Iron Man 3
/"I'm Tony Stark. I build neat stuff, got a great girl, occasionally save the world. So why can't I sleep?"
Filmology Rating: 2.75 out of 4
Since this is my first superhero review I'm writing for the site I think I should clarify where I stand on the superhero genre. I love it. In 2008 I saw Iron Man four times and The Dark Knight six times. In 2011 I saw Thor three times, X-Men: First Class four times, and Captain America: The First Avenger twice. In 2012 I saw The Avengers nine times, The Amazing Spider-Man twice, and The Dark Knight Rises three times. I also have attended the Chicago Comic-Con every year since 2005. Needless to say I am a fanboy.
I loved what Marvel Studios did with Phase One. Each movie perfectly built upon each other until the mega-blockbuster The Avengers. I was greatly anticipating the start to Phase 2 with Iron Man 3.
Iron Man 3 starts six months after The Avengers, with Tony Stark, once again played by Robert Downey Jr., suffering PTSD after entering the wormhole during the climax of The Avengers. He spends his time tinkering and building suits to save himself and now girlfriend Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. As if Tony did not have enough inner demons a new foe appears, The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, who challenges Tony by asking does the suit make the man?
The biggest issue that faces this film is what makes Tony special? The new suit, the Mark XLII, can be used by anyone. So basically anyone can be Iron Man. Alright so Tony isn't that special anymore but then we move into the climax of the film and Tony becomes even less special. The house party protocol destroys everything that Tony has worked for. While it does make for an interesting action sequence, it also ruins what makes Tony Stark so special.
My other problem with the movie is Robert Downey Jr. The first two films he had something to earn by playing the part of Tony Stark. He was not bankable in 2008 and then after Iron Man he became a star again. In this film I feel that I'm either sick of the joke or the jokes just aren't working. I of course would like to think that the problem is not me, so I'm going with the jokes just aren't funny. Downey looks bored half of the time and you can feel that he wants to be done playing this character.
I went into Iron Man 3 filled with anticipation, wondering how Marvel could possibly top Phase One. I left completely disappointed and was afraid to see what else Phase Two could have in store for me. Iron Man 3 is full of bland jokes, spotty CGI, and a rather boring mystery. I know that fans of Marvel will see the film but this fan was completely disappointed.
Rating: Rent It
-Jonny G
Tony Stark returns to California with some post-traumatic stress after his romp with the Avengers. There are some mysterious explosions, landing Happy in the hospital and focusing the Mandarin’s attention on Iron Man. There is something that just felt kind of off about this movie. I had high expectations for this, and I left the theater feeling very lack-luster. I was excited for all of the armors and to see what they could all do, and I was vastly disappointed. I’m not sure if it was the pace of the movie or if there was just too much trying to happen, but something felt funky. Overall, the movie was visually very pretty, but the story was pretty average.
Rating: Rent It
-Megan