Iron Man 3: Back To The Beginning
Once again, it was up to Robert Downey Jr.'s roguish hero to lead the charge and he certainly delivered. As I said before,
Iron Man 2 was a bit of an enjoyable mess, which failed to find its own identity by becoming instead a stepping stone to the big movie that ended phase 1.
Iron Man 3 needed to be its own film as well as the first sequel to
The Avengers. But could it find the right balance? The horrors on New York hang over this movie just as they do over everything else that has followed it. Tony Stark's sleepless nights, his battle with the bottle, his struggle to find purpose... it's all as a result of
that battle with the Chitauri. But it doesn't smother the plot. Instead, it serves as a springboard for Stark, a mirror of the events that occur when the Mandarin tears down his life (literally). It's a film about Tony Stark finding purpose again and defining who he is as a person. It truly feels like a worthy follow up to the events of Iron Man. And whilst I appreciate the anger of Mandarin fans, I loved the twist that came later. It's bigger. It's bolder. The final battle with the Extremist soldiers versus the various Iron Man suits adds a bigger scale to Stark's story.. .something that could easily felt flat after the battle of New York. The rescue of the passengers from Air Force One is simply spectacular. And that assault on Tony's beach house is as gripping as the trailer made it out to be. But what's more, it was fun. A lot of fun. From the great casting Ty Simpkins As Tony's young tell-it-like-it-is 'assistant' Harley, to the bromance between Stark and Rhodes... this is where Shane Black's magic really comes into its own. The man who wrote
Lethal Weapon makes Iron Man 3 as much a buddy-cop movie as it is an action thriller. I left the cinema with a big smile on my face. As the first film in phase 2 it set the bar high. Bigger and better was definitely key.. .something we have seen (and I'm sure will see) as phase 2 continues. I think it's only fitting that Tony Stark started off phase 2 as he did phase 1. And if this is to be his last solo film out of the Avengers movies, then it certainly was a strong one to end on. A success, then? Absolutely - without a doubt, in fact. Click "next" to continue reading...