07 – Iron Man 3
Somehow, this is the Iron Man movie I know the least about, though it is certainly just as good and thrilling to watch as the first two Iron Man movies. It holds its own among the rest of the Marvel films and does a fantastic job of furthering the character arch of Tony Stark as a character, one of the greatest heroes of the MCU. And not only does this movie give us exciting action sequences, incredible visual effects, and some great light-hearted moments of comedy, it also gives us some serious and dramatic issues that Tony has to deal with. He now carries with him PTSD because of his experiences in The Avengers. I guess almost dying alone on the far side of an interdimensional portal might emotionally scar a person. How incredible is it that an action movie would think to deal with a realistic problem like that?
Once again, Robert Downey Jr. does an incredible job as Tony Stark. Throughout the movie, he stays true to the unique character he has spent several films creating. He is quick-witted, irreverent, and snarky, not to mention narcissistic, self-centered, and utterly brilliant. The kind of guy you really like, even though you have so little reason to like him, but that’s because of his great sense of humor, his honesty, and his personable charm.
Gwyneth Paltrow, of course, returns as the love of Tony’s life, Pepper Potts. And Jon Favreau also reprises his role of Happy Hogan. At this point, Pepper is running Stark Industries as its CEO, and Happy is head of security. And I can’t forget Don Cheadle as the Iron Patriot, formerly War Machine. And at one point, Stark has to team up with an unlikely ally, a young child named Harley Keener, played by Ty Simpkins, who helps Tony regain himself when he is at his lowest point.
And what would a superhero movie be without its villains. This time, the main bad guy is Aldrich Killian, creator of Extremis, a treatment that turns people into fire monsters who can explode like bombs. And some of Killian’s henchmen are Stephanie Szostak and James Badge Dale, playing the parts of Ellen Brandt and Eric Savin, survivors of the treatment. Fellow evil scientist who works for Killian is the beautiful Maya Hansen, played by Rebecca Hall. And finally, the Mandarin, or should I say, the fake Mandarin, Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley. He was essentially a bit of comic relief in an otherwise action packed film.
But the movie had so much more than just great characters. It had great scenes. The action sequences were awesome and really built on the excitement of the previous two Iron Man movies. One asked the question, what kind of a fighter would Stark be without his technologically advanced suits of armor? And the climactic battle scene brought out a whole bunch of new a d varied Iron Man suits, all of which are remotely controlled by J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony’s AI personal assistant and caretaker, brilliantly voiced by Paul Bettany. And their sudden appearance actually tied into the whole PTSD storyline, as Tony built them all as a way to escape the pain and anxiety brought on by the crippling condition. The final fight put them up against all the Extremis enhanced henchmen of Killian.
It really was a great movie. But one action scene really stood out to me as frickin’ awesome! When a bunch of people are blown out of Air Force One, Iron Man saves them by flying around to collect them all in their freefall. The civilians all link hands and Iron Man sends an electric current through them, forcing them to tighten their grips. He then slows their fall enough to be able to drop them safely into water. It was an incredible and well-done sequence with some top-notch visual effects. Every time I see it, it makes me want to stand up and cheer for Iron Man’s heroism. You know, I was never a huge Iron Man fan in the comic books. But these movies have turned me into a big fan of Tony Stark, both in and out of the armor.
Top 10 Favorite Parts
1. Tony works on a new way to put on his armor by having pieces fly across the room to him.
2. Tony tells Pepper about his PTSD and why he is spending all his time tinkering in his workshop.
3. Tony’s house is attacked by the Mandarin’s forces.
4. Tony meets Harley
5. “Mom, I need to call you back. Something magical is happening!”
6. Harley convinces Tony to be Iron Man without the suit, and he infiltrates the Mandarin’s compound.
7. Tony escapes Killian’s captivity / the banter with the guards.
8. Tony rescues the crew of Airforce One.
9. All the different Iron Man suits arrive at the final conflict.
10. J.A.R.V.I.S. blows up mark 42.