Spoil-Free Reviews!: Iron Man 3

Unless you have been living under a hole for the last 3 months you know that this past weekend saw the release of the third but not final instalment in the superb Iron Man series.  If you’ve never seen a super hero movie: 1) I’d like you to email me and tell me how that’s possible and 2) this may be the perfect movie to start with.  Early rumblings are that Robert Downey Jr. and Shane Black managed to top Joss Whedon and the start studded cast that was The Avengers.  Did I believe that coming in, no I thought it was the syndrome commonly referred to by me as Love-of-the-New, newer is rarely better as popular music seems to be bending over backwards to prove correct.  As a Robert Downey Jr. fan, (he is in fact the only white person to make my celebrity table) I would like to think that he could carry a movie like this on his own but with rookie director Shane Black at the helm it’s hard to see that being possible.  But as the most charismatic leading man in Hollywood it’s certainly not an impossibility.

I will warn you now that I have not made up my mind on which is better and in fact don’t intend to while they are both superhero movies they are very different monsters Avengers is essentially an origins story movie driven by an ensemble cast and one of the greatest living directors; while Iron Man 3 is a character driven movie that builds upon an already developed character and set of relationships.  I will tell you that it is better than Iron Man 1 & 2.   The trailers may suggest that Iron Man 3 is the dark follow up to the events of New York in Marvel’s Avengers:

The trailer is a little misleading in fact the film is just as full as Tony Stark’s wit and humor as the other ones, in fact a little funnier and wittier than the first two.  The action sequences are unmatched in any Marvel movie thus far but it’s hard to top a fight scene with dozens of Iron Men suits in it.

I don’t know if you’re a Gwyneth Paltrow fan but if you are you’re doing it wrong.  I wish almost anyone else had been chosen for the role and since Stark and Potts decided to bed one another in Iron Man 2 this is the most Potts driven plot yet so I had to see much more of Gwyneth Paltrow than I would have liked.   And it’s not like I don’t enjoy looking at this:

But she is no Pepper Potts that is for sure.  But hey maybe you’re disagree with my opinion better men than you have disagreed with more opinions than mine.  Speaking of being unfaithful to the comic since Mandarin is my favorite comic villain and without spoiling anything they…. Just…. Ugh, but I’ll let you see for yourself.

Iron Man 3 is everything you expect, it’s fast paced, funny, the special effects are amazing, and Robert Downey Jr. is just as awesome.  You should see it because everyone you know and love will have seen it and you wouldn’t want to be left out now would you?

Ratings:

Casting: 8/10

Acting (Main Cast): 9/10

Acting (Supporting Cast): 6/10

Directing: 5/10

Writing: 10/10

Plot: 7/10

Cinematography: 8/10

Special Effects: 8/10

RDJ: +5

Genre Specific:

Action Sequences: 10/10

Humor: 10/10

Fan Service: 6/10

Overall Rating: 8.14/10 (amazing)

Pop Culture Che Suggests: 5/5 (See it in theaters a few times once in 3d and/or IMAX)