For Iron Man, third time’s the charm

In last year’s blockbuster Avengers movie, Steve Rogers (Captain America) asks Tony Stark if he would be such hot stuff without his armour. In Iron Man 3, we actually get to find out. Forget the metallic melee the trailers showcased, as even with the introduction of multiple suits, for about 80% of the movie, our […]

In last year’s blockbuster Avengers movie, Steve Rogers (Captain America) asks Tony Stark if he would be such hot stuff without his armour. In Iron Man 3, we actually get to find out. Forget the metallic melee the trailers showcased, as even with the introduction of multiple suits, for about 80% of the movie, our hero is sans metal gear and the story is the better for it.
While I initially cringed at the arranged nuptials between two separate story arcs, I gradually settled in, reminding my inner fanboy that Marvel isn’t building a shrine for comic-book fans, but rather a business catering to a wide spectrum of people.
Opening, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) appear to be in relationship heaven, but he obsessively pursues a yet more sophisticated version of the Iron Man suit, even leading to panic attacks. At about the same time, a series of world bombings are followed by threats from terrorist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). Tony dares the villain to come after him, leading to a glorious, FX-heavy destruction of the billionaire industrialist’s Malibu clifftop crib.
Even with a lot of visible effort, director Shane Black fails in grounding the movie in heartfelt humanity. Then it doesn’t help much that the plot apes over-familiar redemptive tropes where our hero must regain his humanity with help from real relationships.
Iron Man 3’s story is structured such that Stark always has an audience for his wounded ego, whether it’s Pepper Potts, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), his bodyguard Happy Hogan (played by the first two films’ director Jon Favreau), a hero-worshipping kid (Ty Simpkins) or even the computer J.A.R.V.I.S that controls his high-tech arsenal.
In one of the more memorable action scenes, Tony Stark reinforces why he’s called a ‘super-hero’ by pulling off a move that needs to be seen to be believed. The secondary villain is Dr. Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) whose scientific dabbling provided the Mandarin with super-powered henchmen.
The sequence where Tony fights them and jumps in and out of different suits mid-air is probably the most exciting. But there are a few special effects misses, like the flaming effect on the Extremis-powered baddies’ which seems a tad cheap. There’s a moment I could’ve sworn Iron Man lost a leg for a moment.
A pleasant surprise (not to mention a non-cheesy one) is how Pepper is given a lot to do in this movie, dishing out some of the most violent action I’ve seen in a Marvel movie so far. It works, baby!
After all is said and done, cut to the traditional Marvel movie end-credits scene: One of the characters from The Avengers is tending to Tony, on a shrink’s couch in a smile-inducing moment. Then, James Bond-style, a final note promises that our hero will return. After this satisfying romp of a movie, it is certainly hoped he does as Iron Man 3, while not likely to be everyone’s slice of cake, will certainly provide quality weekend entertainment for many.
Iron Man 3 will be released on  May 3