Review: Iron Man 3

In Iron Man 3, we pick up the story of Tony Stark after his sacrificial act of bravery at the conclusion of The Avengers. He's shaken, unable to sleep, prone to anxiety attacks, and dependent on his suits like a child clings to his blankie for security. He spends his waking hours building different suits and, after a flashback that sets up the plot of this film, we get to see him with a new upgrade that he can control remotely. It's some cool stuff, if far-fetched, but hey, this is a comic book movie after all.

The plot is driven by a new villain named The Mandarin. While in the comics The Mandarin was a Chinese radical who discovered alien rings that gave him superpowers, here he is portrayed as a terrorist with unknown or mixed ethnic origins - a hodgepodge of warring cultures rolled into a bin Laden-esque figure. He's didactic, violent, ruthless, and out to prove a point. After an explosion injures someone in Tony's circle of friends, he is called action and swears revenge on The Mandarin. 

Robert Downey, Jr. is masterful as always, balancing Stark's wit and bravado with his underlying pain and anxiety. Director Shane Black, who wrote the Lethal Weapon films and directed the hip, noirish crime comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (a brilliant film also featuring Robert  Downey, Jr. - and Val Kilmer in the role of a lifetime), brings his dark, edgy sensibility to this film, giving it a unique feel while keeping the humor and fun we've come to love and expect from Iron Man movies. Add to the mix Gwenyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce (Memento), and the ever-amazing Ben Kingsley, and you've got a great movie with great performances. 

The story is focused on Tony's growth and his identity. What is Tony Stark without Iron Man? Does the suit serve him or does he serve the suit? These questions are made obvious to the viewer as the suit starts acting on its own, programmed by Stark but operated by Jarvis, the artificial intelligence that powers Stark's computer and tech. And so our hero's arc is about discovering his own unique strengths so he can overcome his insomnia and anxiety and ultimately defeat the bad guys.

Though the story has some leaps of logic (unbelievable technology and impossible biology), it is lively, well-paced, and has some great surprises and twists. Without giving away any surprises, I'll just say that things aren't exactly predictable, which is part of the fun and part of how Black avoids falling into tropes and cliches.

At the same time, Tony's arc (character arc, not the device in his chest) fits the tried-and-true formula, with a clear call to action at the beginning, a period of struggle in the first half of the second act, a midpoint where he discovers the secret to overcoming his internal battles, and a turning point before the third act that reflects his growth as a character. (Side note: The call-to-action plot point was consistent with the Tony Stark we know and love - bold, brash, arrogant - but somehow seemed inconsistent with the Tony that we see at the start of this film - anxious, insecure, scared.) This character arc grounds the story and gives it real heart and emotional substance to go with all the action and set pieces.

Overall this film is pretty awesome. The acting is fantastic, the plot is energetic and surprising, and the fight sequences are incredible. As I noted, there are some gaps in the logic and some truly fantastical stuff, that requires some serious suspension of disbelief. And, to be honest, there are so many twists in the plot that the story is sometimes inconsistent and incoherent (another topic for another time when I won't spoil the plot with my analysis). Nevertheless, while not as tight and cogent as the first film (still my favorite), Iron Man 3 is a huge improvement on the second film, and definitely worth seeing on the big screen (try it in 3D!).

Now to hope that Robert Downey, Jr. signs on for a fourth Iron Man movie...