Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013) starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

Iron Man 3 – Tony Stark has to deal with his own PTSD, terrorist attacks, and the deadly Extremis virus. He’s fighting against a villain he’s actually unaware of — which could cause disaster for his loved ones.

Review | Good points | Bad points | Characters | Editorial review

Review

Iron Man 3 is a much better film than Iron Man 2. But it’s not as good as the original Iron Man. There are several points, good and bad, driving this:

Good points:

• Tony Stark’s PTSD.
  • For instance, it’s good to see that Tony’s near-death at the end of The Avengers isn’t ignored. He’s having trouble sleeping, indecision, irritability (more than normal), etc.
• Pepper
  • Pepper has grown, and is not merely the helpless damsel waiting to be rescued. In fact, towards the end of the film, she rescues Tony. It’s an excellent moment.
• Great villain
  • Great heroes need great villains to oppose. Unlike Iron Man 2, he has one here. I’m intentionally not mentioning him here — spoiler-free review. But Tony’s selfish past comes back to bite him. In addition, this villain’s calculating. He acts like someone playing chess. For a sizable part of the movie, Tony doesn’t know that he exists. Therefore he blames the terrorism, and the Extremis virus, on someone else.
• Rhodey
  • Rhodey actually acts like a military man here. He’s intelligent, and skilled. One of my favorite moments is when Tony tries to shoot out a spotlight, and fails. He complains that the shot is impossible. Without speaking, Rhodey stands up and shoots out all three spotlights, then crouches back down. “Lucky shot.”
• Extremis virus
  • Something that the villain’s using very successfully. It increases an individual’s strength (Captain America level), healing (Wolverine), and can raise their temperature to over 1,000 degrees. Above all, the villain’s recruited ideal people as test subjects.

Bad points:

• Tony Stark’s PTSD.
  • As I said earlier, it was good to see Tony having to deal with what happened to him in Avengers. But the resolution is forced, rushed, and just plain unrealistic.
• Where are the Avengers?
  • It’s the big question that doesn’t get answered. Tony Stark’s home is attacked … And destroyed by terrorists. The American President is kidnapped. And neither the Avengers nor S.H.I.E.L.D. are anywhere to be seen. For no reason.
• Cute little boy.
  • On the one hand, Tony connecting with this young man is sweet and endearing. On the other hand, it’s overdone.

Cast of characters

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Eccentric genius inventor, billionaire, philanthropist Tony Stark is the armored super-hero known as Iron Man. After the events of The Avengers, he’s suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). It’s something that he tries to work through. In addition, the resolutions is somewhat unrealistic, and even forced.

Pepper Potts

Pepper Potts grows from Tony Stark’s assistant to the head of Stark Industries. Despite Tony’s history of using & discarding relationships, she’s fallen in love with Tony. And that relationship becomes a liability, as she’s later kidnapped by someone who wants to force Tony Stark to do … something.

Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes / Iron Patriot

Rhodey is the Liaison between Stark Industries and the U.S. Air Force. He’s also one of Tony Stark’s actual friends. Rhodey has a new suit of War Machine armor in a red, silver, and blue design — the Iron Patriot. He’s a trained, talented soldier, and demonstrates that here. And his new armor becomes a major plot point as well.

The Mandarin

Mandarin is the head of the terrorist organization – the Ten Rings. A variety of terrorist attacks occur, even targeting Tony Stark directly. But there’s more than meets the eye.

Editorial review of Iron Man 3 courtesy of Amazon.com

Product Description

The studio that brought you Marvel’s The Avengers unleashes the best Iron Man adventure yet with this must-own, global phenomenon starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow.

When Tony Stark/Iron Man finds his entire world reduced to rubble, he must use all his ingenuity to survive, destroy his enemy and somehow protect those he loves. But a soul-searching question haunts him: Does the man make the suit… or does the suit make the man? Featuring spectacular special effects, Marvel’s Iron Man 3 explodes with exclusive Blu-ray content.