After the recent worldwide billion dollar sensation of Marvel’s
‘The Avengers’, Disney is keen to duplicate its success by rolling out the
second phase in the ever growing marvel universe. With four films hoping to
reel in some ‘petty cash’ before the presumable box office behemoth ‘The Avengers
2’ hits theatres in 2015, we begin with Iron man three, the third addition to
the relatively bland trilogy of Iron man. Being evident that Disney learnt
something from their previous outing however, Iron Man three shows to be the
strongest of the trilogy being painfully witty and surprisingly spectacular
despite its lingering issues.
In keeping with the
recent depiction of ‘run down alpha-male heroes’ we are introduced to Tony
Stark (Robert Downey Jr) straight after the events of ‘The Avengers’ as he
suffers from post-traumatic stress, seeking comfort in the technology of his
own mansion whilst he recovers. During this time the very real threat of terrorism
is plaguing his world led by the ruthless Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who vows to
crush Iron Man, forcing him out of recovery to partake in ‘good old fashioned revenge’.
Alike every Marvel movie, ignoring their inconsistent plots, Iron Man Three is
tremendously fun, displaying spectacular action sequences and frequent witty
one-liners to maintain the interest of the audience. Differentiating itself
from the crowd however is the films plot, being simple initially it soon
becomes interesting after a huge plot twist which will have some groaning in
frustration whilst others gasping with enjoyment. None the less the twist
provides a fork in the otherwise wholly predictable narrative that was hugely
welcomed to a film usually stereotyped as ‘box office Hollywood fodder’ .Used
often throughout the film to enhance the stunning action set pieces, Iron Man’s
seamless CGI aids in the overall polished tone of the film helping to make even
the most unrealistic battle look magnificent (which is undeniably hindered by
the optional use of eye gouging 3-D).
A regular theme of
the Iron Man series is its use of comedy, usually used to varying degrees of success
by challenging ‘Tony Starks’ egotistical views which quickly become monotonous.
No doubt glimpses of that humour are present in this addition however for the
most part this film uses a quick-witted script and the perfect comedic timing
of Downey Jr to show its lighter side. Occasionally however the film gets
carried away using humour when perhaps it wasn’t needed leading to some moments
of puzzling ‘sketch-show awkwardness’ which runs parallel to some incoherent plot
strands and lack of narrative explanation. Throwing comparisons to the enemies
seen in ‘The Avengers’, the overly supernatural opponents present here are
totally glazed over despite their unrealistic properties that are in need of a
sufficient explanation. This is a disappointment as they show promise in
comparison to the mundane primary weapon of blue energy seen at the hand of the
previous two films’ antagonists. Led by the Impressive performance of Guy
Pierce as the mandarins right hand man, his superficial cronies feel like
targets for the protagonist with very little development and explanations for
their actions.
If it wasn’t for Iron Mans genuinely hilarious humour and
heavy dosage of pizzazz, the latest addition to the Marvel universe would be comparable
to its predecessors showing just as much narrative inconsistency and scenes of unbearably
sugar coated events. Little threat is felt throughout with the overall tone being
harmless to kids of all ages, showing to be both the franchises hindrance and
also its formula for success, however overall Iron Man Three is magnificently
enjoyable, displaying a brave step forward for the franchise as it boldly
enters the realm of phase 2.
7.5/10- Hollywood in black and white, flashy, fun and
destined for box-office success.
Calum Russell
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