Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Kicks Off With a Suitable Entry.

Rating: 7/10 (26 August 2013)

In 2008, Iron Man ushered in a new era of superhero movies that would push the genre to unbelievable success over the next 5 years. Iron Man 2, although not as strong as the first, proved itself a worthy sequel on the road to The Avengers. Now with The Avengers all assembled, Iron Man 3 kicks off Marvel's second stage of their cinematic universe with a solid, but not amazing film, much like Iron Man 2 was to Iron Man 1.
The first thing you notice in this movie is that it's moving in a different direction than the previous Iron Man films, and this is largely due to a new director at the helm. While Jon Favreau was in the chair for the first two movies, and continues is role as Happy Hogan, Shane Black was chosen to direct the third entry in the beloved Iron Man series. The movie takes a less grounded tone, and while many viewers will enjoy the direction that Black as taken the series, it's safe to say that a majority of the hardcore comic book reading audience will fail to enjoy the movie in the same way.
Let's get the negatives out of the way. The number one problem with this movie, and the reason it could turn hardcore fans off, is the plot, or more specifically, the number of plot holes. There are a few of them, and they hit the film pretty hard. First off, while this is a stand alone Iron Man movie, the cloud of the Avengers was hanging over the movie's head the entire film. The main villain, The Mandarin (who I'll talk more about shortly), is a terrorist who is severely threatening America's national security. You'd think that maybe Captain America might be able to help out with this crisis because, I don't know, he has America in his name! And we know he exists in the same world as Iron Man, and his job is to protect the stars and stripes right? My point is that although this is an Iron Man movie, now that the Avengers has been released, I fear that all of the stand alone movies could suffer from the same question that this movie presents; where are the rest of the guys?
Second, is the villain. When Ben Kingsley was announced to play Iron Man's greatest foe, I was pumped. The trailers looked awesome and in the first half of the movie, The Mandarin is a scary and fun antagonist. But this all changes with a plot twist that completely leaves your face buried in your hands. Following this twist, the movie just isn't the same, and it's hard to take seriously. There are other minor issues such as pacing inconsistencies, but nothing else deprives the film like the aforementioned twist. Besides the plot, the only other complaints I have is that there simply was not enough action from Iron Man himself and when there was, it was fast and minimal. Iron Man never gave that super bad ass vibe that he did in the first movie, but luckily was entertaining enough to prevent the entire film from nosediving.
With that all being said, the movie had many positives going for it. The action was exciting and fun and the CG effects added to the action very nicely. Tony Stark deals with his inner demons following the events of The Avengers, and this is an interesting part of the film, one that forces Tony to change his character and have you rooting for him to ovecome. The comedy in Iron Man 3 is plentiful, almost too plentiful, but between the high-octane action and the comedic relief, there is never a dull moment (excluding the horrible twist).
While the action is without a doubt the finest parts of the movie, it would be nothing without the actors behind those sequences. Robert Downey Jr. once again shows us that he is arguably the most entertaining actor to ever play a superhero on the big screen. Simply put, he steals the show once again. Whether he's cracking a joke, kicking major butt, or battling with his inner demons, Downey Jr. is a treat to watch. And surrounding him is a wonderful cast of supporting characters such as Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle), Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) to name a few. The acting is one of the best parts of the movie.
To conclude, Iron Man 3 might not live up to Iron Man 1, but how many sequels do? Yes there are some huge plot holes but the seamless blend of entertaining action and comedy plus the fantastic acting save the movie from being a train wreck. Iron Man 3 is a solid and respectable entry in the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe and it is currently the 4th highest grossing movie of ALL-TIME. Casual superhero movie fans will probably enjoy more than others, but even for the hardcore, Iron Man 3 delivers an entertaining movie that I wouldn't skip out on.
7/10