Everything you'd ever want from an Iron Man film

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2013)

After The Avengers set the bar so high last year in terms of how to make a super hero movie truly fantastic there's been a lot of pressure on Iron Man 3 to match it's success. Does it succeed? S'pose you'll need to read on. Or watch the film, whatevs.
Speaking just about the Iron Man films here I'm willing to say this is the best in the series. Iron Man showed a great origin story and it's sequel, as much as it was a great little ride, was a little underwhelming when compared directly to the original. It just didn't seem to be on the same scale and there was a feeling that something new needed to be brought to the table to make it feel fresh.
Iron Man 3 is the film you hoped Iron Man 2 would be. It brings new elements to the story and the decision to give Tony Stark panic attacks and anxiety problems is one that I feel works wonderfully in the film. He's still cocky and in that suit virtually indestructible but showing that weaker side, his inner demons eating him up, makes him seem far more relatable and more of a 'real' man than this kick ass invincible human he has become since the other films and The Avengers.
I also like how what happened in The Avengers is talked about sometimes and not just glanced over as something that happened at some other unrelated time. It's the presence of gods and aliens and worm-holes in New York that have pushed Tony over the edge which makes sense really. Finding out about all that stuff and being the peoples' hope to defend them from it all will fairly mess a guy up.
No characters fade into the background here and everyone, the heroes and villains of the film, put on a great performance. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts are probably my favourite movie couple ever. They have issues with one another but the lengths he goes to to protect her remind you that the love is there.
In terms of story I think it's just above standard comic-book movie fare that changes the focus just enough to make it stand out from the other films. Whereas the Iron man series has usually been machine vs machine, Iron Man 3 changes the formula more to machine vs super humans. There's little twists here and there but nothing to over complicate or at the same time really revolutionise the story.It provides a great vessel to showcase the incredible action sequences and relationship development between characters.
Speaking of the action is as spectacular as you'd expect. There are never really any moments of slow down as the film goes from action scene to action scene with elements of the story acting as bridges between them. Two particular highlights are the Stark household being blown up by 100 explosions and a great scene involving Iron Man saving people as they fall out a plane.
Fun fact everyone- the plane scene was actually shot with a sky-diving team actually falling through the air to give it an extra edge of realism instead of just shooting it on a green screen. It really pays off and makes you appreciate the extra mile the film makers are willing to go to make these scenes truly epic.
The finale, without spoiling any of it, is completely awesome. It's everything you could ever want if you're an Iron Man fan or indeed a fan of action movies in general.
Another element that works in Iron Man 3's favour is the humour that rarely misses it's mark. It's not enough to cheapen the film and make it feel goofy but the odd remark here or there just keeps the film light enough and give it a personality. Stark's impromptu nicknames he gives to people never fail to get a chuckle.
So to return to my first question- Is Iron Man 3 as good as The Avengers? I'll put it like this. If The Avengers is a massive cooked breakfast buffet with trays upon trays of delicious food, Iron Man 3 is a specific tray of perfect bacon.
The Avengers felt like more of a special event bringing lots of exciting characters and stories together while Iron Man 3- while not quite the event The Avengers was, stands up by itself as a terrific action comic book film that ends the Iron Man trilogy on a massive high- assuming there won't be an Iron Man 4 of course.