Iron Man 3: A Fitting Conclusion that Left the Audience Wanting More
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3
It's what you would expect from a big budget super hero flick: fast-paced, loud and visually stunning. Yes, Iron Man 3 was predictable but it was surprisingly entertaining as the characters were interesting and the plot--though inexplicable--was not treated by the people involved in it with gravitas. They’re having fun with the absurdity of the storyline and it translated well on screen. The movie might have featured sentient computers, battle ready robots, fancy set pieces and oodles of high-tech gadgets but it didn't feel like a video game at all. There’s a certain adolescent and humanistic appeal to it that viewers can really relate to.
Robert Downey Jr.’s egocentric man child rendering of Iron Man might be the film’s main selling point but Ben Kingsley gave him a run for his money and almost stole the show with his brilliant portrayal of Mandarin; a pseudo terrorist ring leader whose infatuation for attention is equal or even greater than that of Tony Stark. Both are appealing in their own eccentric ways and both are effective until the covers are blown. And then you know which one is the super hero with a noble mission and which one’s a poser whose sole motivation is just to get high as a kite.
There are some plot holes, some even glaring but they are few and far in between and are carefully or fortuitously placed between eye-popping action and silly yet infectiously funny dialogue. The way the film satirized the media and how easily it can be manipulated by a nefarious puppet master in the shadows is just brilliant. True evil thrives in anonymity and most often than not, we allow it to persevere because we don’t look beyond the obvious.
Iron Man 3 was efficient; efficient because there was no dialogue, no well-choreographed action sequence or even a character that was squandered. All had a part to play in the lead up to the film’s climax. My only quibble is that it felt like it was originally scheduled for a holiday release. It’s just weird to watch the film being set up against a background of Christmas trees and snow covered sidewalks on an oppressing, muggy summer weather. Also, I didn't recall anyone saying ‘Happy New Year’ during the Y2K festivities/paranoia. If my memory serves me right, everyone was greeting ‘Happy New Millennium’ to each other during that time. Well, ‘Blue (Da Ba Dee)’ by Eiffel 65 was an alright choice to commemorate that once-in-a-lifetime event so the minor oversight is forgivable. Alright, I admit I’m nit picking. I let my nostalgic emotions get the best of me for a second there. OK, back to the movie. Iron Man 3 was enjoyable, engaging and thoroughly satisfying from start to finish--a befitting and explosive conclusion to a groundbreaking superhero franchise.