By: debbie lynn elias
Let’s just say it – IRON MAN 3 WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD! IRON MAN is back and the world is in peril. Need I even say more about the story? IRON MAN 3 is a perfect marriage of everything marvelous about Marvel and IRON MAN plus the skill set and movie touchstones of writer/director Shane Black. Curious to see how Black would not only retain the energy of the franchise in terms of story and action, but how he would reinvigorate the characters and the storyline, moving everything forward rather than stagnate, Black more than satisfies the most doubting Thomas with a result that is outta this world!
Tony Stark may have been sucked into a life-altering experience of a wormhole and aliens when we last saw him save the world in The Avengers, but with IRON MAN 3 his feet and heart are clearly planted on the ground setting the stage for a learning curve on how to use them in light of the horrors of the past. It’s a very interesting and exciting prospect for a man, let alone a super-hero and between Black’s script and Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, we see a flawed man who tries to hide and escape the pain of mortality but then rise to those challenges, largely thanks to the inspiration of a little boy named Harley, as Tony Stark/Iron Man has to ask himself, “Does the suit make the man or does the man make the suit?” It’s been a century old debate with super heroes and (no surprise here), we see that good still triumphs evil and the goodness of the man is what makes him “that guy, that hero”, no matter what suit he’s wearing. But it’s the journey of discovery and the ensuing relationships that gives IRON MAN 3 its real meaning, elevating this chapter to the best of the franchise.
With a cast of returning familiar faces, Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts (now CEO of Stark Industries), Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine and, prior IRON MAN director Jon Favreau reprising his role as Happy Hogan, each is well established and well versed in the IM world but thanks to a dynamic script by Black and co-writer Drew Pearce, emotionally matures, moving into the next or new phases of their lives. But at the core are the friendships and unwavering loyalty that makes this team as invincible as it is. Performances are solid, especially Downey who has become the very essence of Tony Stark/Iron Man and is as much his character’s alter ego as Jarvis is to Iron Man. Paltrow FINALLY gets a chance to show some physical mettle with some ass-kicking stunt work of her own while Cheadle shines with Rhodey’s own conflicts between loyalty to the government/military and loyalty to his best friend, Tony Stark.
Joining the “marvel-ous” mix this time are adversaries fueled by jealousy and revenge, Aldrich Killian and Mayra Hansen, played by Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall, respectively. While each is textured with emotional layering, it’s Pearce who commands his character both on an emotional and physically transformative platform. Chameleonic on every level, Pearce delivers an oozing slickness that serves as a perfect complement to Downey’s sarcastic wit.
As comes as no surprise, however, is Sir Ben Kingsley as one of the most delicious villains of all time, The Mandarin. Electrifying – particularly when we get to the big reveal! (Which I will NOT spoil here) And while his performance, persona, aura as The Mandarin is creepy enough thanks to not only the physical transformation, but his vocal intonations, enunciation and inflections (uh, can we say, Osama bin Laden), thanks to the editing of Jeffrey Ford and Peter Elliot, a new layer of evil and mystery comes into play. But then Sir Ben turns on a dime into blithering fun that is not only unexpected but RIOTOUS! Also aiding in the creation and essence of The Mandarin is the costuming, particularly that hooded cloak. Very Sith Lord.
Not to be overlooked is Ty Simpkins is who will steal your heart – and Tony Stark’s – as Harley. Seeing Harley, one can envision him as a young Tony Stark. Inquisitive, cocky, bullied, extremely intelligent. Thanks to Black’s story, it’s as if Tony is taken back to his own childhood, to his roots where it all began, where the wonder of being “a mechanic” fueled his future dreams. Harley beautifully serves to remind Tony Stark and the audience of the wonders – and good – in life, serving to jump start Tony’s journey of self-redemption. Very thoughtfully and poignantly constructed by Black. And let’s hear it for Ty Simpkins going toe-to-toe with Downey. The chemistry between Simpkins and Downey is heartwarming and humorous and although it would not have served this story well to have more screen time between the two, they are so engaging together you can’t help but hope to see them re-team maybe in IRON MAN 4.
Nice touches include Miquel Ferrer as the VP – and a nice little plot twist that while we’ve seen it before, is still an effective storytelling tool – and call me crazy but having William Sadler, the notorious mercenary Colonal Stuart from Die Hard 2, playing a somewhat simpy President of the United States is a nice fun touch of reverse casting. And as always, Spencer Garrett is a welcome addition to the cast, this time as the Rose Hills Sheriff.
When it comes to the story, it’s impossible not to know that Shane Black and Drew Pearce wrote this and equally impossible to not pick up on all of the visual nods to beloved and classic action films of the past starting with Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. But then we have an overhead cargo scene – in the shipyard, on ships – that is reminiscent not only of Lethal Weapon 2, but True Lies and Erased. The destruction of the Chinese Theatre is clearly lifted right out of another Black vehicle, Last Action Hero. And then there are more nods to Air Force One, Independence Day (Tony Stark lugging the broken suit through the snow to the cabin where he meets Harley), even Silence of the Lambs (the president strung up spread eagle like a Hannibal Lecter victim in the jail). The visual touchstones more than pay homage to great action flicks of the past. More importantly is the ever-present “buddy relationship” not only between Tony and Rhodes, and Tony and Jarvis (yes – clearly a buddy relationship with the computer/alter ego) but Tony and Harley….. quite interesting to see the parallels. And, of course, what would a Shane Black movie be if it wasn’t set around the holidays and specifically, Christmas. Be it Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and now IRON MAN 3, there’s something about Christmas that drives Shane Black and Drew Pearce as, quite frankly, Black’s best direction and work always takes place with Christmastime settings – of course it does present the opportunity for great visual and lighting possibilities. Taking the story and the franchise to another level is also the omnipresent use of science and technology.
Using the resonating basic principles of revenge as one of the emotional tines for IRON MAN 3 – we are introduced to new adversaries – be it Aldrich or Maya – who first meet Tony Stark in Switzerland in 1999 where Maya is effectively “dumped” by Stark while Aldrich Killian is “dumped on.” Employing Einstein’s theory of relativity, as time fast forwards to the present, there is definitely an equal and opposite reaction to Tony’s actions of a decade earlier with the advent of The Mandarin. Head of a radical terrorist regime, no one and nothing is safe from his explosive wrath, including Tony Stark. But who’s behind The Mandarin? As old acquaintances reappear as formidable foes, everyone is motivated by revenge – except The Mandarin. Hmmm. Killian and Maya want revenge on Tony, Tony seeks revenge for Pepper and the world, Tony seeks revenge for being sucked into a wormhole with aliens. And so it goes. Fueling events through vengeful actions, Shane Black taps into an emotion that will resonate with virtually everyone. He then perfects the emotional palette by providing the visual repercussions of everyone’s actions – those executed in hatred and greed, and those executed out of love – as a great messaging tool. Key is that Black and co-writer Pearce stay true to the Marvel concepts and for every act of vengeance and anger, this is an equally redemptive act. Interesting in the story construct is to see Black add some meat to the good versus evil aspect, providing thoughtful tacit discussion on the path less traveled as we delve into the core conflict of Tony Stark in this chapter of his life.
Caught off guard at the beginning of the film with a Tony Stark narrative, but as comes as no surprise, the opening voice over narrative comes full circle culminating in a glorious little Easter Egg post credits that adds just a few more giggles. In other words, STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS!
Technically masterful, editing and SFX are key to IM3 and I for one am thrilled that Black brought in “Marvel” editing experts Jeffrey Ford and Stephen Elliot and the master of FX magic, Dan Sudick. No strangers to the Marvel movie world, with all the new bells and whistles and even more advanced and intricate CGI action sequences and wire work, the interplay between these three is a crucial element to the success of the action and pacing of the film. Thankfully, another great technical aspect of IM3 is the sound design. Where the sound mix with The Avengers fell short with explosions and scoring drowning out dialogue in many scenes, with IM3 not a syllable of dialogue was dropped, missed, not heard – even during explosions, flying through the air and in particular, an Air Force One 13 person rescue in the sky (which is actual performance and not CGI.)
IRON MAN 3 could have gone so wrong. Typically, the 3rd film in a franchise falls short, is done just to satisfy that 3 sequel contract and serves to wrap the franchise. That could have happened here but thankfully, Shane Black rose to the occasion, proving the third time’s charm, delivering an edge of your seat non-stop thrill ride. Cinematographer John Toll’s slick, sleek saturated imagery matches a slick, sleek story, not to mention Robert Downey Jr. who is about as slick as they come.
IRON MAN 3 is ironclad – IT ROCKS! IT’S AWESOME! IT’S OUTTA THIS WORLD! And it’s got one of the best villains we’ve ever seen on screen!!
Directed by Shane Black
Written by Shane Black and Drew Pearce
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sir Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Ty Simpkins, Rebecca Hall
