engaging character owing to the bond between man and machine.

Without the armor, Tony will have no choice but to face himself.

There is a good concept in the heart of the film. However, there are problems with the execution.

The film focuses more on Shane Black’s personal style. There is more banter. There are more Christmas jokes. There is also a lot more buddy-movie humor.

There is a lot of time spent without Tony’s technology. Some of this is effective. Some of it is totally out of place from the other films.

That leaves Iron Man 3 in an unusual position. It is entertaining in places. It has impressive action.

Downey remains excellent. However, it arguably feels like the weakest of the three Iron Man films.

Direction

The most notable difference is clearly Shane Black. Favreau has created the visual style and tone of the first two movies.

There was a sense of connection between those movies and Tony Stark’s tech. The armour plays a huge role in those movies.

Tony’s workshop almost becomes a character itself. His relationship with his suits was what pushed the story along.

Shane Black works differently. His Iron Man 3 focuses a lot more on Tony Stark. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Actually, this could have been the perfect ending.

Tony has developed very advanced armour throughout the course of the first two movies.

He has also endured many hardships both mentally and physically.

Stripping him of this technology could help him find himself again. This is an effective plot point.

Unfortunately, the film does not always use this plot point effectively. Tony is often without his Iron Man suit for much of the time.

That means the movie often feels like a Shane Black action film. It does not always feel like an Iron Man movie.

Black’s influence is particularly noticeable in the dialogue. There is a lot of sarcasm between the characters.

Tony keeps being funny. But at times, the humor covers up the serious part. The director’s experience was definitely felt in this case.

Black is famous for blending action, comedy and criminal storylines Those traits can be seen in Iron Man 3.

The way Tony interacts with Harley is a good example. These interactions are not only amusing. But it also reveals another side of Tony who acts differently with a kid.

However, the plot moves away from Tony’s mythology as an Iron Man. This is what creates controversy about Black’s directing style.

It is obvious that he wanted to try something new. But was this approach really better?

I will say that some of the changes made worked well. There were others that did not work. It feels a bit more realistic than other Marvel sequel movies.

Tony must improvise because he cannot just use his armor. This allows for more action sequences.

The scenes in Tennessee were especially unique. Tony must figure out things without the help of his technology.

This helps remind the audience that he is still a genius. This is one aspect of the character that is crucial.

However, the movie downplays the significance of the armor. This is odd for the last solo movie about Iron Man.

The other change in the movie pertains to the role of James Rhodes. Don Cheadle gets more chances to have interactions with Tony.

There is a strong buddy movie element in their relationship. Once again, this is fun. However, it gives the impression that the movie belongs to another genre.

The Mandarin twist is yet another major choice by the director. The film purposely creates the Mandarin as an ominous threat.

The film then twists the character totally. Ben Kingsley’s performance is very funny. The twist is definitely a memorable one.

However, it eliminates much of the menace created initially. For some audiences, it is a clever satire. For other audiences, it is a huge disappointment.

I am somewhere in-between the two opinions. The twist is well executed. But I do not believe that this idea works in this specific film.

It renders the build-up a little bit pointless. It is because the true villain of the piece is Aldrich Killian.

Guy Pearce delivers a solid performance in his role. But Killian lacks the imposing presence that Iron Man’s past villains had.

Obadiah Stane still has a better presence. Even Ivan Vanko was more impressive than Killian.

In general, Black has made a confident directorial debut. There is no doubt that he brings his own voice.

The problem is that his voice sometimes overwhelms the identity of Iron Man. That makes the film interesting. It also makes it frustrating.

Cinematography

Cinematography was by John Toll. This is yet another notable technical development.

Toll shot the film digitally for the first time in a feature film with Iron Man 3. The movie was shot on the ARRI Alexa with the ARRIRAW format.

This decision was perfect for a movie that includes lots of visual effects. This movie looks quite modern..But not always like the previous ones.

The first Iron Man had an industrial feel to it. Tony’s workshop made up a lot of that look. The second one made it even bigger. Iron Man 3 is different from that.

A large part of the movie happens outside of Tony’s regular world. This causes the film to have a different feel.

The Tennessee location creates a very normal environment. The sudden appearance of Tony Stark in this small town is intentional.

It highlights the point that Tony no longer has his normal advantages. This is why the cinematography helps to tell the character’s story.

The action scenes are also visually exciting. One of them is the attack of Tony’s mansion. It is an exciting sequence in the movie.

The destruction seems to be massive and chaotic.
The collapsing of the house in the sea is an impressive scene. The destruction is well-captured by the camera.

Rescue by the Air Force One is yet another impressive sequence. It involves both practical photography and a lot of visual effects.

The camera makes movement appear realistic. Final battle seems to be much larger. There are a lot of suits.

There are explosions. There are Extremis soldiers. There is also the destruction of the Iron Man armour.

The sequence is full of spectacle. But the visual style at times seems to lack originality. There is no industrial vibe like there was in the previous film.

One reason for this is that Tony’s workshop is no longer central to the plot. Another reason is that the film is doing something else.

The digital presentation has, for the most part, aged well.

The cinematography is crisp. The action scenes are almost always very clear.

Technically, this film works. But I find that the visual identity of the first two films is more interesting.

The first two films have more connection to Tony’s world. Iron Man 3 is just an action movie.

Visual Effects

Visual effects are some of the best technical aspects of the film. The film featured more than 2,000 visual effects shots.

There were 17 visual effects companies that helped make the film. This is a huge amount of digital work.

There was a need for the creation of many Iron Man suits. In addition, there was a need to create the Extremis powers.

There is massive destruction in the film. The Air Force One rescue is also famous in the film.

Therefore, the digital work is all over.

Mark 42 suit is especially fascinating. Tony’s new armour can be attached to his body. This enabled the filmmakers to have a new look for the suit.

The technology looks more advanced compared to the past. Nevertheless, this implies that the suit is more digital in nature.

There were partial practical suits made for filming. Digital effects were used to complete the armour.
It is a good combination.

The actors had tangible objects to work with. After that, the digital armour could be incorporated.

The Extremis effects are amazing too. Glowing bodies make an interesting look. Dangerous heat effects make characters dangerous.

In creating those effects, filmmakers referred to something from the real world. It made the glowing skin effects seem more believable.

Air Force One scene is probably the best one when all the effects blend together perfectly. It is impressive. At the same time, it is understandable.

Visual effects create a feeling of danger but do not get confusing. The Mansion attack is also good.

Destruction seems physical. The collapsing building is especially impressive. Final battle is a lot more complex.

There are many Iron Man armours fighting at the same time. Every suit comes with its own abilities.

Digital effects give Marvel the ability to have a large-scale fight. Unfortunately, that is where the movie starts being a bit too much.

There is too much CGI that the action loses its physical element. Earlier Iron Man movies used to make Tony Stark’s suit seem more tangible.

In this movie, however, the suits sometimes seem to be digital entities themselves. This does not mean that the effects are not good.

Quite the contrary, they are amazing technologically. However, the emotional bond is not as strong.

There is an amusing irony as well. The movie makes many attempts to prove that Tony isn’t only about his suit.

Then the last part of the film delivers a great number of suits. It’s fun to watch. But, it contradicts the movie’s main idea.

Generally, I would say that the use of effects is pretty well balanced. There are lots of computer-generated images.

They are necessary for the storyline. However, the film tends to focus on spectacle when it should focus on characters more.

Themes and Storyline

The best concept portrayed in Iron Man 3 is that of Tony Stark as more than just his suit. This is an inevitable concept after The Avengers.

Tony has seen an alien invasion. He almost died. He has gone through something that was never thought to happen before.

Thus, it makes perfect sense that he be affected by such experiences. Hence, the movie presents Tony’s fears.

He battles against the memories from New York. It provides Robert Downey Jr. with material for acting.

The thing is that the movie is not always consistent with it. At times, the anxiety turns into a joke. At others, it is shown as a serious thing.

Sometimes, the changes of tones become quite awkward.

The plot also talks about the identity. Tony Stark had created his whole identity as Iron Man.

But without the suit, he must prove himself in another way. It is best seen in the Tennessee part.

Tony uses his brain power instead of technological power. He creates weapons out of nowhere. He solves the mystery. He deals with problems.

These remind the viewers that Tony is unique. The film also highlights the aspect of responsibility. The acts of Tony have an effect on him.

The relationship between Tony and Pepper has also changed. Pepper knows better about the dangers associated with Tony.

Gwyneth Paltrow gets more action in this movie. That is one of the strengths of this film. Pepper is not simply waiting for Tony anymore.

She actually gets herself involved. But the plot eventually makes her become more of a superhero. That works out well. But at the same time, it is kind of forced.

The Mandarin plot is when things become really controversial. Much time is spent on setting up the Mandarin.

A frightening image is created by Ben Kingsley in public. The revelation turns him into Trevor Slattery.

Trevor is an actor that is cast to be a terrorist. The concept is smart. It is also quite humorous.

Nevertheless, it totally alters the meaning of previous scenes. The actual villain is Killian. It may come off as being a bait-and-switch.

It also means that the villain everyone was expecting never came to life. Marvel finally made use of the Mandarin idea in other movies.

This indicates that the original choice was highly controversial. The movie’s plot is also overly long.

Some sections feel padded. The Tennessee’s plotline is exciting. But it takes away from the main conflict.

And this makes the film lose its flow. Nonetheless, the central message of the movie is powerful. At the end, Tony realizes that being Iron Man is more than just wearing the suit.

It is an integral part of him. This is an important message. Unluckily, sometimes the message gets lost amidst jokes and action.

Performances

Robert Downey Jr. continues to be the highlight of the movie. Although the plot gets a little absurd, he manages to keep things fun.

Tony Stark is absolutely perfect for Robert Downey Jr. The snappy lines work brilliantly on him.

Nevertheless, Robert Downey Jr. does not disappoint in the quiet scenes either. Tony Stark’s nervousness provides him with an entirely new aspect to portray.

Some of the best scenes in the entire movie involve Tony’s panic attacks. Downey makes the character vulnerable without making him weak.

Gwyneth Paltrow gets even more screen time. Pepper is much more proactive. She takes on her action parts pretty well.

Her interaction with Tony rings true. But, the Extremis plot puts Pepper in an entirely new situation.

Don Cheadle also stands out. He and Robert Downey Jr. have great chemistry. Rhodey gets more to do in the movie.

The Iron Patriot armor provides him with an entire new look. Cheadle brings humour and energy to the character.

One of the best performances in the film comes from Ben Kingsley.

His performance as Trevor Slattery is quite comical. But the issue is not the performance from Kingsley.

The issue is the fact that he is used in such a manner in the movie. Kingsley does play both sides of the character equally well.

Aldrich Killian is played by Guy Pearce in the movie. Pearce manages to provide confidence to the villain role.

But Killian does not have the same threatening aura of other Iron Man villains. Pearce is capable of much more.

The screenplay simply does not make Killian especially memorable.

Rebecca Hall portrays Maya Hansen. She makes her character intelligent and credible emotionally.

Nonetheless, the character is severely underutilized. Her significance to the plot is far more important than her screen time reveals.

Ty Simpkins is Harley Keener. He provides for Tony some amusing scenes with his character..The boy acts naturally.

Unfortunately, he also helps create an impression that Tony has somehow got into a different film.

Overall, the performances are strong. Downey remains excellent.

Paltrow and Cheadle receive more opportunities. Kingsley steals several scenes.

However, the supporting characters cannot completely compensate for the uneven story.

What Worked and What Did Not

There are several things that Iron Man 3 gets right. Firstly, Robert Downey Jr. is great once again as Tony Stark.

Furthermore, the movie gives Tony much more emotional depth. Tony’s fear after The Avengers is a natural progression.

The fact that Tony does not have his technology is an intriguing choice. It shows that Tony is more than just his technology.

The action scenes are amazing. The scene where Tony’s mansion is attacked is brilliant.

The Air Force One rescue is definitely one of the best scenes in the movie. The final showdown has incredible visuals.

The visual effects in this movie are highly technical. The practical effects also contribute to certain scenes being heavy.

Pepper Potts becomes more important. Rhodey becomes more involved as well. The friendship between Tony and Rhodey brings lots of comedy.

There is also some good comedic dialogues. Shane Black’s personality is evident throughout the movie.

That is another one of the main flaws of the movie.

Sometimes, the film reminds me of a Shane Black movie too much.

For example, the Christmas setting.

Also, buddy-movie clichés become obvious.

This may be funny.

But it does move the movie away from being Iron Man.

The Mandarin trick remains extremely polarizing. I get what Black was trying to do. It is satire that mocks fabricated terrorism.

But it does not work for the franchise. It undermines all the build-up of threat. Then Aldrich Killian becomes the new villain.

And unfortunately, he is not an interesting enough villain.

Moreover, the movie spends too little time on Iron Man.

And perhaps that is the most problematic aspect of the movie.

The Iron Man movie should focus on Iron Man and his inventions. However, Tony is without his suit a lot.

It is not about Iron Man, but about Tony Stark. Which was potentially an interesting approach.

But the balance between the two aspects was not done correctly. The movie therefore ends up seeming like an unusual end to the trilogy.

It is ambitious. It is technologically impressive. It has great acting. But it lacks the identity of the first movie.

Overall Verdict

Iron Man 3 is an okay movie which does not completely succeed in its aim. Shane Black comes to the series with his own style.

That is evident from the humour, dialogue and the buddy movie format. Sometimes the approach works. But it does not quite fit Iron Man.

The movie feels like Shane Black action movie with Tony Stark in it. It does not always feel like the next part of the first two movies.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark as good as ever. Tony gets more emotional depth compared to the previous movies.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle also get their roles better. Ben Kingsley steals the show with his performance.

But the twist with Mandarin is one of the major flaws of the movie. It is a smart joke but it ruins the whole concept of the villain of the movie.

Then Aldrich Killian fails to fill in that gap.

The visual effects is another strong point of the movie. There are more than 2,000 visual-effects shots.nAnd many of those are truly impressive.

Practical effects also help the movie to ground its action. The fight at the end is spectacular.

But the effects can be overwhelming at times. The main concept of the movie is also quite solid.

Tony must realize that Iron Man is more than just his suit. But the concept gets lost sometimes because of the spectacle and jokes.

The Tennessee part is enjoyable but it contributes to the movie not feeling like an Iron Man one. This is the biggest flaw of the movie.

The first movie was the perfect marriage of Tony Stark and his technology. The second movie expanded the idea. But the third movie tries to move away from it.

That makes the movie interesting..But it is also frustrating. So this movie is probably the weakest of all Iron Man movies.

The movie is not bad at all. There is much to enjoy. But it is not the right way to develop the character.

The cast and action keep the movie from being bad.

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