‘Iron Man 3’ Review: The Best ‘Iron Man’ Movie Yet

Iron Man 3 Review
Iron Man 3 Review
The highly anticipated Iron Man 3 hits theaters this weekend kicking off what should be a great lineup of summer films for us geeks! I’d even dare to say that this film is the best Iron Man so far, going places that Iron Man and Iron Man 2 didn’t even attempt. It’s not hard to argue that it’s darker than the other two films, but in this film we get to see a rawer look at the human side of Tony Stark – which not only makes him more relatable to the fans but also makes for a stronger film.

Tony Stark out of his comfort zone in Iron Man 3. He challenges the film’s villain, the Mandarin, to come to his turf and fight it out. As a result, Tony’s seaside, dream mansion is destroyed and Pepper is nearly killed. Tony is auto-piloted away and finds himself far from home with a suit that is damaged and drained of power. Without all his normal resources to help him, he has to MacGyver it up for this film. Setting up shop in a garage in Tennessee he makes an unlikely little friend, and investigates a lead that may or may not be connected to the Mandarin. To say much more would be to spoil the fun and the ultimate plot twist that the film takes…

As far as the acting, I’m not entirely convinced that Robert Downey Jr. isn’t Tony Stark. I think the sassy personalities are just too similar, so much so that I’d venture to say Downey Jr. isn’t acting at all. Not to say he doesn’t do a great job, because he does – but it’s just an example of perfect casting. He is Tony Stark. His charm, though rugged at times and drenched in arrogance and narcissism, is somehow completely endearing. He’s everything you’d want in a superhero.

Also returning is the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow, Pepper Potts, who has a much cooler gig in this film then just the assistant, girlfriend, and CEO of Stark Industries, and our fanatical villain Mandarin, played by Ben Kinglsey, does a brilliant job and is part of a rather existing plot twist (which we won’t give away). Guy Pearce also gives a strong performance as Aldrich Killian, a geeky scientist turned bad and power hungry entrepreneur.

One of the only bones I have to pick with this plot is why doesn’t Tony Stark just pick up the phone and call Captain America or the Hulk… the references to The Avengers are there – but only in establishing that Tony is dealing with PTSD from New York. However, if you have a network of rather special kick-ass friends – seems like you’d use them if you got in a sticky spot like this. I recognize that pulling those characters in would have made this a sequel to Avengers instead of Iron Man 2, but it still seems like there could have been a better way to handle how The Avengers relates to Iron Man 3.

Overall, Iron Man 3 delivers exactly what you’re hoping for – action, humor, and that unquestionable Robert Downey Jr. charm.

Grade: A-
Review by: Emma Loggins

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  1. I loved this movie, probably my favorite of the three (though I really love the Justin Hammer character in part 2). The Mandarin twist was so great I never saw it coming at all! I think the reason he doesn’t call for help is because he’s still trying to deal with what happened and, more likely, he’s too arrogant and narcissistic to ask for help. I love his attitude as a superhero, especially in the end battle and his reaction to something bad happening was “whatever” – cracked me up!

  2. Absolutely loved the movie. There was humor, action, and that plot twist was class! Also one more thing i’d like to add.. People should stick around until after ALL of the credits. for an extended Hilarious scene involving stark. And a hint into the future possibly

  3. Iron Man 3 is the best of the Iron Man films. In this film, we learn that Tony Stark is more than a man in an iron suit. He can and does take care of business all on his own. A MARVELous film!

  4. I thought it was good. I probably expected too much of it though, so it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. All the posters make it look like it would have more action but it was different than that.