It must have been an unenviable task to follow the wildly successful “Avengers’ movie. That’s exactly what writer/director Shane Black was assigned to do for “Iron Man 3”. Much like the character study of Bruce Wayne in the last installation of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, Mr. Black has chosen to dig deeper into the psyche of Tony Stark.
How’s the Story?
Picking up after the events of “The Avengers”, we find a deeply traumatized Tony Stark spiraling out of control. Although busy working on enhancing his armor technology, he’s also sleep deprived and prone to panic attacks. Faced with an apparent terrorist threat that becomes all too personal, Tony Stark must rely on himself more so than his armor to meet this latest challenge.
Without delving into Spoilers, I can say the main villain in “Iron Man 3” is a comparative light weight to the antagonists of the first two movies as well as “The Avengers” for that matter. Even the relationship between Pepper Potter and Stark seems forced. I blame it on the Writing as well as the Direction which in this case just happens to be one in the same person, Shane Black. Although graced with a stellar cast of actors, the dialogue in the movie confusingly bounces back and forth between awkwardly silly to overly dramatic. Unlike Jon Favreau who directed the first two movies, Mr. Black lacks any comprehension of the Iron Man universe resulting in a mixed bag of formulaic scenes and missed opportunities. Iron Man fans will especially be enraged by the misguided use of a major villain.
How are the Special Effects?
For the most part, they are on par with the previous Iron Man movies. What’s particularly dismaying was the decision to downgrade the strength of the armor. Perhaps we’re to assume Mr. Stark opted to develop his new armor with less structural integrity to save costs? In “The Avengers”, Iron Man was able to successfully fight toe to toe with Thor. Against combatants in “Iron Man 3”, either we must assume they are stronger and more capable than Thor (Unlikely), or that once again, Mr. Black was in over his head for Iron Man action sequences.
What age range would be suitable for this movie?
The movie has a PG-13 rating. The violence level does have a bit more grit than the typical animated adventure or even “The Avengers”. Depending on the child, I’d recommend ages 11 and up with parental supervision.
Any opportunities for Bathroom Breaks in the movie?
The pacing of the movie is sporadic. Yet I’d pick when Iron Man crash lands into the snow. You’ll have a good 10 minutes to kill.
What’s the bottom line?
Worth a matinee viewing to check out the new Iron Man armor.
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended for ages 11 and up.
Pros: Lots of new fun Armor Technology. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Abs.
Cons: Poor writing and lack of direction.
View official “Iron Man 3” Movie Trailer
