Iron Man Three ☆☆☆☆☆

I have been debating with myself all day whether or not to write a totally spoiler free review, one with some spoilers at the end, or one that screams THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS AIN'T IT COOL?!

Ahem.

I have decided on trying spoiler-free, but if it gets too much I’ll add a short note at the end.

Those familiar with the world of Marvel, of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Avengers Assemble should, by rights, love this movie as much as my Mother and I did. In fact, to quote Mum, this was “the best one” of all the Iron Man movies.

If you are not familiar with Marvel but are intrigued at the effect it is having on popular culture and the movie industry, I’d say Iron Man is a great starting point. My personal favourite Avenger is Thor but Mum, well she loves Tony Stark.

*my mother is also the coolest human being on the planet, just so you know*

This third instalment of the Iron Man franchise is epic, but like The Avengers doesn’t lose the humanity of the characters. It also gets a new director in the form of Shane Black who brings his talent from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to incorporate the darkness that Tony is going through with the action scenes that are a prerequisite of a comic book adaptation.

Tony Stark is not coping well after New York, being part of the Avengers and very almost dying to save the World from the aliens. Essentially Stark has PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and HUGE kudos need to be thrown at both Black and Downey Jr for the serious and shocking ways that his condition is portrayed. On top of this a new villain in the form of 'The Mandarin’ has come from nowhere and is killing people with an unknown power source.

This is all you need to know plot wise because this film is full of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting, and I sincerely hope no one spoils it for your own viewing and you are as surprised, shocked, devastated and elated as I was.

I’m going to just throw some praise the actors way before the director and the special effects team.
Robert Downey Jr remains one of my favourite people on the planet, he IS Tony Stark. He is arrogant, charming, intelligent, and vulnerable. This is something I have really connected with in Iron Man, that Stark is allowed to be human and show weakness. There are some extraordinary scenes in this film with Downey Jr and a kid where he just loses it, exactly how someone suffering with PTSD can lose themselves to their panic and anxiety. I was just so impressed with Downey Jr’s performance.

Gwyneth Paltrow is amazing as Pepper Potts, and the characterisation of Pepper throughout all four movies has shown her not to be the damsel in distress (actually none of the Marvel universe or DC women are D.I.D), culminating here in Iron Man Three where she gets to show what she is really made of. But then she is still vulnerable, because most importantly she is as human as Tony.

Rebecca Hall and Guy Pearce were fine additions to the film, which is all I can say without ruining the plot. Ben Kingsley was fantastic though, truly he must have had a riot in his role.

The best thing about the casts of these movies, which I think I probably mention every time I review these films, is how seriously they take their roles. You can tell if an actor isn’t quite taking the movie as the best thing they have ever been cast in, and luckily there have been no lazy actors cast yet. Except perhaps the final instalment of Spiderman, no one was taking that film seriously, not even the director.

To the levels of action and special effects. Frigging awesome. Like Avengers Assemble the film has balanced the need for dialogue and serious story with blinding action scenes. I cannot watch 3D movies but I still felt thrilled watching it in 2D. What you have seen in the trailer is nothing compared to what you’ll see on the big screen, its a final battle to be proud of.

Black does a phenomenal job with this film. Seriously, he and Joss Whedon and Christopher Nolan and Bryan Singer need to get together for drinks and just toast to each others’ ability to blend the dark with the light, and balance the complex worlds they have been in charge of.

The inclusion of techniques from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the narrative and the move back in time to 1999 to begin the story, are well thought out and played, right up until the snippet at the end of the credits. Oh yeah, there is an extra scene, and I loved it.

I would watch this film again tomorrow, which is why it gets five stars from me.