Iron Man 3: Stark is back!

It was clear in Avengers Assemble who walked away the audience’s favourite, and that, was Iron Man. When he risked his life to save the whole of the world from Loki’s invasion, it was evident; he was the hero of the piece, so it’s no surprise that the next film instalment of the Marvel franchise was his.

For the past few years, it has seemed to be a trend that summers are packed with superhero blockbusters and this summer will be no exception what with Thor 2 coming out soon. But with Joss Whedon’s masterpiece Marvel mash-up last summer, everyone worried would the next stand-alone film be a step-down. There was only one character that could have carried this burden and smashed it with one ironclad fist and that, is the metal man.

Troubled by the action that occurred in Avengers, Tony Stark is a changed man. Struggling with flashbacks and a bad batch of anxiety, he’s finding it hard to forget about the metal-suits and the thought that danger could be imminent after “New York”. Iron Man 3 portrays a slightly different Stark than its predecessors. Don’t be mistaken in thinking that arrogant, quippy Tony isn’t present (he is a movie fave), but he’s having some issues, and he’s working on ‘em.  Whilst Tony is dealing with his inner turmoil, The President of the United States and the whole of America are being threatened by the relentless Mandarin, hellbent on teaching the country its many flaws. But filmmakers don’t like to make it easy for Iron Man, as also with a personal vendetta against the billionaire genius, and a plan to steal his woman, is Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a scientist Tony fobbed off way back in 1999.

Another Stark is different in this movie is he’s officially settled down, now moved in with Pepper, he’s trying his hardest to keep a happy relationship whilst also planning to save the world. Tricky. The dynamic of Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow is nothing short of electric, the pair’s ability to effortlessly play off of each other both in the comical scenes and the slightly gushy ones is faultless, and it’s clear that this stems from a good relationship behind the cameras also.

Marvel is known for its ability to mix humour and action unlike things seen from DC Comics, in say the Batman or Superman movies, but this is potentially the funniest that they have created yet. The only issue is, is this a genius decision or a rookie mistake? The humour is well written, well executed, but it can’t help but take away from the action. The perils seem less critical, the drama less urgent and that is, unfortunately a slight negative.  However, if the humour is taken with a pinch of salt, and the thought that this story has stemmed from a cheesy kid’s comic then it can be argued it works well so not all is lost!

Hearing that it is quite a humourous film may mistake audiences into thinking it’s playing it safe on the drama front, but this is certainly not the case. English actor, Ben Kingsley is nothing short of frightening as The Mandarin, even making some scenes describable as brutal. By having a human villain rather than a Norse God or another guy in an iron suit, and comparing him to a terrorist-type figure, it brings the farfetched nature of superheroes into the real world and that certainly makes it seem more threatening.

The action scenes are outrageously impressive and much more elaborate than viewers have seen in the films previous. The trailer boasts that there are explosions, fights and flight scenes galore, and the film does not disappoint.  

Finally, if you’re seeing Iron Man 3, see it in 3D. There may not be any effects that physical come out of the screen, but the depth and the clarity that you get with 3D is unbelievable in a film like this and it certainly enhances the viewing pleasure.