One of the Best Marvel Films and a Perfect Start to Phase II

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2013)

There was no movie in 2013 that brought down the wrath its rabid fan base worse than IRON MAN 3. This is because there is an outspoken demographic, albeit a seemingly small one, who are purists that can't abide changes to the source material and IRON MAN 3 takes some pretty drastic liberties with a classic comic villain. I am not one of these purists and I'm happy to say that IRON MAN 3 was both one of the best movies of the summer and one of the best Marvel Studios films so far. We've got a new director (Shane Black) and a different perspective on the popular character in which we examine Tony Stark and his personal demons as opposed to merely pitting him against another armored baddie. The movie is established after the events of THE AVENGERS with Stark suffering anxiety attacks and insomnia from the mental and emotional strain he suffered during the Chitauri invasion. He's been busy in his workshop to keep his mind off it, and his relationship with Pepper Potts has suffered. A ghost from Stark's past soon reemerges in the form of Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a fellow scientist and the founder of A.I.M., who hopes to form a partnership with Stark Industries in his research into enhancement nanotechnology and, meanwhile, a terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) has started a campaign of terror against the United States that becomes personal when a close friend of Stark's is caught in the crossfire.
The more complaints I read about this movie, the more I realize I enjoyed it for those very same reasons. Tony Stark spends a comparatively shorter amount of time in the Iron Man armor as opposed to the previous films in the franchise. You know what? Cool. I'm down with that. I don't want my comic films to be just people in costume punching other people in costume. Stark spent loads of time in the armor in IRON MAN 2 and it didn't save that movie from all its problems. IRON MAN 3 dives into the character of Tony Stark and the fact that he's having a difficult time adapting to all of these new revelations: the existence of aliens, the arrival of the Asgardians, and particularly the fact that he's a superhero. He's begun having doubts that, without his armor, he is nothing and incapable of protecting those he cares about from harm. He's forced to uses his wits and intelligence to defeat his enemies here (well, except the final battle) and it's cool to see him as more than a flying blaster cannon. In THE AVENGERS, Steve Rogers asks Stark what he'd be if you didn't have the suit and he proves in this film that, suit or no suit, he's still Iron Man. Just because he doesn't suit up as often doesn't mean we don't get the action. There are plenty of cool battle sequences, my favorite being an escape from a Miami estate where Stark's only got a gauntlet and boot from the armor. As a summer action movie, IRON MAN 3 delivers.
Being a comic film, another important element is having a good villain. Here is where the purist rage reaches epic levels. There is a pretty major reveal midway through the movie that I won't detail here (although it's probably been spoiled in countless other places) but the Mandarin sees some major changes from his comic counterpart. Personally, I'm cool with it. There are two primary villains at play in this movie: Ben Kinsley's Mandarin and Guy Pearce's Killian. Kingsley's Mandarin is fantastic. He's mostly shown in terrorist videos broadcast over hijacked airwaves and his performance is perfect. The same can be said for Killian. I love Guy Pearce as an actor and he's great as the film's madman mastermind. I can't go into too much detail without giving away important plot points but know that the villains in IRON MAN 3 are the best in the franchise. The third film of the series boasts a better cast that most other comic films and some talented new blood filling in for Jon Favreau as he steps down from the helm (though he returns as Happy Hogan). The movie's got an entirely new vibe that sets it apart from the previous movies and I can't stress how important it is to keep these series fresh. In a time when we're quickly becoming over-saturated in comic films and superheroes, it's an absolute necessity to give us fresh views and engaging new stories that won't rely on the same old tropes.
As these Marvel movies continue, people need to remember that these films are set in an entirely different universe from the comics and they need to appeal to a broader audience. So things aren't always going to be the same and if characters or plot points need to be modified to fit the filmmakers' vision, you just need to learn to roll with it (as long as the final vision makes for great entertainment which, in my opinion, IRON MAN 3 absolutely is). This is an excellent action movie with the humor and fun we expect from the Iron Man series and a villain who amounts to more than another man in a powered suit. Shane Black's brought some fresh blood to a series I'd worried might be losing steam and he reinvigorated it, giving Marvel's Phase II a perfect start.