Iron Man 3: Best of the Franchise or the Tin Man?

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I started to write this review moments after watching the movie early on a Friday afternoon, but I thought better of it. Often, the first impressions of a movie are colored by immediacy effects, perhaps a propensity to want to like a movie — or hate it. After some reflection, I found that my opinion had stood up to a few days’ reflection. 

The first thing that struck me about the movie was that it was a Shane Black movie. For those of you not well versed in his cinematic style, you need only watch Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang to appreciate his sense of humor and narrative flow. I loved that Robert Downey, Jr. and Shane Black were once more pairing up, as I am a huge fan of the aforementioned black comedy in all its snarky and sardonic glory. 

This, however, is not a review of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

Without further ado, here be my opinions.  

NARRATIVE/PLOT: I find it best to look at Iron Man 3 as the third movie in a trilogy. From this standpoint, the plot was much more cohesive than the ridiculous second outing that left much to be desired. Origin stories are often bloated by a need to include disparate elements to adhere to canon. Iron Man was an enjoyable first installment in what might be Marvel’s best trilogy to date, though that is not saying much. All in all, I liked what Black did with Tony Stark and the Mandarin story line. Without giving away any spoilers, he managed to shore up some things about the mythology of the Mandarin that might have left some fanboys screaming at the screen. As a standalone movie, it is very serviceable and quite a bit of fun. I thought this might be the most enjoyable of the trilogy to date, though this could be because it catered to my sense of humor. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY: The video editing and camera work were fine, though not up to the same level as Avengers. Black is known for putting together wry narratives and a dark sense of humor and marry it with action. I think he succeeds here. There a few wow moments, but it lacked the technical grandeur of other  summer blockbusters.

CASTING/ACTING: This might be the strongest point in Iron Man 3. Everyone was cast very well and I continue to be impressed with Don Cheadle as Rhodes. With the clever direction of Black, Cheadle and Downey have the buddy cop feel that is both nostalgic and enjoyable to watch. I think this was strongest outing for Pepper Potts and Guy Pearce delivers as he often does, both as the awkward scientist in the beginning and the power-hungry Orwellian figure at the center of the film. Sir Ben Kinglsley turns in a delicious over-the-top performance that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think the strongest part of the Iron Man series has been solid casting, especially with Robert Downey, Jr. as the lead. 

SCORE/SOUNDTRACK: The score was forgettable. 

DECISION: I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to friends and family who want a fun summer movie that is equal to the task of humor and action. Is it the same tightly packed affair that Avengers and The Dark Knight were? Definitely not. It does capitalize on events in the Avengers and brings some depth to Stark that made him a little more accessible. As is the norm for my reviews, I will not offer a starred review. Instead, I would say it is worth seeing in theaters and will not disappoint unless you are looking to hate the movie.