The Inside of the Man in the Metal Suit

Rating: 9/10 (21 August 2014)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr. , Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle
Director: Shane Black
Synopsis: Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as the "Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist" industrialist Tony Stark in this third installment of Marvel's Iron Man films, the seventh movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the "Battle of New York" in The Avengers(2012), Tony finds himself experiencing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, while a new villain, the Mandarin (played by Sir Ben Kingsley) terrorizes the entire United States with mysterious explosions. Tony gets pulled into all this as his own life is threatened by the Mandarin, and embarks upon a journey that makes him realize his true priorities.
Review: Marvel Studios brings to us another humour-packed, superhero action movie, this time directed by Shane Black, where the audiences get to experience another adventure of inarguably the most admired hero in the MCU.
The movie is set 6 months after the battle of New York in The Avengers, and Tony has pretty much adapted to the changes that have taken place in his life, or at least he thinks he has. He has been affected by the events of The Avengers much more than he has realized. He has taken to his "hobby" of designing and building his Iron Man suits of armour pretty seriously, so much so that his relationship with his love interest Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is strained by the amount of time he spends in his workshop tinkering with his machines. To add to his troubles, a terrorist who calls himself the Mandarin has scared the entire US by mysterious explosions all across the nation, leaving no traces or clues behind for the intelligence agencies. Tony gets unwillingly pulled into this series of events full of twists and turns as things get "personal" between the Mandarin and himself. During his pursuit of the Mandarin, Tony realizes what his heart actually holds dearest and what his priorities are.
Robert Downey Jr proves yet again why he is regarded as the "face" of Marvel's Cinematic Universe franchise. With his witty one-liners, his sarcasm and his fluency with even some of the very technical terminology, it's almost impossible to find any flaws in his portrayal of the egoistic yet likable industrialist-cum-inventor. His timing and dialogue-delivery have been excellent as always.
Gwyneth Paltrow plays the beautiful Pepper Potts for the fourth time and she gives us no reason whatsoever to question the choice of the studios in casting her for the role five years ago. From managing the Stark Industries to standing by Tony's side as he struggles with the changes taking place around him and villains that threaten their lives, she is a complete package.
Don Cheadle plays Col. James Rhodes/Iron Patriot (the re-branding of the previously called War Machine), while Jon Favreau returns as Happy Hogan. Both these actors have done justice to their respective roles by supporting the storyline.
We also see a few new characters like Maya Hansen (Tony's ex-girlfriend) played by Rebecca Hall, Aldrich Killian – a forgotten face from Tony's past played by Guy Pearce, and the new villain - the Mandarin played by the brilliant Sir Ben Kingsley. While they all have been great in their respective roles, we would have liked to see a talented actor like Rebecca Hall as a more significant character in the movie.
The storyline has been a tad different from the earlier Iron Man movies, with lots of twists and turns, and much more emphasis on Tony Stark's out-of-the-armour character. The movie has just a bit too much humour in it which at some points takes the mood of an action movie away, but it is more than made up for by the exciting climax of the movie. A refreshing change was to see Tony team up with the kid Harley (Ty Simpkins), an innovative move by the writers and the director which certainly paid off by keeping the audiences engaged when the movie would have strayed off from its theme uninterestingly.
The background score is one of the best aspects as it remains in your mind hours after you have left the cinema. There are no complaints with the special effects department, which you would expect from a Marvel movie.
The movie opens with Tony voicing the words "We create our own demons..." and the story progresses as not just another superhero adventure, but with the larger theme – how each one of us can fight the demons that reside within ourselves and become what we really want to be.
In a nutshell, a great watch for superhero-movie fans and a treat for the followers of the MCU.