Iron Man 3

So Marvel's big blockbuster of the year has finally hit our screens, prompting mass hysteria from movie freaks, comic geeks, and anyone who enjoys a good superhero flick. Iron Man 3 will probably prove to be the biggest film of 2013 and will almost definitely have the largest budget. But the real question is, you guessed it, is it actually any good? Well, here's what I think.

For those of you who don't know, although how that could even be a possibility is beyond me, Iron Man 3 is the story of Tony Stark rebuilding himself after radical terrorist The Mandarin, superbly played by Ben Kingsley, tears his world apart. Decent story right?

Wrong. Somewhere along the way the writers of the latest Iron Man installment got far too ahead of themselves and as a result the story just didn't sit right with me throughout the majority of the film. I felt it was overly complicated, not particularly well explained, and at times just a bit annoying and silly. It wasn't that it was hard too understand what was going on, it was just that it became increasingly hard to understand why the hell it was going on. However, in it's defence a lot of people have thoroughly enjoyed the film so it could easily be just a personal preference on that particular choice of story line. In my eyes though, it just didn't work.

That said, this film does tick all the boxes in the "epic" checklist. Iconic superhero? Check. Relatively attractive female? Check. Badass villains? Check. The occasional hilarious moment? Check. Good special effects? Check. An unfathomable amount of explosions? Check. No matter what opinions you hold on this film it can't ever be described as anything other than epic. Or maybe just pretty epic if you really didn't enjoy it.

WARNING. THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER.

Yes, there's a bit of a spoiler in this review. But I promise it won't ruin any of the story, however it is possibly one of the most cardinal sins any film fan can commit. This sin of which I speak is to tell you this: there's a twist. I know, I know, I'm a bastard. I apologise! The only reason I bring up the fact that there is a twist at all is because it has created such a massive divide in opinion over whether or not it was a good idea. Some people are adamant it was a shocking move, yet others have seen it as one of the best aspects of the whole film. Personally I fall into the latter category. I thought it was a really smart move by the writing staff and I genuinely enjoyed a really uncharacteristic twist. However, the law of averages dictates that many of you will hate it just as much as the many who have already voiced their hatred. Again, all personal preference.

ATTENTION. THE SPOILER SECTION IS NOW OVER. 

One of the real problems I had with this film, apart from the story line, was a really underwhelming performance by Robert Downey Jr. I think it's fair to say that Iron Man wasn't the most popular superhero before Downey Jr got his hands on the role, yet five years on from the first movie and he's probably most people's favourite Avenger. You could say this is down to good writing, or the fact that such fantastic special effects available these days they are able to truly bring the character to life. I would argue that it's simply Robert Downey Jr's influence. Some people are just made to play a role. Johnny Depp was made to play Captain Jack Sparrow, just like Harrison Ford was made to play Han Solo, just like Robery Downey Jr was made to play Iron Man. Everything about him is perfect for the role. Yet, somehow, it just doesn't quite click in this film. His coolness isn't there in the abundance we'd experienced in the earlier installments, his jokes rarely get much more than a disappointing chuckle, and from start to finish I just couldn't get as emotionally invested into Tony Stark as I would've hoped. A victim of attempting to break free from the stereotypical Iron Man character we saw in the previous films? Possibly. Either way I just didn't get the classic swagger I'd come to expect from Tony Stark.

That said, this is a pretty good film, I don't think many people would say otherwise. It's got all the ingredients that make up a successful Hollywood blockbuster, as well as featuring a superhero the world has come to adore in recent years. It's main problem is just that it lacks heart. Downey Jr doesn't perform to the very high standards he has set and the story line was disappointing, two things that have basically made the Iron Man films so successful. If you're a fan of Marvel films you have to see it, and you'll probably enjoy it. But I can almost guarantee when you leave the cinema a small voice at the back of your mind will be telling you "that SHOULD have been better".





Written by Ash Davies