Spectacular

Rating: Null/10 (30 April 2013)

After sweeping the box office and enthralling the audience, this third offering strategically stays on safe ground. After the somewhat excessively convoluted plot of Iron Man 2, this one takes a simple, familiar plot line: a villain grabbing a new technology to gain power. There is also a small moral lesson: you can slight someone, but don't play with him. When budding inventor Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) approaches Tony Stark at a busy conference, instead of just sending him away, Stark sends him to the chilly roof to wait for him. This apparently trivial prank comes back to haunt him.
Talking about villains, Iron Man 3 offers a sleight-of-hand twist that have been seen a couple of times but names of the specific movies just don't come to mind readily. Anyway, it is wonderful to see Ben Kingsley in this context, in a superbly executed comic role, English accent and all.
Robert Downey Jr continues to ooze his flippant, Narcissistic charm, which is what I referred to about this movie staying on safe ground. Gwyneth Paltrow, on the other hand, has elevated Pepper Potts from just pretty prop to a role of real substance, culminating in even saving our hero. I understand that this has attracted mixed reactions from the audience. Some loved it while others consider it nothing less than sacrilege.
Completing the strong cast are Don Cheadle returning to his now familiar role, Paul Bettany reprising his HAL-like role of Jarvis, and lovely Rebecca Hall as the femme fatale.
The main attraction, however, is still the spectacle. Here, the movie makers are clever in not overdoing it. The movie is basically bookended between two most spectacular set pieces that you can find anywhere. No description is necessary. Just go and enjoy.