The Review Of Iron Man 3...
The Review Of Iron Man 3…
It is May 3rd and it happens to be my birthday… which is the sole reason why my wife allowed me to choose the movie, Iron Man 3, to see… with the added icing on the cake that I also got to eat virtually what I wanted without nary an objection from my better half; yet, I was praying that Iron Man 3 lived up to its billing because it is not the kind of movie that tickles my wife’s fancy - but I am joyed to say that she really enjoyed the antics of Tony Stark’s Iron Man 3. Once again, I felt like that little boy, all those years ago, in the Hamlet of Saint Pauls, Saint Kitts, yearning to turn the pages of the latest Iron Man comic book and wanting to cheat to look to see how it all ends… and now as a man, I am taken back to those halcyon days… watching my heroes 'do their thing' in splendid color and in the case of Iron Man 3, in 3-D.
It is becoming the norm, in most cases, that the writing… coupled with splendid action sequences in comic book movies no longer surprise those of us who salivate waiting to see our Super Heroes come to life on the silver screen. Moreover, I thank God that the actors of note do not think it beneath them to appear in Comic-Book movies and this is where I begin my formal review of Iron Man 3 because not only do we have kinetic action, but we also have stellar acting to bring the script to life.... Speaking of the script, without giving too much away, Iron Man 3 is a movie based on the slights and sins of our past… and where Hell has no fury like a-wanna-be, would-be megalomaniac scorned. These slights and sins, which happened in 1999, like a lethal STD that was dormant, suddenly erupts some thirteen years later… placing Tony Stark/Iron Man, and moreover, the world at large in harm’s way.
As usual, in all these movies, there must be an excellent ‘bad guy’ to battle our hero and Iron Man 3 did not disappoint when it cast the brilliant Sir Ben Kingsley from Gandhi’s fame, as the Mandarin. I must say that saying that Mr. Kingsley is the antagonist is buying into Shayne Black, the director's sleight of hand… but going in depth would also give too much away plot-wise. I will say this much that Sir Ben Kingley’s performance is akin to a Monty Python-like comedy pleasure in Iron Man 3… only with frightening hilarity. The truth be told is that in Iron Man 3 there is another antagonist played by Guy Pearce, whom I have seen in the classic Film Noir, LA Confidential and Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Pearce, in Iron Man 3, is the mad scientist who not only is Dr. Frankenstein, but he is also the monster created or more aptly, Doctor Jekyll, who seemed to have bedded Pepper Pots in the recent past, and Mr. Hyde, who is religiously bent on wreaking havoc on Tony Stark (Iron Man) and the world.
Let me give some well deserved props to director Shayne Black, Robert Downey Junior, and Don Cheadle; Mr. Black did a superb job in light of the fact that he had to follow previous successful Iron Man movies and his bang up job in Iron Man 3 may be due to the fact that he co-wrote the script, and, in his directing, weaved a tapestry of comedy, horror, action, and emotion acting. I have addressed the comedy… but I must add that capturing the comedic timing among Kingley, Downey, and Cheadle in a comic book movie has to be worth something… and the action sequences – one among many, where Air-Force-One is blown out of the skies and Iron Man has to simultaneously save all the surviving personnel who is falling to their sure deaths. Of note too is watching the Black guy, Cheadle, finally getting some much needed action - showing why he wears the Colonel ‘s Eagle insiglia - by kicking bad guys butts and convincingly so… without the benefit of the Iron Man’s armor suits.
Robert Downey Jr. is the glue to this movie because he delivered in comedic timing, vulnerability, and as a sympathetic hero: he is vulnerable when he realizes that being a Super Hero does not necessary means that his home-life with a partner is going to be easy street nor is he invincible shown in the fact that he is having recurring nightmares due to the advent of aliens and worm holes he encountered in Josh Whedon’s Avengers’ Movie; and, having to genuinely worry about vulnerable loved ones, like Pepper Pots… and all of these emotions of Mr.. Downey acting skills in Iron Man 3 come to the fore when he is interacting with a little boy he meets in Tennessee. Lest we forget Mr. Downey's pedigree... who cemented his thespian skills in Ally Mcbeal, Saturday- Night- Live and Less Than Zero.
No movie is perfect and simply to keep Mr. Black, the director of Iron Man 3, humble, I am going to say that I would have included Prince’s apocalyptic, dance, Funk anthem, 1999 because it is an apt song during the movie’s reminiscing sequence… and, that, notwithstanding the sleight of hand brilliantly pulled off in Iron Man 3, that the negative is that it is going to give credence to those conspiracy theorists who believe that Bin Laden was a mere puppet of the Illuminati. Before I conclude I know that it is only early May, but I must underscore again how awesome Sir Ben Kingsley’s performance was in Iron Man 3 and that he should be rewarded with at least an Oscar nomination. Iron Man 3 was an auspicious start to the Summer movie season… I look forward to see the others like Wolverine and Star Trek's, Into Darness and hope that my wife will become a fan of the genre knowing that Iron Man 3 was not a fluke….
