Iron Man 3

Cast of Characters:
Tony Stark/Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr.
Virginia “Pepper” Potts - Gwyneth Paltrow
Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes/Iron Patriot - Don Cheadle
Aldrich Killian - Guy Pearce
Dr. Maya Hansen - Rebecca Hall
Ellen Brandt - Stephanie Szostak
Eric Savin - James Badge Dale
Happy Hogan - Jon Favreau
The Mandarin - Ben Kingsley

Director - Shane Black
Screenplay - Drew Pearce & Shane Black
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content

      After the long wait, one of the most anticipated films of the year, Iron Man 3, is finally here! Being one of the most successful comic book film adaptation series out of the lot, you always run the risk of going in with high expectations. That being said, does the third entry in the series starring Academy Award nominees Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle and Academy Award winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Kingsley meet those expectations?

      The film opens on a flashback sequence set during New Years Eve party in 1999. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) meets Dr. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), a scientist who created an experimental regenerative treatment called Extremis. They both are approached by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a crippled scientist who offers them positions at his company, Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). Stark appears interested, but only leads Killian on, leaving him hanging at the party.

      Flash forward to present day, following the events that took place in The Avengers. Tony Stark's now suffering from anxiety attacks that are directly related to that Chitauri invasion in New York. Because of this, he's unable to sleep, and focuses all his time and energy building more Iron Man suits leaving him exhausted. This comes at much displeasure and concern from both his girlfriend "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and friend Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle). Tony's situation becomes even more complicated after a series of bombings around the world orchestrated by an international terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

      I left the plot summary relatively short for the sake of avoiding spoilers. High expectations can often lead to disappointment. Not the case here. Iron Man has been one of my favorite superhero adaptations, and one of the more consistently good series along with Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Robert Downey, Jr. actually plays Tony Stark more than he does Iron Man throughout the entire film, and the result is a performance that's nothing short of brilliant reaching Award worthy levels at times. Being that this is a comic book film, we gotta mention the villains. The great Ben Kingsley practically steals the show from Downey, Jr. here. There's one scene stealing moment in particular involving the two that I'm not even gonna bring up due to spoilers. Guy Pearce gives an equally strong villainous performance along with Kingsley as the charming yet sinister scientist with a chip on his shoulder against Stark. Plus, it's always great to see two actors like Pearce and Kingsley, both known for doing more dramatic work, dive right into these comic book villain roles and go all out with it. Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow both reprise their roles as Stark's sidekick and girlfriend respectively and both turn in terrific work. Co-writer/director Shane Black (taking over after Jon Favreau directed the first two) is no stranger to action films with a touch of comedy having written the first two Lethal Weapon films (two of the best action-comedies ever), and the criminally underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (also starring Robert Downey, Jr.), of which was his directorial debut. Black strings together some impressive action sequences decorated with some dazzling special effects. Along with co-writer Drew Pearce, the writing is - like the past two Iron Man films - filled with humor that is sharp and clever. There's even a great buddy-action segment mid-way through the film between Stark and a kid he meets that wants to help him.

      The summer blockbuster season is now here, and Iron Man 3 will go down as one of the best to come out of it this year. With uniformly terrific performances, action packed direction from Black, first rate special effects, great humor, and two intriguing villains, this is an excellent action film that can stand alone as its own film as well as fit in just nicely within the Marvel film series. See it. Hell, see it twice! Also, be sure to wait 'til the end credits for an additional scene. I give Iron Man 3 an A (★★★★).

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