So the third installment and what may be the last one with Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man was release this weekend and it was a damn good movie. And from all the other reviews and box office ticket sales people would agree with that assessment . That is if you were not a hard core fan. And even if you were a hardcore fan there were some endearing parts that you can take away from it. So what was my take of the movie . I liked it but some of the parts I was use to seeing growing up in the Iron Man genre was missing. Also it was Deja Vu of the Spiderman series of movies with Tobey Maguire . They started out great and by the third one they tinkered with some of the plot and characters enough to make it ehhh. Let me explain. first let me get the negative part of the review out of the way because like I said i did like the movie even with the changes.
First of all. The messed with the The Mandarin that was played by Ben Kingsley who was also known as Trevor Slattery. A drunken British actor hired by Killian to pose as a terrorist who was the Mandarin persona who claims to be the leader of the international terrorist organization The Ten Rings. Kind of was a let down especially I was looking for a super villain that had mystical magical rings who was of oriental persuasion and was Tony’ Starks/Iron mans arch enemy . In short the Mandarin character was a sham for another super villain who at the end exclaimed that I am the Mandarin . In reality it was a statement of who was running the terrorist organization then claiming the name. If you are wondering who the character I refer to is it was Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian ( see link for character back ground at Wikipedia ) . There was also a sense of jamming in a finally to this film giving it a sense of closure even though the Iron Man character is set for the next Avengers movie . Plus there is rumblings of a glimmer of hope of a fourth installment even though all the press statements except for a handful say other wise. The other beef I had was that Iron Man 3 filled with some over the top type of plot sequences which after you settle back and reflect on the movie you tend to go hmmmmmmm . With that said there was not many of those moments thankfully and the overall film was enjoyable.
Now to the positive parts. I really like that they took the tech out of Stark’s hands. He had to think his way out of some of his toubles rather then muscle his way out of jams. Sort of like McGuyver. To me that was a good way of developing the character even more. Other parts that stood out were the effects and the humor in the movie. There were many spots where the characters played off each other brilliantly . I especially enjoyed a scene at the end of the credits where Tony is sitting there spilling his guts out to Dr Banner who had dozed off during the whole story telling of the movie. After waking up Banner explains he is not that kind of Doctor.
All in all the movie for me had a split effect. One part of me enjoyed the movie soly on the entertainment part the other part was let down from the creative licensing that took place. So here is how I rate it
The part of me that loved this film gave it a 4 out of 5 stars
[rating:4/5]
The part of me that that was a Marvel hard core fan gave it 3 out of 5 stars.
[rating:3/5]
I will tell you this my kids enjoyed it. My neighbor said it was the best of the series and many people I come across tend not to notice or care about whether or not it followed the comics true story line. Either way it was enjoyable it had its great moments and for us hardcore fans it had some let downs. Either way it is a got to go see movie.
Plot from Wikipedia
Tony Stark recalls a New Years Eve party in 1999 with scientist Maya Hansen, inventor of Extremis – an experimental regenerative treatment intended to allow recovery from crippling injuries. Disabled scientist Aldrich Killian offers them a place in his company Advanced Idea Mechanics, but is turned down.
Years later, Stark’s experiences during the alien invasion of New York are giving him panic attacks. Restless, he has built several Iron Man suits, creating friction with his girlfriend Pepper Potts. A string of bombings by terrorist the Mandarin has left intelligence agencies bewildered by lack of forensic evidence. When Stark Industries security chief Happy Hogan is badly injured in one such attack, Stark overcomes his stupor and issues a televised threat to the Mandarin, who responds by destroying Stark’s home with helicopter gunships. Potts and Hansen, who had come to warn them, survive the attack. Stark then finds himself in rural Tennessee after his artificial intelligence JARVIS followed a flight plan from Stark’s investigation into the Mandarin. Stark’s experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return to California, and the world believes him dead.
Teaming with Harley, a precocious 10-year-old boy, Stark investigates the remains of a local explosion bearing the hallmarks of a Mandarin attack. He discovers the “bombings” were triggered by soldiers subjected to Extremis, which at this stage of development can cause certain subjects to explosively reject it. After veterans started exploding, their deaths were used to cover up Extremis’ flaws by manufacturing a terrorist plot. Stark witnesses Extremis firsthand when Mandarin agents Ellen Brandt and Eric Savin attack him.
With Harley’s help, Stark traces the Mandarin to Miami and infiltrates his headquarters using improvised weapons. Inside he discovers the Mandarin is actually a British actor, Trevor Slattery, who says that he is oblivious to the actions carried out in his name. The Mandarin is a creation of Killian, who appropriated Hansen’s Extremis research as a cure for his own disability and expanded the program to include injured war veterans. After capturing Stark, Killian reveals he is the true Mandarin; he has kidnapped Potts and subjected her to Extremis, intending to infuse her with superhuman abilities and turn her against Stark as leverage to gain Stark’s aid in fixing Extremis’ flaws. Killian kills Maya when she has a change of heart about the plan.
Killian has also manipulated American intelligence agencies regarding the Mandarin’s location, luring James Rhodes—the former War Machine, now re-branded as the Iron Patriot—into a trap to steal the armor. Stark escapes and reunites with Rhodes, discovering that Killian intends to attack President Ellis aboard Air Force One. Remotely controlling his Iron Man armor, Stark saves some surviving passengers and crew but cannot stop Killian from abducting Ellis. They trace Killian to an impounded oil-drilling platform where Killian intends to kill Ellis on live television. The vice president will become a puppet leader, following Killian’s orders in exchange for Extremis to cure his daughter’s disability.
On the platform, Stark goes to save Potts, and Rhodes saves the president. Stark summons each of his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by JARVIS, to provide air support. Rhodes secures the president and leads him to safety, while Stark discovers Potts has survived the Extremis procedure. However, before he can save her, a rig collapses around them and she falls to her apparent death. Stark confronts Killian and traps him in an Iron Man suit that self-destructs, but fails to kill him. Potts, whose Extremis powers allowed her to survive her fall, intervenes and kills Killian.
After the battle, Stark orders JARVIS to destroy each Iron Man suit as a sign of his intention to devote more time to Potts. The vice president and Slattery are arrested. With Stark’s help, Potts’ Extremis effects are stabilized, and Stark undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his heart. He pitches his obsolete chest arc reactor into the sea, musing he will always be Iron Man.
In a present day post-credits scene, Stark wakes up Dr. Bruce Banner, who fell asleep listening at the beginning of Stark’s story.
