Like a drunked party you don't want to go to.

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2013)

Back in 2008 when Iron Man was the insane box-office smash, truthfully never bothered to see it in theaters. I had no interest in the film, no matter how positively the reviews read. It was released on DVD at the beginning of Autumn, I did rent it to see if I would fall under the spell of Iron Man...I didn't. I thought it was neat, but my heart wasn't in perpetuated with it. I was astonished that people compared it to the Christopher Nolan masterpiece,The Dark Knight, released that same year. When Iron Man 2 was released, the same situation occurred (almost like deja vu), where I rented it, didn't care for it (though I did take interest in the stunningly beautiful Pepper Potts). Fast-forward to 2013, days after of the Iron Man 3 release. Gwyneth Paltrow had become my celebrity obsession, Iron Man 3 was denting box-office, and reviews were pouring in claiming part 3 outgrew its predecessor. I saw it twice in theaters, enjoyed it, but found the entire experience to be polarizing. After living my infatuation with Gwyneth Paltrow for months, I decided to revisit the films and found my opinions to have morphed into new thoughts.
IRON MAN 2 (2010)
It's so disappointing to say that such a smashing film was followed by a sequel that barely knows how to walk let alone run. Every scene is written and cut like the filmmakers said "Good enough." Even the most laid back viewer would be able to pick up on Iron Man 2's lazy writing and sloppy arcs. The poor choreography and occasional plot holes create too silly of an environment at times, which is supported by some nauseating dialogue. The whole picture feels like one of the drunken parties we would see in Iron Man 2, where Tony Stark is making an ass out of himself: we don't want to be there when we know the man has so much more to offer. The film doesn't fail completely, mostly due to the bracing visual effects and the hardworking cast of characters. It's wonderful to see Downey Jr., Paltrow, and Johansson work together and collaborate here. The comedy that the first film skated on is only found in the raillery between Tony and Pepper. Justin Theroux wrote the "screenplay" for this sequel, I think he should stick to acting or learn to pen some narrative flow into his writing.
Rating: 4/10
Grade: C
Anyone can tell you that Robert Downey Jr.'s screen presence is what guided the series to the popularity levels it reached. Downey's effortless charm is so believable, it makes you wonder if he's really putting forth the effort in his acting or if he's playing an exaggerated version of himself. He has superlative chemistry with his co-star Gwyneth Paltrow and together, they are the pillars that ground the series. Both actors excel in the entire trilogy making the acting the most dependable aspect in the series. "I watched the Iron Man movies to see Gwyneth Paltrow" said no one in history other than Ryan C. Showers.
Even with two sequels that didn't live up to the standard set with the shining original film, it's a movie series that is a fun ride. Tony Stark is just as an amusing character as you will find in the action hero category today. The special effects are always worthy of our attention and the actors pull together something that may have been ambiguous on the page. Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man 3 are blockbusters with a little more than you could hope for.