Film Review: Iron Man 3

The third installment of the Iron Man franchise is more than just another superhero movie bloated with spectacle, as it manages to be both fun and thoughtful.

The sardonic, fast-talking billionaire-genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is back in Iron Man 3. However, this time around, the reformed playboy struggles with PTSD-induced insomnia and panic attacks (brought on by the “New York Incident”-- an attack portrayed in the recent Avengers film). As he restlessly battles his inner demons, Stark’s life becomes even more complicated by a terrorist called “The Mandarin” (Ben Kingsley). The two come into conflict after the pragmatic villain coordinates a string of bombings, one of which nearly kills Stark’s close friend and security chief Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Stark then vows to bring his new, powerful enemy to justice.  

Iron Man 3 succeeds in its refusal to take itself too seriously. Robert Downey Jr. continues his reign as the king of banter as he expertly delivers the quippy one-liners and retorts audiences have come to expect. Director Shane Black uses these jokes to actively subvert and poke fun at common filmic and cultural tropes. Stark’s relationship with misfit 10-year-old, Harley (Ty Simpkins), while he struggles to Macgyver his way out of small-town Tennessee, is particularly biting. The “big twist” in the later half of the film involving The Mandarin, expertly played by Kingsley, was also sharp.

Black’s focus on Stark is what makes Iron Man 3 a stand-out. Tony loses nearly everything in the film. His home crumbles into the sea and his relationship with his girlfriend (Gwyneth Paltrow) is tenuous. During this struggle, there are large chunks of the film where he is without his Iron Man suit, either because it is out of operation or borrowed by another character. It is Tony, himself, who must find a way to return back to his former glory and defeat his enemy. Black establishes that the Iron Man is not the suit of armor, but the man within. Tony can lose all of the “trimmings,” but he is still the ultimate hero.

Iron Man 3 is not without its issues. The motivations of the villains are never fully developed and the plot could be cleaner. There are times where special effects seem unnecessary (Aldrich Killian’s room-sized 3-D projections of the human brain) and the action scenes unrelated to plot lean towards gimmicky (the Air Force One sky dive). Also, the after-credits scene is totally not worth waiting around for. Still, Iron Man 3 is a fun and well-coordinated ride. The film is self-referential, smart and, most importantly, character-driven. Tony Stark is Iron Man.