After the events of 鈥楾he Avengers,鈥� Tony Stark is shaken. He's seen aliens, faced off with Norse gods, and been near death after having gone through a wormhole in space. But even worse, he fears he can't protect Pepper Potts from the dangers of this new world that he has seen.
Unfortunately it's at this time that the world faces a new threat. A terrorist going by the name of "The Mandarin鈥� (Ben Kingsley) has been setting off bombs all over the world. The US government and Colonel James Rhodes, in the newly rechristened "Iron Patriot" armour, have been unable to stop him. The Mandarin's terror plot hits Stark close to home when he sets his sights on our hero and his every fear is realized. But what Tony Stark doesn't suspect is that The Mandarin is linked to his own past and that he's finally reaping what he's sown.
Usually by the third film in a series, the franchise starts losing some steam. You start seeing the same old material rehashed, the script is weak and it seems like little thought is put into the plot. You feel like the studio is simply trying to wring the last few dollars out of it before moving on. Fortunately, none of that is the case here. Re-teaming Robert Downey Jr. with his 鈥楰iss Kiss Bang Bang鈥� writer/director Shane Black breathes new life into the series and that new energy is very apparent on the screen.
One of the greatest strengths of 鈥業ron Man 3鈥� is not the action or the visual effects, but the dialogue. Robert Downey Jr. delivers it and plays with it like a master sculptor at work. He makes it look effortless. There is one great line after another in this film. And the great thing that writers Shane Black and Drew Pearce do is make sure all of the supporting characters have great dialogue as well. As formidable as Robert Downey Jr. is on the screen, everyone from the minor characters to the main co-stars have equally impressive lines and hold their own with Stark.
While the dialogue and characters are great, the action is pretty impressive, too. You've seen much of the Mandarin's attack on Tony Stark's house in the trailers. It's equally impressive on the big screen. And the final battle with all of Stark's Iron Man suits is also awesome. Then, of course, there's the mid-air rescue of the people falling out of the plane, which is brilliantly choreographed. But as cool as the big effect sequences are, a fight scene where Tony is caught without his armour is one of the highlights of the film. He's forced to improvise weapons in a kitchen and you see his mechanic/engineer side much like you did early in the first film. It was a nice touch. 鈥業ron Man 3鈥� may or may not be better than 鈥楾he Avengers鈥�; that depends on you. It is a vast improvement over the second one. And it鈥檚 a very good start to Marvel鈥檚 Phase two. 鈥業ron Man 3鈥� Opens this Friday at the Beacon theatre.
