Iron Man 3

The best Iron Man, sure, but nothing to write home about. It’s the same playful Marvel as we know it, it doesn’t get darker or rougher in any significant way. The one really interesting thing is the twist with the Mandarin, its ambition is something not very common for Marvel, with some tangible overlap, that is. But it all ends after a couple of sentences, the whole thing is quickly forgotten and plot moves forward to the mandatory and pathetic rescue of the scumbags and the American presidents of the world, with inconsistently explained rules and a bland villain. But it’s pretty good fun, even if some of the jokes are repeated, Stark’s seizures look from another (better) film and the action could be more clear and dynamic. What I liked the most were the retro end credits. 7/10 (04/05/2013)

I enjoyed the first part of Iron Man, but at the same time I realized that he’s not going to become my favorite character. Robert Downey Jr. portrays him really well, I’m not saying he doesn’t, but the mixture of opponents, settings and jokes is not something that I grew fond of. I skipped the second movie and all of a sudden I had the chance to watch the third one. There was nothing else on TV so I decided to watch it to enjoy a pleasant blockbuster. I actually watched the movie twice, I wasn’t sure whether I was in the right mood when I watched it for the first time, but even the second time around the movie didn’t really amaze me. The antagonist was actually quite OK, but I simply couldn’t find anything to hold on to that would attract me to the movie. Simply put, I was pretty bored for the entire two hours. You see I believe it’s two hours of an absolutely mediocre movie with good visual effects, which unfortunately are not everything. (24/01/2014)

Lethal Weapon: Iron Man Xmas Edition after which I may or may not have rather watched a comedy spin-off called Mandarin: Origin or a kids’ popular science show, Iron Child and his mentor, The Mechanic. A good old action buggy comedy (they say that this format is out of fashion... I’m glad they didn’t tell Black about that!) that has everything it should; from the very beginning right up to the eighties-style final credits. And when you compare it to other routine episodes, I needed so little; a good screenplay (in terms of this genre, of course), a proper villain and to make Stark the direct protagonist of the action scenes. Which meant the end of strict division into mutually unrelated passages of a “situation comedy with Stark" versus an “uninteresting, impersonal action with a CGI Iron Man". (02/05/2013)

Iron Man 3 is the Skyfall of Marvel adaptations. Jon Favreau’s original boyish entertainment greatly benefits from the darker and more mature tone. The realist and cynic Shane Black loves Iron Man and develops the character of this most interesting Marvel hero to a depth that no Avenger has received yet, while preserving Marvel’s trademark playfulness. Stark’s feelings and protectiveness towards Pepper are more tangible, while his existential considerations are more selfcritical and fitting. In addition, there’s a great game of good guys and bad guys going on, where the character of Stark’s ex-girlfriend, played by Rebecca Hall, makes sense, as – most importantly – do both villains (Raimi, watch and learn). They deliver a clever and – with regard to the skeletons in the closet of today’s global politics – provocative twist, which also gives some space to the delicious creation by Ben Kingsley, my favorite. In addition (especially in the second half), expect some great humor and easy-to-follow, firework-like action, which will make you think that special effects just cannot evolve any further (in the end credits, pay attention to the number of members of the Digital Effects Crew). Iron Man 3 is an intelligent blockbuster super show made by enthusiasts and perfectionists, and it won me over completely also thanks to its many perfect details – the fragile Gwyneth Paltrow in an elegant white costume, Iron Man glove ideas and self-dressing armor, b&w buddy teamwork reminiscent of the best Lethal Weapon movies, and the fantastic airborne scene with the clever use of a 3D arrangement of people falling in space, supported by great superhero motif (for me, the highlight of the movie). Marvel should open its own Marvel Studios following the example of Universal Studios amusement parks and dedicate a section of it to the third Iron Man. (26/04/2013)

I probably won't agree with others that Iron Man 3 is the best installment of the franchise, because I like the second one a bit more, but I'm not dissatisfied with this one. On the contrary, I'm cheering, because I've been waiting for this satisfaction as opposed to the boring The Avengers. Particularly with everything that takes place after the destruction of Stark's mansion, the third Iron Man is one of the funniest adaptations of Marvel comics (Thor's position is seriously threatened), it's also a very action-packed film, and it's gratifying that Tony Stark often gets into the action without his suit - for example, during his escape from his captors, which is quite possibly the best scene ever. The script doesn't lack emotion or insight, and I'm glad they're not copying The Dark Knight as much as I feared (the new Superman will be worse). Thanks to Brian Tyler, Iron Man finally has a proper musical theme (I have nothing against Debney). I would deduct points for Guy Pearce’s bland character, who was not very well thought out. In contrast, Ben Kingsley's unique Mandarin was perfect. (05/05/2013)