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Iron Man 3

4

It could be said that this is the best Iron Man movie but is it the best Marvel Studios movie?

Tony's Thoughts

The third Iron Man movie is here. With last year's The Avengers, most of the viewers should know who Tony Stark and his supporting characters are. These days movies tend to focus on being a trilogy but with The Avengers, this is, in a way, Iron Man's fourth film. Now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has opened up and we've seen more cohesion between the different characters, going back to a solo movie is an interesting experience.

With the attack by the Chitauri, the meeting with Thor and Loki and even the wormhole to another galaxy, Tony Stark's world has opened up more than ever. We get elements of him moving forward but also simply trying to deal with the experience he just went through. This allows us to see many sides of Tony Stark, and that's great considering Robert Downey Jr. is more than capable of handling it all.

With a flashback at the beginning, we're reminded of who Tony Stark was years before the events from the first movie. This gives us the connection to Aldrich Killian and the idea of Extremis. When we catch up to the present, there's the threat of the Mandarin, a terrorist with America in his sights.

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From here, you'll feel this is a different sort of Iron Man movie. That's a good thing. We don't want or necessarily need more of the same. For Iron Man to get involved with this sort of enemy, we're not seeing Iron Man vs. some villain in armor. This is also a movie about deconstructing Iron Man and Tony Stark. He isn't just a guy in a suit of armor. We need to, once again, really see what makes him tick. It's a great idea in showing us more than just the snazzy special fx of the suit flying around shooting the bad guys.

Where the movie shines but also flounders a bit is the humor. Robert Downey Jr. is great as Tony Stark. He is able to deliver the wittiest lines and give the movie a strong sense of being fun. There are times it gets to be a little too much. There were also moments I was trying to figure out what kind of movie this was and who it's being marketed towards. With the success of The Avengers, which was pretty much suitable for most ages, Iron Man 3 and director Shane Black had to decide what direction they want to take. There is a big reference to Tony's days of one night stands. It's innocent but the implication is plain to see. Some of the scenes of violence in Mandarin's war of terror might be a little too intense as well. But with all the jokes and the inclusion of child actor Ty Simpkins, you would think Disney is trying to make the movie appeal to younger viewers. Speaking of that kid, some of the scenes with the kid were funny but I could have done without his presence.

The other tough part is can you have a Marvel movie without other Marvel characters after The Avengers? Obviously, yes you can. But when the life of the President of the United States of America is at risk and when Tony Stark's home is destroyed, it's hard to accept that all his friends in the Avengers are busy elsewhere. Even the lack of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence was a little bothersome. Wouldn't this have been a great place to try to highlight the upcoming show? We don't even see a S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem anywhere. It's a minor gripe but isn't that what comic book readers are supposed to do? Other characters and events are referenced but just barely.

As far as the action goes, we are treated to some great scenes. I mentioned the different angle for Tony. He has to rely more on himself versus the tech of his suit. It makes for some really fun scenes but of course there will be an epic battle at the end. The threat of the Mandarin and Extremis combined with the twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat.

You will enjoy this movie. There shouldn't be any doubt with that. We get a great final scene. The movie serves as an epilogue to The Avengers and also sets up a new beginning. We were just spoiled a little with The Avengers.

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Gregg's Thoughts

I was late to my screening in Manhattan (thanks for the traffic, Lincoln tunnel) and barely made it in time. Because of this, I ended up in the third row of a massive theater. With my head uncomfortably titled back and wearing 3D glasses that barely let me see the entire screen, I was certain this was going to really take away from it. But you know what? It didn't. The slight pain in my neck was nothing compared to the huge amount of fun I was having. There's a scene in the film (fret not, this is totally spoiler-free) where a kid has a dumbfounded look on his face as he sees Iron Man. That look? It's the same stupid expression and sensation I had for most of the movie.

I'll admit, I was skeptical going in, too. I was afraid it would suffer too much of a "been there, done that" feeling. Robert Downey Jr. absolutely owns his role as Iron Man, but I was concerned we'd have a sense of overfamiliarity with him by now. Man, I was wrong. The laughs are every bit as good as the first and they're just as frequent. I can't recall the number of times I burst into laughter from one of Tony's remarks or even banter from another character (there's a great scene with two goons). Considering where I was seated, I was worried it would massively take away from the action as well. While close up shots were a little difficult to follow, they were still enthralling. There's a lot of action this time around and quite a few cheer-inducing moments. I know we've all seen the fleet of armors in the trailer, but in context it's still goosebump worthy.

Stark isn't in the suit all that much, and while that's sure to be upsetting for some, I thought it made the film feel refreshing. Instead, the plot has more of a detective vibe going for it and Tony needs to rely on his wit and what he can craft with limited supplies. Seeing him utilize all-new gear was simply awesome. Additionally, a decent chunk of the movie revolves around Tony teaming-up with a kid. On paper, that's facepalm-worthy stuff. But on the big screen, it actually works well. Watching Stark bounce his personality off someone new was definitely engaging, even if the team-up did generate a fairly cliche moment.

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While I do love this movie, I of course recognize Iron Man 3 is sure to divide fans. Rebecca Hall's character feels uninspired and if you're a comic purist, there's something that'll definitely piss you off. If you're searching for a deep story with minimal plot holes, then you'll likely leave the theater disappointed. But if you're looking for hugely entertaining action, an overdose of laughs and a whole lot of fun, then you're going to have a blast. I can say with full confidence Iron Man 3 is second place for me when it comes to Marvel Studios' films -- first place being The Avengers, of course.

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Ninjablade09

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Edited By Ninjablade09

Saw it last night and I have to say was really disappointed. The trailer made it look like a fun action packed movie like Avengers but have that great character driven story like Ironman 1. I think all the armors were basically worth less. The Things he did with them are stupid. I did like though sometimes when he would try to get in a new armor it would be knocked aside. Though I did think the CGI was really, really bad. What annoyed me most was the stupid CG deer. I wanted the anxiety .attacks to go further like something he overcomes during the final battle. It was just about dropped from the movie. The kid was really annoying. And for the most part I thought the joke were stupid and not funny.

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bigboi100000

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Edited By bigboi100000

Could any Iron Man fan say that the Mandarin, a man with a genius-level intellect, wouldn’t devise a plan involving a shadow terrorist leader who hides the identity of the true mastermind? For those who believed that the “magic” element wasn’t explored enough and were disappointed that the character didn’t have ten rings with individual powers, was it not enough that Aldrich Killian/The Mandarin could spit fire, had superhuman strength and regenerative abilities? With control over a massive conglomerate with Advanced Idea Mechanics as well as a widespread terrorism organization, can you argue that he didn’t have the same kind of clout and influence? If those are the characteristics that make The Mandarin, the only complaint that people have is that he looks like Guy Pearce instead of Sir Ben Kingsley.

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impossibilly

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Edited By impossibilly

I'm amazed by how much people like Iron Man 3. I thought it was terrible.

I got the feeling that filmmakers thought that the coolest part of the Avengers movie was when Tony was falling and the Iron Man armor came to him, because they seemed to rehash that scene every 5 minutes in Iron Man 3. Someone's always either falling into or out of a set of armor in this movie.

And the kid sidekick? Oh, come on!

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QuantumVertex

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Edited By QuantumVertex

Amazing movie! I could've hoped for about twenty more minutes of depth to make the script a little bit more intellectual but it was a comedic thrill ride, full of action and adventure. It was nice not to see Tony in his armor the entire movie, it made it more real and gave him a sense of vulnerability! The big plot twist was so welcome and intriguing, it seems to be a lead into to something big after the introduction of magic in Dr Strange!

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isaac_clarke

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Edited By isaac_clarke

The one where Rhodes had a short cameo and Tony Stark was apparently not continuing a struggle with alcoholism established in IM2? Nope, I did not see that movie. Most of what you're saying simply isn't consistent with what happened on film and there's my issue with it.

@the_mast said:

Isaac clearly just lives to be contrarian. He doesn't like anyone saying anything bad about this movie.

We all just didn't "get" it.

Considering most of the complaints here, yes a lot of you I'm responding to didn't 'get it' or apparently saw such an edited version of the film where Rhode's role was reduced to five minutes or frankly every scene featuring something was five minutes.

It isn't I don't like people saying bad things about this film - it's just I want those to actually be from reality and not some special place in the sky that they pull nonsense from.

@the_mast said:

You type like someone paid to make excuses for those parts. Who are you trying to convince, me or you? Because you're not convincing me.

You type like someone trying to read a lot more into my posts than necessary. The initial point in your post was poorly written and confusing.

@the_mast said:

There was nothing complicated or clever about the switch. Clever to who? Not to me. Lame, pseudo-smart and pathetic is what it was. You hire a grand actor to play an incredible role and then you turn him into Russell Brand? No. Sorry. No amount of. "You see, what they meant was, symbolically symbolising symbol symbol symbol" will change that. Overcomplicate the simplistic failings of this movie all you want.

So outside it being a twist you didn't appreciate or the clear meaning behind that twist - do you have any legitimate complaints about his performance or the writing behind the character played Ben Kingsley? It isn't my fault you didn't 'get it' I guess - it certainly isn't something I'm attempting to over-complicate when it was a clear sentiment from the film that it was playing right off the audience's perception of terrorism.

@the_mast said:

He didn't have to move past having suits, or being Iron Man. Pepper came around and Tony has issues. They both could've worked on a compromise.

He wasn't moving past the suits, he was destroying the suits he made while he couldn't sleep - that quite literally embodied the character's own anxiety from the events of Avengers. It has less to do with compromise and more to do with the meaning behind the action itself - he's moving past his issues and moving forward in life rather than wallowing in the past.

@the_mast said:

They were. They were hilarious. I couldn't take them seriously at all. Half the time he's making jokes and witty one-liners while clutching his chest. Stop making excuses. I've seen panic attacks. I've worked in medicine and I have people who experience it in my family. If you trigger one of them, they don't sit there going. "OH NOW YOU'VE SAID THAT THING!" and pulling funny faces. It takes more than breathing to chill them out.

You have an odd sense of humor then. And no he wasn't clutching his chest making jokes or one-liners. You're argument for why these anxiety attacks seem to be Robert's performance was unconvincing or more specifically poor in their portrayal. I've heard opposing opinions on their portrayal from individuals in the armed services and medical profession - but you're experience matters more I guess.

"They were. They were hilarious." Doesn't translate well into text - just to note.

@the_mast said:

Plot-Holes/Plot Contrivances (For the anal amongst us):

Tony Stark invites Mandarin to his house. The attack happens and obviously this isn't good. Why did it take Maya Hansen seeing the missile for Stark to know it was coming? "OH! SHE WAS IN WITH THEM?!" So? Why didn't Stark have more warning systems? He has one for when folks are INSIDE his house.

He didn't invite her - she simply walked in. The early warning you're described is Jarvis announcing someone approaching in their car, which Stark questions the lack of security and Jarvis points out it's a little difficult when you've given the world your home address. Maya saw it on the television screen, she wasn't expecting to be in the house while AIM made its attempt to attack.

Notice the use of 'house-party' when he summons all the suits? That was going to be his defense against the Mandarin in the event of the attack - the issue was Stark was caught unaware. You could point fingers at Jarvis if you'd like, but he isn't a magic AI that can see helicopters with armaments coming at the house.

@the_mast said:

Why did the President let the Iron Patriot, an armed walking tank, onto his plane without so much as a whiff of identification? No lift of the mask, no greeting. Nothing. Odd behaviour for a man just threatened by a terrorist.

Rhodes is the only one that can pilot the suit; at least that is normally how it works. That was made evident that these suits are locked into select individuals when Rhodes asks Stark for a suit and tells him he can't do it (only Pepper and Stark were able to use post Avengers suits). He did greet the President with a salute. What you're arguing is PIS (plot induced stupidity) - this is not a plot hole.

@the_mast said:

Where was S.H.I.E.L.D. when this terrorist was going around the world generating near-nuclear blasts? Don't give me that nonsense about budget. The organisation has a million agents. You could've cast anyone. Mention them at least.

For one thing the blasts were no-where near the level of destructive capacity of a nuclear weapon. These attacks were random, often without a trace that SHIELD could even follow (they couldn't even track Loki till he revealed himself intentionally). AIM was clearly well resourced and able to cover their tracks well enough to avoid suspicion (as in hijacking television multiple times without issue) and I'm not even entirely sure SHIELD deals with terror threats that consist of killing handfuls of people at best - they're more of a global task force.

Also you should consider time. The events of the film take place in the matter of days - in particular the final part of the president's kidnapping in the matter of at best 40 hours. That leaves SHIELD with a considerably small amount of time to even mount a response and since Tony wasn't involving them that pretty much made their involvement in this film nearly impossible. That is assuming they are even in a position to help.

@the_mast said:

Still, I'm sure you have some B.S., non-factual, highly subjective reaching explanation for these. Some kind of masturbatory, pseudo-intellectual explanation for things that just don't make sense.

Didn't Mandarin claim to be of The Ten Rings? If not, there were ten rings on his fingers and in the logo for the propaganda vids. The Ten Rings existed since Iron Man 3. Was that all Killian, too?

Something about this later portion gives me the impression you aren't interested in reasonable discussion. Mainly the masturbatory comment. Which given you're trying to pass PIS at best as a plot-hole it's a bit of "meh" argument on your part to begin with. Nice effort though.

We wouldn't know if the Mandarin adopted the 10 rings or if Killian initially created the 10 rings. There isn't enough data from the films to come to any conclusive answer for either theory. Given the narration implies the Mandarin's appearance was after Avengers made their own appearance - that might be a clue, but again not enough to work with.

Example of a Plot Hole:

  • The lack of ability for the President to break free of those chains using the Iron Patriot (although given the lack of control the President displayed when being flown from the plain - you could make an argument his options are limited) outside that I'm personally drawing a blank.

The film itself was littered with symbolism - you may argue that it doesn't exist but that's just a tough argument to really provide any intellectual evidence other than "NOPE NOT THERE!" and repeating symbolism over and over in place of an argument that I and my associates was wrong to interpret it that way.