06 May Nerdy for Thirty #26: Iron Man 3

IRON MAN 3

dir. Shane Black, starring Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Guy Peace, and Gwenyth Paltrow

Iron Man 3, the first MCU movie to be released after the smash hit that was The Avengers, sees Tony Stark attempting, and partially failing and dealing with the fallout of the Chitauri invading New York City, and his sacrifice to stop them. Enter The Mandarin, the leader of the terrorist organization The Ten Rings, who holds the country in an iron grip of fear. When old associate Aldrich Killian returns to Tony’s life with a new technology called Extremis, Tony has to fight not only his PTSD but also The Mandarin and Killian’s Extremis-enhanced soldiers.

Iron Man 3 face an impossible uphill battle from the start. Coming off the heels of one of the most adored and well recieved comic book movies of all time, expectations were unrealistic for the film. What we get is a return to smaller, more personal storytelling, as Tony is stripped of all his armor, save one defective suite, for the majority of the film. It’s a great deconstruction of the character that asks ‘what happens when you take the toymaker’s toys away?’ Iron Man 3 forces Tony to fall back on his ingenuity and improvisational skills to defeat Killian, proving that not every sequel needs to go bigger. The decision to take away instead of pile on is a savvy subversion, and while the story doesn’t fully work out, there’s moments of brilliance that stands apart from the dreck.

Robert Downey Jr. returns for his fourth feature length appearance as Tony Stark. Slipping back into the character is an easy task for Downey; at this point in his career, the actor and the character had almost fully merged, making it nearly impossible to tell where Downey ended and Stark began. Still, the veteran is able to uncover new facets of the Avenger, playing up his insecurities while still hiding behind the thin veneer of careless playboy. Due to the weak reputation of the movie, Downey’s performance is overlooked, possibly being his second best portrayal of the character, outside of Avengers: Endgame.

Don Cheadle’s role as James Rhodes is greatly increased from the second film to this one. Rebranded from the War Machine to the Iron Patriot, courtesy of the U.S. government (for no other reason than to sell new Funkos), the relationship between Iron Man and Iron Patriot is far friendlier than its predecessor. Thanks to a wonderful performance by Cheadle in Iron Man 2, he’s given more spotlight to give personality to Rhodes in this film. Competent and capable, Rhodes proves a mastery over the suit while Cheadle plays tet-a-tete against Downey, making for one of the MCU’s more underrated friendships.

Also returning is Gwenyth Paltrow, who’s role has increased with each successive film. From secretary to CEO to CEO and significant other, Paltrow’s Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts continues to be Tony’s bedrock and anchor to reality. While Paltrow has often been ridiculed by fans for not keeping up with the goings ons of the MCU as a whole (or not knowing what movie she’s even filming for), it can’t be denied that when she’s on set, she comes ready to perform. In a universe that was disappointingly bereft of strong female characters, Pepper was the original one, refusing to put up with shenanigans of a drunken playboy and choosing instead to focus on her career and responsibilities. A great cast for the role of Pepper, Paltrow’s screen time is usually limited but always makes the most of it.

Guy Pearce, an actor who should’ve had a bigger career than he does, shows up to play Aldrich Killian, the movie’s antagonist and, along with Maya Hansen, the creator of Extremis. Killin is the physical embodiment of the theme of past decisions coming back to haunt, as he’s left abandoned by Tony Stark on New Year’s Eve 1999 on a rooftop in Switzerland. Pearce, an immensely talented actor, is completely wasted in this film, much as the character of Aldrich Killian is wasted. For all Pearce’s likeability and charisma, the weakness of his development is his main hindrance. With the infamous third act fakeout that proved ultimately unnecessary, The Mandarin’s role is severely undercut (The Mandarin being one of Iron Man’s most beloved villains) and instead what was intended to be a gotcha moment resulted in a negative backlash and ill will towards the movie. While this of course isn’t Guy Pearce’s fault, the lack of serious development for Killian beyond ‘create genetically enhanced soldiers, profit’ drags the overall story down; a good comic book story is only as strong as its villain and this villain is far from strong.

Iron Man 3 reunites director Shane Black with Robert Downey Jr. after 2005’s underground hit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Bringing a similar tone of humor, with rapid-fire dialogue and jokes flying a mile a minute, Black and co-writer Drew Pearce manage to bring a humanity to Tony Stark not seen before. Dealing with the events of The Avengers, after coming face to face with an invading alien armada, Stark grapples with the knowledge that superior forces have a bead on Earth. How he deals with this (not well) is the core theme Black and Pearce focus on, and while it’s not fully successful (the focus on Tony Stark results in a bland and forgettable villain, a classic early MCU pitfall), it makes Iron Man 3 an interesting character piece. For all its attention on character, Black doesn’t skimp on action. The film’s set pieces are top notch and incredibly inventive, especially with the use of Stark’s multiple remote controlled suites.

Overall, while one of the weaker movies of the overall MCU, Iron Man 3 still holds true as the most personal story in Tony Stark’s journey. The movie suffers from its weak antagonist and lackluster (and frankly absurd) third act plot twist, but Downey is clearly still having fun with the role, exploring new sides of the character that force him back to his roots. Shane Black injects his trademark humor and playful style into the film, resulting in a fun Christmas romp while also deepening Tony’s relationship with both Pepper and Rhodey. While ranked low when taken into overall consideration, there’s still plenty to love about Iron Man 3.

Review by Darryl Mansel