When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.
You have to admire Disney and Marvel Studios’ gumption: with the Avengers franchise, of which this film is the seventh instalment, they have effectively brought back the matinee serial, and have found an enormous and appreciative audience for it. One hundred years of popular cinema has taken us from The Perils of Pauline to The Travails of Tony. Long may the juggernaut continue to rumble.
Iron Man 3 is smart, funny and spectacular...This may not be to everyone's taste and some odd repeated jokes about Christmas indicate that a different release date may have been planned. But it is quality Friday night entertainment: the innocent pleasure of the week.
The idea of going back to basics is welcome in theory, but lacking in execution. In some ways, Iron Man 3 is admirably stripped-down, but in others it’s overly outlandish, while the constant puncturing of half-serious moments is overdone.
Overall Black pulls off a neat trick by combining intelligence with crowd-pleasing spectacle and wit. When it’s cool, this latest Iron Man instalment is really, really cool.
Heavy on witty banter, though avoiding the smugly laid-back tone of the awful Iron Man 2, this third film successfully balances its serious and humorous elements to greatly entertaining effect. It also feels like a singular, fully realised entity, rather than a glorified teaser trailer for another crossover feature, and has some genuinely inspired and satisfying surprises amidst its familiar trappings.
Action-wise, Black...proves adept a delivering spectacle without losing sight of the characters (a daring sky-diving rescue sequence is the highlight) and, while visually speaking things are very much in keeping with the bright and poppy aesthetic of the other Marvel films, the writing and performances are what really make this stand out.
Iron Man 3 shows up both the glories and the extreme limitations of the superhero summer blockbuster genre.
Best of the trio.
Black proves the perfect blacksmith, forging smart new tech and scenarios for the swaggering super-genius. If this does turn out to be Downey Jr.’s final solo outing, it’s a very strong exit.
Always lunges for the quick points over the long game, but still the best entry into this series.
Save for a couple of minor editing glitches, the action is as spectacular and thrilling as anything Marvel has shown us to date. More importantly, it has some weight and consequence.
The result is as bracing as you might hope, as witty as you might expect, but also goes deeper than you might think.
The third outing for the Marvel Comics superhero has standout performances from Robert Downey Jr and Ben Kingsley.
Iron Man 3 marks a Marvel-lous return for Shane Black
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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