Ends the trilogy with a bang!

Rating: 6/10 (24 November 2015)

After two successful solo films, the onus was on Iron Man 3 to bring the trilogy to an effective conclusion while continuing to develop some much loved characters. Shane Black is mainly known for his sharp, dialogue driven scripts and in a way it made sense for him to direct given Downey Jr.'s hyper performance. There is certainly more comedy and drama here, and surprisingly they are both mixed together very effectively. Personally I think Iron Man 3 is something of a triumph, being very different in style to the previous two films while managing to craft a complex story and place the characters in interesting situations.
Story: Tony Stark's world begins to crumble when an international terrorist called the Mandarin targets him and destroys all of his equipment. Stark has to go out on his own to find the link between bombings in the US and discovers that an even greater force is backing the Mandarin. The storyline is played excellently throughout, offering interesting problems for Stark to overcome and some twists that are pleasantly surprising. The big twist itself is superbly done. The way it balances multiple aspects is impressive as Stark is made the centre of the film, the villains get enough time to develop personalities and even the supporting characters have a part to play in proceedings.
Hero: Robert Downey Jr. is excellent once again and gets even more to do this time around. He is still as sardonic and flippant as ever which allows for many laughs, yet he also gets to show Stark's struggle to deal with PTSD and he manages to get a lot of emotion across in those scenes. He balances both aspects perfectly and you do feel like he has gone through a journey by the films end.
Villains: Guy Pearce does a solid job as the crooked inventor Killian. He might be a touch one-dimensional at times, but Pearce injects the character with an easy to hate smugness and he does feel like a genuine threat. Ben Kingsley is simply fantastic here given his key role. He manages to make the Mandarin appear as a ruthless terrorist along with a funny voice, then show that the man behind him is simply a deadbeat and he is absolutely hilarious in those scenes.
Support: Gwyneth Paltrow has grown into her role as Pepper and does a good job here. Again the scenes between her and Downey Jr. sparkle thanks to their chemistry, while she even handles some action scenes convincingly. Don Cheadle is excellent again as Rhodes as he continues to convince as a man of action, gets some good laughs and he is involved in the plot more this time around. Rebecca Hall is decent enough in a small but important role and Ty Simpkins does a good job as a kid who helps Stark out.
Action: The action sequences are all flashy and exciting. The attack on Stark's home is shot very well and has a surprising amount of intensity to it, especially given what's at stake. There is a fantastic fight in an aeroplane and a mid-air rescue that is rather silly but still very entertaining. The climactic battle at a dock is overblown in the best sense of the word and seems to be continuously adding more obstacles to overcome, but it is extremely stylish and it does show our heroes having to dig as deep as possible.
Music: Brian Tyler's score is excellent. While the guitars don't return, it uses some very emotive melodies and pounding compositions to really drive home the atmosphere or tension in certain scenes. Many arrangements are very memorable and well crafted.
Production: Despite not being known for his directing skills, Shane Black does a fine job here. He directs the dialogue heavy scenes with a lot of vigour which lets the lines leap out and the action scenes are all appropriately stylish. The script is where the film truly shines. Black is at his best here. because the snappy and sharp dialogue that he is known for fits in seamlessly when provided by the likes of Downey Jr. as its pretty much a match made in heaven. Some might argue that it is a little too comedic in places, but I think it works to the films advantage. In fact the comedy is some of the best Marvel has provided, especially with the likes of Downey Jr.'s numerous witty lines and his scenes with Simpkins. Visually the film continues much of the ultra-modern look from the previous films and setting the majority of it at Christmas is actually a very smart move in giving the film a different edge. CGI is used a lot, especially during the climax, but it always blends in well and is only really used to add to the film.
Conclusion: I really enjoyed Iron Man 3 and would probably say it's the best of the trilogy. The film has no major weak points and I think all the differing elements come together successfully to form a very fun as well as interesting film. I always cared about the characters and how their story arcs were played out, whilst the story twisted in some ways that I really wasn't expecting which lead to some nice surprises. Downey Jr. was just wonderful once again, the villains were different to the norm, the support was great and the action was gripping throughout. Black's direction and writing were exceptional, all of it resulting in a superhero film with an abundance of wit and excitement.