Film Review: Iron Man 3 (Warning: Spoiler Alert)

Iron Man 3 is a superhero film starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark (otherwise known as Iron Man), Gwyneth Paltrow as his girlfriend Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's loyal personal assistant. The film, set sometime after the events that occurred in the 2012 film The Avengers, is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

As mentioned, the events in the film take place after what transpired in last year's movie The Avengers. Following the harrowing experience in New York, Tony Stark ends up suffering from insomnia and anxiety attacks. In order to keep himself distracted, he ends up building several (defective) Iron Man suits in his mansion. This puts a strain on his relationship with girlfriend Pepper Potts, who is now the CEO of Stark Industries. When a series of terrorist attacks masterminded by a villain named "The Mandarin" hit the United States (one of which nearly kills Tony Stark's loyal personal assistant Happy Hogan), he is forced to take action. Things become more complicated when scientist Aldrich Killian enters the picture, whom Tony Stark arrogantly snubbed at a party in Switzerland in 1999 when Killian approaches him to seek his support in his Extremis endeavor.

As with a lot of superhero and science fiction movies we see nowadays, the special effects are unquestionably amazing, all thanks to the technology that is now within reach of filmmakers of today. The film's numerous explosions, chase scenes, and acrobatic stunts are certainly more than enough to leave you hanging on to your seat. 

The filmmakers have also done a pretty good job of letting the audience see more of Tony Stark other than being just Iron Man the "save-the-world superhero" kind of guy; with that, Robert Downey Jr.'s acting really stands out. The film lets us see more of the "genius" side of the "genius billionaire playboy philanthropist", where he is able to build his own weapons out of items that he buys at a local hardware store, as well as with his tactics to keep the innocent out of danger (the skydiving "barrel of monkeys" scene comes to mind, which is amazing to watch, by the way). We get to see his vulnerable side as well, especially whenever his girlfriend's safety is concerned and when he has to deal with his persistent anxiety attacks. 

Unfortunately though, while the writers have spent a lot of time developing and adding depth to Tony Stark's character throughout the film, they seem to have paid less attention to the other characters who I felt could have been "fleshed out" more--Rebecca Hall as Dr. Maya Hansen, for one. Her character was quite underrepresented in the film, therefore leaving gaps in the plot which may seem a bit confusing (for me, at least). The same thing goes for Aldrich Killian, whose role as a villain wasn't expounded on as much as I expected it to be. The transformation, too, of Aldrich Killian as the neglected geek at the start of the film to the powerful, vengeful villain seems all too familiar (*coughs* The Incredibles *coughs*).

Overall, though, this movie is still very much worth watching. The film does its best to match up to the success of The Avengers last year and definitely tops the previous Iron Man films, with its mind-blowing action scenes and comedy, which a lot of moviegoers came to see anyway. While the movie for some may seem like an extended commercial for Fred Perry, Audi, and Budweiser (trust me, those brands make several appearances throughout the film), we just have to accept the fact that product placements in movies are now becoming very common (coming from a marketer's perspective). I would definitely like to see how they could possibly top this one next time--if there is a next time.