Iron Man 3 Movie Review

And off we go with Phase 2 of Marvel's film series!

Rightfully so, kicking off the series is Iron Man 3, starring Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Ben Kingsley as Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, James Rhodes and the Mandarin respectively.

Thanks to Groupon Malaysia, I was treated to the opening night of Iron Man 3 and was blown away by the storyline. And they say, superhero stories were becoming too predictable. Well, along came Iron Man 3.




Gist
After the events of the Avengers, Stark is suffering from PTSD and goes on an Iron Man-building obsession (he calls it a hobby) much to the chargin of his girlfriend, Pepper Potts in their Malibu home. His latest creation and not battle-ready creation is the remote-controlled Mark 42 with unexpectedly serves up some hilarious scenes.

Anyway, without giving away too much, Stark's personal world and the United States are threatened by the mysterious terrorist, the Mandarin using the regenerative and potentially destructive Extremis programme. As ghosts from his past rear their ugly head, Stark has to claw his way back from nothing and from a mental state on the brink of snapping in order to save the one thing that matters to him, Pepper.



Verdict
Robert Downey Jr once again knocks it out of the park as the eccentric genius billionaire/ superhero. In this movie, Stark spends less time in his suits to drive a greater spotlight on him as the main character rather than him as Iron Man. Wise move as it fully utilises the best thing to ever fill the shoes of a superhero, Downey Jr. As the slighly unhinged Stark, Downey balances conflicted, vulnerable and relentlessly-driven with sarcasm and hilarious one-liners.

Not to hero-worship the man, but every scene Downey was in left a memorable mark whether it was with Gwyneth or the wise-cracking and adorable Ty Simpkins. As an actor, he has successfully connected with his co-actors on every level and that allows the movie that concentrates on his human side to come to life.

And the scene where all the Iron Man suits were summoned into action was just epic.

And as for Ben Kingsley, let's just say there will never be another way of portraying the Mandarin the way Kingsley did. Deep, malicious with a sense of sardonic humour and flamboyant-flair for theaticality, it is no wonder critics are comparing his portrayal to Heath Ledger's the Joker.

Would I watch it again?
Hell yes! There are so many appealing factors to this movie that I didn't dive into simply because I didn't want to spoil the fun for those who haven't watched it yet. From the technology to the characters to the dialogue, you are in for a world of fun. When it comes out on DVD, I am going on a Marvel's marathon....again.

Tony Stark is and forever will be Iron Man. And Robert Downey Jr is and forever will be Tony Stark.