In the universe
of superhero spectacles, "Iron Man" qualified as an instant classic. Sadly, "Iron Man 2" was pretty
scrappy. Happily, "Iron Man 3"
(***1/2 OUT OF ****) surpasses its lackluster predecessor. Although it doesn’t
top the original, "Iron Man 3" still ranks as remarkable. As usual, the narrative is preposterous
nonsense, but it is easy to follow, and the villains are a lethal, with a
secret that enables them to initially gain the upper hand against our
hero. Not only does "Iron Man
3" serve as a sequel to "Iron Man 2," but it is also a follow-up
to "The Avengers." Several
characters from "Iron Man 2" return for this exhilarating entry.
Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Lieutenant Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes (Don
Cheadle), and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow of “Country Strong”) are back. Colonel Rhodes flies around in his own Iron
Man outfit, and he is referred to as 'the Iron Patriot.' According to Rhodes, the previous name ‘War
Horse” was considered too aggressive. Nevertheless, only one Avenger makes a
cameo, but you'll have to bide your time until the end credits conclude to
catch a glimpse of him. Similarly,
neither Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) nor Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow
(Scarlett Johansson) turns up for this threquel. Jon Favreau, who helmed the first two
"Iron Man" epics, has entrusted the franchise to "Kiss Kiss Bang
Bang" director Shane Black. Known largely for his violent, contemporary
crime thrillers, such as "Lethal Weapon," "The Last Boy
Scout," and "Last Action Hero," Black imparts a palpable sense
of momentum as well as a sense of purpose to this installment. He scored a hit with the Mel Gibson movie
"Lethal Weapon," while the other two feature-films languished at the
box office. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his
role as the smart aleck but heroic inventor Tony Stark who constantly worries
about his romantic interest Pepper Potts. As it turns out, Downey starred in
"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" for Black when the actor was struggling to
rekindle his career. Prepare yourself
for a lot of self-effacing humor this time out, especially where Tony Stark is
concerned.
Basically,
"Iron Man 3" feels like an invigorating gust of fresh air. Downey cavorts about in many scenes without
his Iron Man armor, and he delivers one of his best performances as the wise-acre,
billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist. "Iron Man 3" occurs after the
celebrated New York adventure in "The Avengers." Although allusions are made to "The Avengers,"
Black and freshman scribe Drew Pearce reveal nothing new about that rumpus. As
if to silence anybody who poses questions about the Big Apple experience, Tony
Stark cringes in agony. Presumably, in
an effort to make him more sympathetic, Tony suffers from acute anxiety attacks.
Although he wrestles with these anxiety attacks, Tony doesn't shirk his duty to
save lives and thwart evil. Fortunately, nobody plays an idiot like Sam
Rockwell's Justin Hammer in "Iron Man 2." More importantly, "Iron Man 3"
doesn't stick us with a finale where men in cans square off against each other
for a do-or-die showdown. Interestingly
enough, the premise of "Iron Man 3" reminded me of "The Amazing
Spiderman" (2012) and Dr. Curt Connors' obsession with growing back
amputated limbs. The villains in
"Iron Man 3" engage in a
modest variation on this DNA-code skullduggery.
One turns out to be one of Tony's one-night stands from the past, Maya
Hansen (Rebecca Hall of "The Town"), a botanist who has grown plants
that can grow back severed stems. The other is Aldrich Killian (Guy Pierce of
"Lawless"), who founded a think-tank company called Advanced Idea
Mechanics with the acronym AIM. Later, Killian hires Maya after Tony dumps her
to see her research become a reality. These two are no match for the chief
villain, an Osama bin Laden stereotype known strictly as the Mandarin (Ben
Kingsley of "Gandhi") who jams the airwaves with his threatening
ultimatum broadcasts and commands an army of suicide bombers. Since Iron Man's identity has never been an
issue, the real issue in "Iron Man 3" is how quickly Stark can suit
himself up in his armor. This lively, exciting, third installment makes it even
easier for our hero to don his outfit. Remember that idiotic suitcase outfit in
"Iron Man 2?" "Iron Man
3" accelerates the wardrobe change time for our egotistical hero and does
it in a way that amuses us but appears cinematic. If you've seen the trailers for "Iron
Man 3," you've seen the incredible scene where three attack helicopters
blast Tony Stark's palatial residence atop a mountain into the California
coastal waters. Actually, Tony brings this disaster down on his head when he
challenges the Mandarin to visit him. The other scene that stands out finds out
hero trying to rescue more people than he can possibly carry while airborne
after Air Force One blows up.
"Iron
Man 3" will keep you glued to your seat with some surprises to keep things
interesting. At fadeout, Black and
company look like they have managed to bring the Marvel Comic book character
full circle from the original film. This
raises the question if Robert Downey Jr. will keep on playing the role. If box
office numbers figure into the equation, the Marvel people shouldn't be anxious
to let Robert go down the tubes.
