Less Iron, more Panic

Rating: 6/10 (5 May 2013)

One of the most anticipated films of the year has done what few expected -- surprised many people. Not because of the amazing fight scenes or the evil dimensions of the bad guys, but because instead of focusing on the suits, this movie focuses on the man. Who saw that coming?! This film focused far more on Tony Stark than Iron Man, but it did not focus on the character extremely well developed over the last 2 movies, and in The Avengers. Somehow, Tony went from a confident swagger to an anxiety-ridden non-performer. Think of first love, the first fumbling, non-rhythmic, earnest but wrongfully directed energy of 1st sex, and that is what pops up here (no pun intended). Tony is his own worst enemy. Unable to coordinate moves, attacks, defenses... He is reduced to the figurative cave where he started where he has, not only himself, but mostly only himself to rely on. This being Tony, you know he can MacGyver a new suit out of a hardware store supply center and leftovers from Ikea, and it's that ingenuity that makes Tony the genius you want to see get physical. And he does! Only without the suit.
Wait, you ask, where did Iron Man go? And why am I watching a Bourne Identity rip-off? A James Bond impersonation filled with Q's brain children? And here is where you see the film peel apart the layers of what makes up Tony, and what makes up Iron Man. Unlike the Congressional testimony of films past where Tony states that you can't have "IT", referring to the suit, this film delves into the line, "I am the suit, the suit is me". Would Tony be as awesome with or without the suit? So at this point, you have to ask yourself, is this what you came to the movie theater to watch? Or did you want the Iron Suit replete with Tony's narcissism and genius? Luckily, the film never forgets to add humor throughout. Although Stark is at times paralyzed by anxiety, the witty banter portions of his brain do not seem to be affected. There are a serious number of one-liners that zing through the air like diamond-tipped arrows, and while your lungs are pumping out a good guffaw, your brain is shouting Shut Up, I'm going to miss the next line! Pepper Potts -- or is it Pepper Stark now? Pepper Potts-Stark? -- plays an integral role in this movie, for several reasons. But I thought she also lacked the confidence of old. Instead of the playful repartee of old, Tony and she are shackled by their love of one another. OK, so love is not a bad thing, the fact that they want to coo and apologize to one another is not a bad thing, but the sexually tense edge between them is gone.
Now back to the action. The 1st three-quarters of the movie having been the anxiety-driven and comedy-filled demoralization and deconstruction of Tony's world, it's time to build it back up. Yes, it tuns out Tony is James Bond's alter ego, yes it turns out that he has a back-up plan and more than a few suits in waiting to confront the evil that caused the destruction of his world. And both Tony and Rhoadie come back with a vengeance. The sequence is exciting, eventful, and reminded me of those comic sequences where you see a row of doors on either side of a hallway and characters run left and right going in and coming out of the doors variously chasing one another or running from one another for various reasons. The suits appear left and right in front of Tony, to be worn, destroyed, discarded... We have come full circle where the suit is just a suit, but Tony Stark is Iron Man! I cannot say that I liked the finale, which I won't describe here. And I never mentioned the "twist" because it is too important a plot point to describe. If you've not heard about the plot twist, do yourself a favor and do NOT read any more reviews about the movie until you see it. As in the movie "Crying Game", if you know the twist, it renders much of the movie pointless. So dazzling special effects at the end, a great fight sequence... I can't say I found the ending believable, or even gripping -- no where near as much as I liked IM or IM2's finales. Certain plot points were overlooked or sent to hyperbole, others were wrapped up way too fast, but I do recommend the movie. I'll just be watching IM 1&2 more.