So here we go – the second phase of Marvel movies is officially underway. How do you ensure it starts with a bang? You get a new director and the planet’s favourite actor and give them a plot they can run with. And boy, does Iron Man 3 deliver.
We kick off back in 1999; Tony Stark is at a New Year’s party in Switzerland and he’s creating demons. Ignoring the over-keen and crippled Aldrich Killian (a slimy Guy Pearce) to spend the night with ‘botanist’ Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), he sets in motion a chain of events that bring us to the present day. Our favourite genius billionaire playboy philanthropist is at what is fair to describe as a rough patch in his otherwise enviable life. He isn’t sleeping. He’s haunted by what happened in New York. The events of Avengers Assemble have left him struggling with symptoms of PTSD and as a result, his relationship with Pepper is suffering. Just when things couldn’t get worse, a ruthless terrorist branding himself The Mandarin starts hijacking the airwaves and promising to teach the USA some lessons.
The main focus of the film is the Extremis storyline. Someone’s out there creating an army of regenerative super soldiers who prove more than a match for Iron Man, and it’s down to him to find out what connects them to The Mandarin.
Tonally, IM3 is very much a different film in comparison to the first two installments; Tony finds himself without his flash tech and equipment and out on his own. Having lost his mansion and with the lives of those he cares about at risk, he’s literally forced from his protective shell and into the harsh reality of the real world. There’s a particularly tender moment after a crash landing where JARVIS runs out of juice – Tony sits in the snow sadly asking him not to leave him on his own.
Downey is superb, as expected. IM3 gives him the chance to not only do the loveable cocky bastard routine but to explore Tony’s fragile side too. The moments of seriousness, when they come, are delicately handled with subtle reactions and you are with him 100% when he’s out for revenge. The guy was born to play Tony Stark.
Paltrow gets a bigger role this time round (there’s no sign of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow to provide kick-ass female support) and manages to surprise with her ability to play the action girl. Rebecca Hall is wonderful if underused; scenes between her and Paltrow are played with a precise sensitivity and break up the all-out explosive bits by providing slower and much-needed time to catch your breath. Don Cheadle’s Rhodey/War Machine/Iron Patriot/whatever-you-like is also given more screen time, and proves to those of us who can’t afford an armoured suit that you don’t necessarily need one to be a badass.
But the biggest surprise? Sir Ben Kingsley. He’s extraordinary as The Mandarin. Decked out in hooded robes and with fingers adorned with clunky rings he could be farcical, but his unusual line delivery (“You’ll neverrr seee meeee coming”) and cold, calculating mindset combine to make a truly unique villain. See IM3 for this performance alone because it’s all people are talking about.
Whether or not there’ll be an Iron Man 4 is still anyone’s guess, but if this is indeed the last sole outing for Downey then it’s a fitting conclusion. IM3 is stuffed to bursting with massive twists, action, great dialogue, proper laugh-out-loud humour and plenty of edge of your seat excitement. It’s hard to think of what more could’ve been added to make it better.
IRONMAN3ROX
★★★★★
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