"Iron Man 3" Film Review

"Iron Man 3" Film Review

Rating: 5/5

By: Nathaniel Simpson

    After the events of the first "Avengers" movie, Marvel brings in Shane Black to write and direct the final installment of the "Iron Man" trilogy, focusing on Tony Stark's struggle with anxiety after the events in New York. I can see why many people don't necessarily like this movie, but in my opinion, I think this film is a fun and great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and sets up a great character arc for Tony Stark. 

    When a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) threatens America and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Tony takes it upon himself to take him down. However, The Mandarin destroys Tony's house, and basically takes away everything he cares about, including Tony's long-time girlfriend, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Now stranded in the middle of Tennessee, Tony must figure out how to fix his damaged suit and destroy the evil terrorist, all with the help of a young and gifted boy, Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins).

    I personally thoroughly enjoy this movie. Even though Tony has a lot of problems dealing with the events of the previous film, he is still fun as always and is great as this character. On top of this, his interactions with Paltrow are great, and they have amazing chemistry together. 

    I think it was a great idea to bring in a young boy for Tony to mentor. This shows him as a more fatherlike figure, which both Harley and Tony didn't have. It provides a great character arc for both of these characters, and gives a more in-depth look at Tony and his past. 

    The action scenes are great, especially the scene where Tony's Malibu mansion is destroyed. The graphics are very well done, and the suspense is very high, leaving the viewers on the edge of the seat. Then, when looking at the end climatic battle between hero and villain, it is awesome to see all of these suits that Tony created come into action and all try to defeat our main villain. 

    I also think this movie has the best humor out of the trilogy. Black is known for writing comedic action films, and he definitely did a great job on this one. Tony is a more likable character compared to the other films, and the humor is more fun and makes the characters more engaging.

    A lot of people say the plot twist ruins the film for them. While I won't mention what the plot twist is here, I totally understand why the plot twist wouldn't work for you. However, it didn't ruin the plot of the film for me, and I think the actual realization of the plot twist is perhaps the funniest scene out of the entire film. I do wish the actual villain was a more menacing and scary character, but I can see how it would bring Tony's story to a close for the trilogy. 

    Entertainment-wise, I think this is the most re-watchable film in the trilogy, and definitely the most entertaining out of the three films. I think they really closed off Tony's personal story arc very well, and are able to set him up for more adventures to come with the Avengers.