Iron Man 3 review

What does a studio do to follow a summer mega blockbuster such as "The Avengers

Well, there isn't much. Marvel's super hero teamup movie, in my opinion, re-set the bar on summer popcorn blockbusters.

So, they make Avengers 2...in 2015.

Until then, the studio has to build up to it, with Phase 2, which is kickstarted with "Iron Man 3."

So what is the story?

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has been sleepless and busy since the events of New York in the Avengers, and has shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. 

While that is going on, a terrorist named "The Mandarin" has been busy blowing stuff up all over the world, and after a misfortunate event, puts the bearded terrorist, played by Sir Ben Kinglsey, square in Iron Man's sights.

From there, Stark goes on the final arch of his characters development in this triology.

Shane Black, writer of Lethal Weapon, takes over for Jon Favereau, and gives the film a more grounded perspective, and does a good job.

Downey Jr. again is masterful as Stark, and Kingsley gives a good performance, and comes off as unsettling at times.

Gwenyth Palthrow is servicable as Pepper Potts again, and Don Cheadle gets a little more to do as Rhodes/War Machine/Iron Patriot.

Black also gets a good performance from Guy Pierce.

I liked how this movie referenced events from Stark's past, and how those choices come back to bite him.

Also, Black got a good balance of a serious tone and humor.

Without giving anything away, this movie does take a risk, and it left me a little disappointed.

Also, there are some plot holes that could have been easily fixed with a line or two of dialogue.

Still, the final set piece in this film is pretty cool. But it doesn't touch the final set piece from The Avengers, granted, not easy to do.

The film does go into the idea of who is the real hero? Iron Man the suite, or Tony Stark, and that was a plot line I really sunk my teeth in to.

Overall, it was a fun movie. Was it the hardest,  greatest plot in the world? No, it is a summer blockbuster.

But the plot is good (minus the holes), gets from point to point, has characters that are likable, and has good special effects, especially a scene were Stark's house is destroyed is just beautiful and horrifying.


But the plot holes, the slight twist, while good was again, a little disappointing, and the final action sequence leaves a little left to be desired.

The movie was strong and is a good start to the Phase 2 project.