Iron Man Three

The third Iron Man is a bit too minimalist in my opinion and overloaded with too many alternative plot elements. The first one was nicely compact and light. The second was oversized, but the action scenes were breathtaking and spectacularly executed. The third one is chatty, somewhat funny, the inner "Dark Knight" mood of the main character is a bit excessive with a considerable amount of irony, and there is almost no action (only two scenes, one of which is breathtaking, and the other is traditionally overwrought). I wanted a summer blockbuster, but what could they come up with in the third installment (the fourth one if I count the pumped-up Avengers) to make it feel fresh, innovative, and entertaining for millions of people? There isn't much. They got serious and humanized Iron Man, some people like it, some don't. I wanted to be "carried away" and instead, I was forced to "think". (04/05/2013)

Kiss Black's ass! If we were to take this part to be an action thriller with elements of crazy comedy, it would make this decent, but not that great goods, but... In the comic waters of Marvel this is a breath of fresh air and a sign of the creators’ brave attempt to push something from inside them into the enclosed universe (which worked best in the playful end credits sequence). That dark odor that seeped from the trailers is, like a good half of the plot, just a charade that is incredibly entertaining, even before the curtains open. The uncompromising Mandarin makes things hot for Tony, who it seems knows fear for the first ever time in his life. Extremis is a gift from the gods and brings so-needed invention into the fights with him (the inferno suit could only perhaps be trumped by a galactic war). Savin (James Badge dale enjoys this role) and his gang bravely resist the metal suits. Guy Pearce (cutely disheveled at the beginning, then stylishly slimy) is overshadowed a little by Sir Ben Kingsley who is unbeatable and towers over all other comic book villains. Robert Downey Jr. shows a slightly different side of Tony Stark, borrowing something from the role of Harry in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is very refreshing. Mainly taunting the little boy and the terse verbal exchanges with Rhodey (Iron Patriot is here basically as a joke). The action is a little hard to follow, but I’ve seen worse. Saving Air Force One is marvelous, for instance. The half-equipped Tony is marvelous. The finale with the boat, but the suits...not really... In any case, this is a marvelous watch, powerful in dialogs and story. This is just the right direction they should take in phase two. Bring on Thor and the Capo. P.S.: In some places the whole theater (all 3 people) laughed. Potato Gun Mark II. (06/05/2013)

There was no better way to do it after the excessive The Avengers and the boredom of the second film. How do you not make a theater play after a blonde pancake-eater with a hammer hits the ground and New York is threatened by an alien invasion? Make a pure, sometimes even slapstick comedy, which is based on the strongest feature of Iron Man - self-irony, disrespect, audacity. It is no coincidence that Black literally devalues the "sacred" armor, which turns into a pile of recyclable junk. Stark can do without it for most of the film. He is a mechanic, a billionaire, a philanthropist and a laid-back guy who does not lose his humor even during a panic attack. There is something about guilt here and there, but we all know that his only real guilt in the third film is that he remained an outspoken child. It's good that the fatality has diminished and that the third film almost feels like cabaret with a lot of beautiful slips where the floor starts to pathetically stick. Shane Black gave it maximum juice and energy. This is not even about the action that traditionally bothered me at the end with its dull grandeur; it's about cheeky details, small gestures and one of the most luxurious (non) Marvel twists. Favreau managed to film Iron Man as a fun comic blockbuster, while Black filmed Iron Man as Tony Stark sees him. Because he is the Iron Man. And it works great for him. (26/04/2013)

I kind of expected it and I'm glad for it anyway. The main star of the third Iron Man is actually Shane Black, who was as comfortable with Iron Man as anyone before him. The trailers beckoned to the darkened paths trodden by The Dark Knight, but the result is ultimately the most refreshing summer mix of a spectacular blockbuster adventure. For over two hours, I admired how Black makes it a personal race to be the better screenwriter or director, without compromising his claims to be the most entertaining character in the Marvel universe. He also does it with a sovereignty that is admirable in a man who is only in his second year behind the camera. Iron Man has ceased to be the pedestal of Downey's ego and instead is firmly gripped in a story that works in all areas without any of them fundamentally excluding each other: From great dialogues, perfect characters, great action, and an emotional whirlwind. For example, the episode with the little boy, where two tech enthusiasts meet, simply reminds the viewer that some of us never grow up. And then there’s the unconventional love story... when it's personal, you just perceive the action a bit differently, and honestly, without the suit. I'm tempted to shower superlatives like I rarely have before, but I'll allow myself at least one single (but for me perhaps quite crucial) criticism: in terms of the ultimacy of the action, the raid on Stark's house is just a slight hair better than the ending, so the action orgasm comes a bit sooner. Anyway, thanks for everything, Shane. And thank you, Marvel, for having the courage to trust your kids with unconventional creators. (How about the Asgardian god in the hands of Alan Taylor?) (03/05/2013)

After the rampage of The Avengers, which was spectacular but missed the mark emotionally, Iron Man 3 is an enjoyable attempt to add humanity to Marvel comic-book adaptations. This is a film that (intentionally) makes mistakes. With Shane Black, we are accustomed to the refreshing sincerity of the protagonists and transgressions against the genre, but a film that cost 200 million dollars to make provides an unexpected context for his detached view, which leads to greater wonder and admiration (you wouldn’t normally expect certain means of self-parody in a spectacular action climax). At a lower level, the protagonist also makes mistakes. Tony Stark has to get by willy-nilly without amusing technological toys for a third of the film, which forces him to rely on his own ingenuity and the help of others. He purges his identity of the media sludge (while not being the film’s only victim of the media’s reconstruction of reality) and casts off the burden of being a superhero, which is the main cause of his anxiety. The film also returns to the time before the dominance of technology by reviving – and, at the same time, relativising – the western myth (instead of the romantic settlement of the west, the Sand Creek Massacre is recalled; Stark has no problem with wearing first an Indian poncho and then a cowboy hat). The stronger emphasis on the human factor enabled Black to construct the film as a series of buddy-movie collaborations. Stark always has at hand a machine or person on which he can exercise his keen wit (Jarvis, Harley, Rhodes) and demonstrate his superiority. Despite all of the stumbles and the declaration that this time it will be about personal vengeance, he remains a true American hero who can convince you of the necessity of using weapons of mass destruction with a charming smile and a dry one-liner. In the final analysis, however, the unspectacular beginning (for a film of this format), drawn-out action scenes, underused voice-over (akin to that of Woody Allen movies and film noir) and the occasionally violent attempt at humour are only minor flaws in this bit of summer entertainment, which I see primarily as Shane Black’s grand return. I felt in places that I had gone back in time to the 1990s and was watching some of the audiovisual instructions on how to make smart and imaginative action comedies. Jon Favreau can safely stay in bed and enjoy Downton Abbey. 85% (13/05/2013)