Movie Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3(2013) written and directed by Shane Black

 Now that we are in the Twilight Zone between theatrical release and home video release, here's my review of the first summer movie!

MPAA rating

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

ZPAA rating

Early teens and up

Gore level

1.5 out of 10--Some scars and a little bit of blood; some burn wounds and burning wounds.

Other offensive content

A little bit of suggestive dialog; live-in girlfriend for the hero; drug references; typical comic book movie violence.

Synopsis & Review

Iron Man 3 follows on the events of Avengers Assemble. Tony Stark is trying to return to his normal life, but the stress of the attack on New York manifests itself in many sleepless nights and quite a few panic attacks. Sure, Tony can tackle problems like how to make his armor more compact and powerful but the problems of the soul are not his forte. He needs help. Being an alpha male, he doesn't really seek it until his back is against the wall.

A terrorist named the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) has been bombing various places across America and the world, accusing Americans of deceit, arrogance, and greed. The hits finally come too close to home and Tony recklessly demands the Mandarin come fight him. After his posh cliff-side home (and almost everything he has) is destroyed, Tony has to rebuild his life from the ground up.

Meanwhile, Stark Industries and Pepper Potts are being courted by a scientific company, A.I.M., headed by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). They are working on bio-tech but aren't too ethical about their practices. Killian had tried to get Tony in years before, but he hopes with new leadership at Stark Industries he can woo Pepper into a merger.

The story moves at a good pace and is quite interesting. The dialog is fresh and fast. Performances from the cast are good and the action scenes are exciting if not overly imaginative.

Fans of the comics might object to the handling of the Mandarin (who is well-played by Ben Kingsley) but I thought it was an interesting take on the character and worked well for the story. The theme it suggests could have been played up more in the film. The end of the film is a little robbed of drama by the more or less invincible bad guys fighting Tony and his army of Iron Man suits (which we saw in the trailer). Other parts of the ending just don't make sense. It's as if they used up the movie's quota of smarts in the first two thirds of the film.

All in all, Iron Man 3 is a fun summer action film. It could have been smarter for my tastes but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

Movie Trailer