Entertaining blockbuster with good mix of dark edge, comedy and action

Rating: Null/10 (25 August 2013)

The superhero blockbuster is a very crowded field and generally one that I now avoid in the cinemas as too often they are not good enough to justify the effort; on DVD at home though, expectations are lower and perhaps they work better even though you lose something of the big screen experience. The Marvel films generally have been the better ones in terms of producing an engaging spectacle which thrills while it makes you laugh and generally encourages you to go along with the plot even though it is very much the stuff of fantasy. If it sounds and looks easy then one just needs to look at the many lesser films that are just a mess of CGI and emptiness.
This film sees Stark shut off and struggling with the mental fall-out of The Avengers film and at the same time a terrorist known as The Mandarin is staging attacks globally, building his threats directly at the US President. The plot here is quite a balancing act but it is one that it mostly pulls off. It needs there to be darker moments but for the comedy to still work; it needs there to be a serious "real world consequences" plot but for it to still work within the world of fantasy characters. It gets this balance mostly right and I found the film to have a good dark edge to it while ultimately still being funny and having an entertaining flow to it. Some inclusions don't work and the villains do feel like a bit of X-files at work, but in terms of providing action, thrills and entertainment, it does a very good job.
The cast do well but of course the film is Downey Jr's and he does it well despite having more to deliver. His conflicting comedy arrogance and haunted-psyche works pretty, mostly because of his presence and delivery. Paltrow is so-so and she doesn't have many times to mix chemistry with the star. Pearce is OK but not given enough time to justify his character but Kingsley is fun in all the different ways he is asked to deliver! Hall, Cheadle, Dale, Sadler and Favreau all give good support but the latter does feel a bit unnecessary.
It is still a summer blockbuster, so your sights should be set accordingly, but it is a good one in that it delivers robust entertainment across the board with a nicely dark tone complimenting effects, action sequences and comedy.