Last May, Joss Whedon's Avengers Assemble took the world by surprise at just how funny, smart and, well, brilliant a comic book movie could be. The last film to tick those precise boxes was the very film that kickstarted the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe: Iron Man. Now we have the third installment in the Iron Man franchise (4th film with Iron Man as he is an Avenger), and the stakes are raised, the laughs are louder and the action is better than any other Iron Man movie.
The film could be considered to be a pseudo-sequel to Avengers Assemble, as it follows Tony Stark soon after the events of that film have ended, and we see what his life has been like since. Hint: not much sleep. Seeing an alien race try to destroy New York while also befriending a god and a huge, green rage-monster would probably give anyone sleepless nights, let alone a man who thinks he knows everything and can explain anything. Tony is not the same Tony as seen in Iron Man 2. He's not as snarky and smarmy, he's vulnerable and needy and feels like he must better himself. This Tony needs a kick up the arse. Conveniently, enter The Mandarin, a global terrorist striking fear into the hearts of the Heads of State through suicide bombing and generally being a right old terror. With some help from a gene-altering nano-technology called 'Extremis', The Mandarin looks to create chaos and panic in the aftermath of the events in Avengers Assemble, and after an attack that affects Tony on a personal level, foolishly he calls out the Mandarin, offering his address so that he may seek revenge for the attack. What follows is an amazing set-piece involving the destruction of Tony's Malibu mansion, leaving him homeless, without a working suit of armour, and in a small town in middle America. Here some of the best parts of the script come out.
Shane Black, director and co-writer, along with Drew Pearce, has a tendency for sharp, witty dialogue and it comes to the fore here. Especially in the 2nd act while Tony is finding himself, Black's script shines. Usually when a child is introduced to the main character, over-sentimentality becomes apparent and it feels hammy and cheesy and just not fun. Not here. Somehow we feel ok with Stark calling a 12 year old lad a "pussy" for being sad at his father's disappearance years ago. To say that the relationship between Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark and Ty Simpkin's Harley is fun would be a huge understatement. A house on fire would be jealous of how well they get on onscreen. It's not all peaches and cream, but there's a real spark between the two actors that it makes it one of the more enjoyable elements of the film. Then there's the action scenes. Black is very able in his direction, but the choreography seen in them, especially the finale, is outstanding. Also worth a mention is a jaw-dropping stunt, no cgi used here, involving Stark trying to save 13 people falling from several thousand feet in the air after a rather pivotal scene involving a plane and a crash (I'm trying to avoid spoilers as best as possible, because there are many twists and turns in this film).
Downey is brilliant, as usual, as Stark, and is helped by his supporting cast being more than up to scratch, with Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts getting more to do this time round, as does Don Cheadle's Colonel James Rhodes. Rebecca Hall plays scientist Maya Hansen, and she does this well, although maybe there was footage left on the cutting room floor that would have helped explain a few things. Guy Pearce is great as Aldrich Killian from start to finish, you can tell he enjoyed playing the role. However, very special mention must go to Sir Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. His character arc throughout the film is inspired, one of the best I've personally seen for a villain in a single film for years. Kingsley looks like he's having fun playing such a character, and this sense of fun comes through in his performance as the Mandarin really does prove to be Stark's most...challenging villain to navigate as of yet.
Without giving anything away, the end of the film neatly wraps up the Iron Man trilogy into a nice, little package, while also providing some decent material for the Avengers sequel, due for release in 2015. I must reiterate that this is by no means a spoiler, and nothing I'm saying here will affect your viewing experience of the film, but once you see the film, you'll know what I mean. It's merely a neat little writing technique used by Black more than outright exposition.
All in all, I personally felt that this is quite easily the best Iron Man film, and second only to Avengers Assemble as the best Marvel film. Sharp, clever, funny as hell, Black doesn't create a superhero film. He creates a true detective/buddy cop film that happens to star Iron Man and pals. Hats off to him for doing so, and what a start to Marvel's Phase 2 project. Great film, truly great. It's cool, it's well-paced and very action-packed. I implore you to see this film (though having seen it in 2D, I wouldn't say that 3D was a miss).
Also, don't forget to stay for the post-credits scene, as is the norm with Marvel films now.
Score: 9/10
