Iron Man 3 (2013) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) attempts to deal with the aftermath of the alien invasion of New York. He does this by building more suits of armor, affecting his life and his friends around him.

Review:

One notable difference with Iron Man 3 is the change of director. Jon Favreau, who directed the first two movies in the trilogy, has Shane Black to replace him.

This change in direction for the third film is somewhat noticeable.

Despite this, Iron Man 3 should be familiar to those who have been following Tony’s journey at this point.

Iron Man 3 offers a catchy soundtrack, some good character moments, and quality CGI.

Despite these positives, the film does not reach the heights of the original.

Yet again, Downey Jr. gives a good performance as the character. He also has a more relatable arc when compared to Iron Man 2 (2010).

Several supporting characters return. These include Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Rhodey (Don Cheadle).

Paltrow’s character, for example, has the most depth out of the trilogy in Iron Man 3, for better or worse.

Furthermore, improvements to the visual effects, CGI, and soundtrack are worth mentioning.

Most of the CGI on display in Iron Man 3 no longer has the inconsistent effects of the second film.

Instead, it brings back some of the intricate details of the first.

While the soundtrack of Iron Man 2 wasn’t very noticeable, Iron Man 3 offers a fun, energetic soundtrack.

This film's soundtrack also serves to complement the action scenes.

Iron Man 3’s main antagonist suffers from underdevelopment. He also lacks a memorable presence.

This is despite the film's catchy soundtrack, some improved character arcs, and visuals.

As a whole, Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane in the first Iron Man film had a basic motive. Despite this, his on-screen presence was noticeable.

This is a quality that this film’s main antagonist, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), lacks.

As an example, the plot surrounding his motivation and development makes little sense and is also underexplored.

Several side characters are also affected by this, including Pepper Potts.

There is also a plot point revealed in the movie related to another antagonist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

He’s soon revealed to be an actor named Trevor Slattery, used as a front for Killian’s actions. This reveal takes away from the character he could have been.

Conclusion:

Iron Man 3 provides some good character moments. It also includes a catchy soundtrack, quality CGI, and visual effects.

Yet whenever the story diverts focus from Tony, it becomes confusing.

Its main issues are with the narrative and its average antagonists. Despite these flaws, Iron Man 3 remains an above-average time at the movies.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 6.5/10

Story - 6/10

Action - 6.5/10

CGI and visuals - 7.5/10

Soundtrack - 7/10

Overall score: 6.7 out of 10