RD Jr. as always saves the day

Rating: 7/10 (7 November 2013)

A sequel to both the earlier "Iron Man" movies and the multi-character "The Avengers," "Iron Man 3" finds Tony Stark suffering from panic attacks after his close brush with death during the traumatic battle of New York that took place in the latter film. Now he's up against an evil techno genius played by Guy Pearce who's created an army of exploding warriors he plans to use to take over the world.
Written by Drew Pearce and director Shane Black, the plot isn't all that compelling this time around, but as usual, it is Robert Downey, Jr. who keeps the super hero relatable and life-sized amidst the crassness of the movie's multi-million dollar production values and special effects. Downey's greatest achievement is that he manages to be wisecracky and smart-alecky without becoming cynical. This is enhanced by the chemistry between him and Gwyneth Paltrow as his erstwhile ladylove and company CEO Pepper Potts.
The special effects are predictably spectacular - with a jumping-out-of-an-airplane scene an eye-popping, heart-stopping standout - but, as with the earlier films in the series, it's the humanity of the title character that makes it all work.