Iron Man 3 (2013)

Voila - my take on Iron Man 3 since I have literally just got in from seeing it.


IMDB.com summary:

When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.


It has been a while since I've seen the other two Iron Man films but I can safely say that it is better than the second, and dare I say the first too.

Directed and co-scripted by Shane Black, you can see how it was written by the same man who wrote Lethal Weapon with its bizarre interjections and EXTREMELY tongue-in-cheek tone. The tone is what makes Iron Man 3. I don't want to give anything away but there are times when the film almost becomes a pastiche of the superhero film, and it works tremendously well. Little moments which occur in pretty much every film of this kind are openly recognised, flaunted and inverted in some way to great comic effect.

Robert Downey Jr has developed the role of Tony Stark as a continuation from the second film. We see him suffer from anxiety attacks which he tries to brush off in a very human way. Again, I don't want to spoil it but his moments with young Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins) are brilliant. As usual, RDJ is a very charismatic protagonist. (Attractive as ever, by the way, especially the hip gyration he treats us to near the start)

Ben Kingsley Ben Kingsley Ben Kingsley Ben Kingsley. Just brilliant. (Can't think of anything else to say which wouldn't be a mahoosive spoiler sorry)

Guy Pearce makes a very believable and hypnotic bad guy in the form of Aldrich Killian, although I don't understand why he doesn't wear socks...

Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the role of Pepper Potts and it's nice to see a development in her relationship with Tony Stark. I'm not really the biggest fan of Paltrow but I suppose she did what she had to do with her own limited character exploration she was given.

I would say that the film is a lot more plot driven than some MacGuffin-based films. There are some nice twists that you really don't see coming but I would say that overall, it's perhaps slightly too long. I can forgive that because of the overall fresh air it breathes into the genre.

Watch out for the Liverpool FC cameo - a moment of true glory.

I don't think you could go and see this film without enjoying it. 2 hours and 15 minutes of mostly effortless fun with stunning special effects and a suitably grand accompanying soundtrack.
Just go see it.

That's all for now, folks.

WAIT I NEARLY FORGOT - If you are happy to sit through 8 minutes of credits at the end of the film, there is a brilliant little post-credits scene with a special cameo...