Iron Man 3 ««½
PG-13, 130m. 2013
Cast & Credits: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (Colonel James Rhodes), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin/Trevor Slattery), James Badge Dale (Savin), Stephanie Szostak (Brandt), Paul Bettany (Jarvis – voice), William Sadler (President Ellis), Dale Dickey (Mrs. Davis), Ty Simpkins (Harley Keener), Miguel Ferrer (Vice President Rodriquez). Screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black. Directed by Shane Black.
In my May 10, 2010 review of Iron Man 2 I wrote how I could see the ending coming from a mile away. I knew the greedy military industrialist, played by Sam Rockwell, would get his just deserts just as I knew the muscle-bound tattooed Russian villain Ivan Danko, known as Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), would be defeated by Tony Stark in his computerized metallic suit of armor.
I am not sure at what point while watching the film I came to this predictable conclusion. I don’t think it was within the first ten minutes, which is how long it took for me to figure out where the plot of Iron Man 3 was going. The film’s first few minutes reminded me of the same scenario I saw in Batman Forever (1995).
In Batman Forever, Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), who later becomes The Ridder, shows millionaire Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer) a device that can read minds. Wayne dismisses the idea saying “tampering with people’s brainwaves just raises too many questions.” As a result, Nygma goes off the deep end vowing revenge against his one time idol.
By comparison, in Iron Man 3, billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) meets disabled scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) at a New Year's Eve party in Switzerland who has developed an experimental treatment that can regenerate a patient’s limbs like for injured soldiers wounded in Iraq. Stark wants to hear more about Killian’s idea and asks to meet him on the roof ten minutes before the start of the new year. If you knew, without me telling you, what Carrey’s Edward Nygma becomes in Batman Forever then you know what happens as a result of Stark’s failed promise to Killian that holiday night.
“You're not still pissed about the Switzerland thing, are you,” Stark asks Killian once he realizes the deranged scientist’s plans.
“How can I be pissed at you, Tony? I'm here to thank you,” Killian says. “You gave me the greatest gift that anybody's ever given me. Desperation. If you think back to Switzerland, you said you'd meet me on the rooftop, right? Well for the first twenty minutes, I actually thought you'd show up. I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since, right? You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a Bin Laden, a Gaddafi, The Mandarin, you hand the people a target.”
Therein lies the second problem I had with Iron Man 3 where Killian talks about giving “evil a face.” That issue is with the Osama bin Laden want-to-be terrorist called The Mandarin, chillingly played by Ben Kingsley. Like bin Laden, The Mandarin taunts American President Ellis (William Sadler) releasing videos about previous terrorist attacks he ordered and a warning about how “The Big One” is coming.
“Your graduation,” The Mandarin says. “President Ellis, you continue to resist my attempts to educate you, sir. And now, you've missed me again. You don't know who I am. You don't know where I am. And you'll never see me coming.“
“He’s here. He’s here. But he’s not here. He’s here, but he’s not here,” The Mandarin says. “It’s complicated.”
When Stark’s friend Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle) meets the terrorist, he exclaims in disbelief, “This is the Mandarin?”
“I know,” Stark says. “It’s embarrassing.”
Iron Man 3 does not go out with a bang like I had hoped. The film goes out with a formulaic whimper. I fear this is going to be how all the future comic book franchise movies in Marvel’s library are going to be based. The superhero will be pitted against some powerful villain be it from another world or from Earth, there will probably be some relationship with a damsel-in-distress and before film’s end there will be some huge battle between the hero and villain that will give the technical wizards the chance to show off their visual effects. Along the way, there will be a cameo from Marvel’s creator Stan Lee, now 91, in addition to an extra scene shown after the end credits that either reveal who the villain will be in the next installment or, in the case of Iron Man 3, will reveal who the psychiatrist Tony Stark was talking to off an on throughout the film.
Given how such past comic adaptations from Disney such as Thor, The Avengers and the Iron Man movies all have plot ties to each other I have come to the conclusion these films are going to be like actually reading a monthly comic book issue of one of those titles. When I hear a character in a movie installment talk about a “big dude with the hammer” who fell out of the sky, I’ll feel like I should see a comment at the bottom of the screen that says “See Thor (2011)”, or when someone brings up the big battle in New York during conversation, I’ll expect to see another reference at the bottom of the screen that says, “See The Avengers (2012).” This is exactly the kind of references I saw when reading monthly issues of Marvel’s Star Wars back in the late 70s and early 80s where previous events were mentioned in the current month's issue.
This, of course, would not be an Iron Man movie were it not for Downey whose Stark is still ego driven and often times failing to get his suit of iron or many suits of iron to work properly. He is still quick with his usual dry wit (“I loved you in A Christmas Story by the way” he tells one kid who asks him for an autograph and looks like Peter Billingsley with the glasses). Just as in the previous two films, Stark has a vulnerable side, this time suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his battle with the aliens in last year’s The Avengers.
"Nothing’s been the same since New York. You experience things, and then they’re over," Stark says. "I can’t sleep, and when I do I have nightmares." Stark is still a tin man with a heart though now I’m starting to think this series is showing signs of rust.
This would not be a final third outing, however, without the chance to let one of the other characters expand on their role. Here, that role would be Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts who is allowed to show off her feminine wiles. In addition to playing Stark’s girlfriend, sporting over the knee skirts and high heels, she gets to wear the Iron Man suit in times of trouble saving Tony not once but twice and gets to do battle with Killian near the end wearing only a black bra and spandex leggings.
“Why don’t you dress like this at home,” Tony tells Pepper. “Sports bra, the whole deal.”
I could just see the potential screenwriters at Disney’s Marvel offices discussing more future superhero projects and wonder if there should a separate set of movies based on just the Pepper Potts character alone. I could see a few people in that boardroom open to the idea until someone gives a thumbs down simply because he or she does not think anyone will go see a movie with the name “Pepper” in the title.
©5/6/13
PG-13, 130m. 2013
Cast & Credits: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (Colonel James Rhodes), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin/Trevor Slattery), James Badge Dale (Savin), Stephanie Szostak (Brandt), Paul Bettany (Jarvis – voice), William Sadler (President Ellis), Dale Dickey (Mrs. Davis), Ty Simpkins (Harley Keener), Miguel Ferrer (Vice President Rodriquez). Screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black. Directed by Shane Black.
I am not sure at what point while watching the film I came to this predictable conclusion. I don’t think it was within the first ten minutes, which is how long it took for me to figure out where the plot of Iron Man 3 was going. The film’s first few minutes reminded me of the same scenario I saw in Batman Forever (1995).
In Batman Forever, Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), who later becomes The Ridder, shows millionaire Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer) a device that can read minds. Wayne dismisses the idea saying “tampering with people’s brainwaves just raises too many questions.” As a result, Nygma goes off the deep end vowing revenge against his one time idol.
By comparison, in Iron Man 3, billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) meets disabled scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) at a New Year's Eve party in Switzerland who has developed an experimental treatment that can regenerate a patient’s limbs like for injured soldiers wounded in Iraq. Stark wants to hear more about Killian’s idea and asks to meet him on the roof ten minutes before the start of the new year. If you knew, without me telling you, what Carrey’s Edward Nygma becomes in Batman Forever then you know what happens as a result of Stark’s failed promise to Killian that holiday night.
“You're not still pissed about the Switzerland thing, are you,” Stark asks Killian once he realizes the deranged scientist’s plans.
“How can I be pissed at you, Tony? I'm here to thank you,” Killian says. “You gave me the greatest gift that anybody's ever given me. Desperation. If you think back to Switzerland, you said you'd meet me on the rooftop, right? Well for the first twenty minutes, I actually thought you'd show up. I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since, right? You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a Bin Laden, a Gaddafi, The Mandarin, you hand the people a target.”
Therein lies the second problem I had with Iron Man 3 where Killian talks about giving “evil a face.” That issue is with the Osama bin Laden want-to-be terrorist called The Mandarin, chillingly played by Ben Kingsley. Like bin Laden, The Mandarin taunts American President Ellis (William Sadler) releasing videos about previous terrorist attacks he ordered and a warning about how “The Big One” is coming.
“Your graduation,” The Mandarin says. “President Ellis, you continue to resist my attempts to educate you, sir. And now, you've missed me again. You don't know who I am. You don't know where I am. And you'll never see me coming.“
I love dialogue like this, ("Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. America. Ready for another lesson?"), especially if it comes from a noteworthy villain who steals the show. For a while I thought The Mandarin was the best character; the most formidable foe for Iron Man to battle. A part of me thought given this is the third and likely the last Iron Man film, I figured the filmmakers’ plan was to have the series go out with a bang. I was even willing to forgive the 9/11 references and comparisons to the Bush/Cheney administration in how they handled the War On Terror. This despite the fact that personally, I have grown tired of “Hollyweird” using 9/11 as a basis for various storylines. I don’t consider the ideas original and when it comes to bin Laden, the guy’s dead. Let’s move on from 9/11!I won’t reveal how disappointed I was once I learned the true identity of The Mandarin. I’ll just quote the words from the supposed terrorist leader himself once Stark breaks into his hideout.
“He’s here. He’s here. But he’s not here. He’s here, but he’s not here,” The Mandarin says. “It’s complicated.”
When Stark’s friend Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle) meets the terrorist, he exclaims in disbelief, “This is the Mandarin?”
“I know,” Stark says. “It’s embarrassing.”
Iron Man 3 does not go out with a bang like I had hoped. The film goes out with a formulaic whimper. I fear this is going to be how all the future comic book franchise movies in Marvel’s library are going to be based. The superhero will be pitted against some powerful villain be it from another world or from Earth, there will probably be some relationship with a damsel-in-distress and before film’s end there will be some huge battle between the hero and villain that will give the technical wizards the chance to show off their visual effects. Along the way, there will be a cameo from Marvel’s creator Stan Lee, now 91, in addition to an extra scene shown after the end credits that either reveal who the villain will be in the next installment or, in the case of Iron Man 3, will reveal who the psychiatrist Tony Stark was talking to off an on throughout the film.
Given how such past comic adaptations from Disney such as Thor, The Avengers and the Iron Man movies all have plot ties to each other I have come to the conclusion these films are going to be like actually reading a monthly comic book issue of one of those titles. When I hear a character in a movie installment talk about a “big dude with the hammer” who fell out of the sky, I’ll feel like I should see a comment at the bottom of the screen that says “See Thor (2011)”, or when someone brings up the big battle in New York during conversation, I’ll expect to see another reference at the bottom of the screen that says, “See The Avengers (2012).” This is exactly the kind of references I saw when reading monthly issues of Marvel’s Star Wars back in the late 70s and early 80s where previous events were mentioned in the current month's issue.
These movies are critic proof. They weren’t made for the critics but for fans of the comic books. It’s the fans who will be able to identify what they are seeing on the big screen and will remember what comic book or what series of comic book issues the storyline and characters came from. That doesn’t, however, help us adults who haven’t read a single Iron Man comic book who want the films to be just as appealing to us as they are to the fans.Given this is the third film and plans of a fourth film is in question despite the high box office earnings, Iron Man 3, like last year’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012), wraps everything up near the end like this was the final episode of a popular television series whose renewal for next season still hasn’t been decided.
This, of course, would not be an Iron Man movie were it not for Downey whose Stark is still ego driven and often times failing to get his suit of iron or many suits of iron to work properly. He is still quick with his usual dry wit (“I loved you in A Christmas Story by the way” he tells one kid who asks him for an autograph and looks like Peter Billingsley with the glasses). Just as in the previous two films, Stark has a vulnerable side, this time suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his battle with the aliens in last year’s The Avengers.
"Nothing’s been the same since New York. You experience things, and then they’re over," Stark says. "I can’t sleep, and when I do I have nightmares." Stark is still a tin man with a heart though now I’m starting to think this series is showing signs of rust.
This would not be a final third outing, however, without the chance to let one of the other characters expand on their role. Here, that role would be Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts who is allowed to show off her feminine wiles. In addition to playing Stark’s girlfriend, sporting over the knee skirts and high heels, she gets to wear the Iron Man suit in times of trouble saving Tony not once but twice and gets to do battle with Killian near the end wearing only a black bra and spandex leggings.
“Why don’t you dress like this at home,” Tony tells Pepper. “Sports bra, the whole deal.”
I could just see the potential screenwriters at Disney’s Marvel offices discussing more future superhero projects and wonder if there should a separate set of movies based on just the Pepper Potts character alone. I could see a few people in that boardroom open to the idea until someone gives a thumbs down simply because he or she does not think anyone will go see a movie with the name “Pepper” in the title.
©5/6/13
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