Iron Man 3: The Big Marvel Re-Watch
I'm attempting a great big Marvel movie re-watch ahead of the release of Captain America Civil War on 29th April. A summary and brief review of each of the 12 instalments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be posted each Thursday and Tuesday.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Plot Summary
Tony has everything. His love life, his suits and his company is doing well, but all is not right with the man. After the events of the Avengers, Tony is crippled by anxiety attacks. Which would happen to you if you nearly got stuck in space trying to ride a Nuke into an Alien invasion. He's confined himself to his workshop making more and more Iron Man suits as failsafes against different problems that could arise. His suit numbers are well into the double digits.
A new villain, a terrorist called the Mandarin. Linked to the ten rings of his terrorist cell's from the first movie. He's attacking America. Tony's past comes back to haunt him as industrialist and scientist equal, Aldrich Killian has a bone to pick with him, thanks to the way Tony treated him when he was his awful old self.
Killian takes aim at his company, now been run by Pepper. Pepper gets Happy to follow him and sees the Extremis he's peddling in action. As the Chinese theatre explodes. Tony investigates and finds that it was a human that explodes, overloaded with Extremis. While Tony brazenly gives his address on live TV for the Mandarin to come get him and consequently gets his ass handed to him as his house is destroyed. He get's knocked out and flown by JARVIS to a site he was investigating.
By now we have seen what Tony can do in the suits. So here he's left to fend with just his wit and a child sidekick. He acts like a father figure while kitting up and hand making Iron Man gadgets. He takes the home of the Mandarin, suspiciously in Miami..? In what is possibly the most shocking and surprising twist in a Marvel film so far, the Mandarin turns out to be a failing British actor. Killian was trying to entice a war so he can sell his soldiers to both sides.
An Extremis user kidnaps the President from Air Force 1 mid flight. Tony remotely pilots, again another surprising moment at the reveal, a suit to catch the dozen crew member, barrel of monkeys style mid air before they die.
When Tony and Rhodey, find out about the president being killed on TV by the "mandarin's" men, Tony activates JARVIS' house party protocol. An amazing finale treats you to the spectacular fight between all 30 plus Iron Man Armours, war machine and Killian's Extremis users.
Review
Normally by the 3rd instalment of any franchise, exhaustion sets in, there's more of the same. Pirates of the Caribbean got so big and over the top that they essentially couldn't outdo the last. Spider-Man 3 essentially over crowded itself with villains. Here Iron Man not only had to battle third act syndrome but somehow follow the spectacle of Avengers. They have to juggle action that out does the Avengers finale, yet not have just more suit users, after the first two films essentially followed the same plot of "hey look at my suit(s)".
Switching directors and giving someone else the reigns seems to have helped. Tony spends a lot of time out of his suit, essentially being his usual charming self and still playing with tech. Taking time away from the regular cast and bouncing off the child character they pair him with. The humour is still there good and strong.
The action pieces are solid still. Playing with what they have yet doing new things. During the attack on the mansion Pepper gets in the suit. Something new. An aerial attack on a plane and a problem that needs solving without shooting guns is a refreshing use of the suit. Tony making Iron Man tools out of hard ware store materials, is charming and really enjoyable while still being entertainment. The final battle blows the Avengers ending out of the water in my opinion. Tony leaping from suit to suit as JARVIS gets a chance to shine piloting the other three dozen suits. It's all out enjoyment and spectacle. One of the main complaints I heard when this came out was that Tony wasn't in the suit enough, but with a finale like this how can you complain about that?
There are genuinely shocking moments for comic book fans here too, the Mandarin isn't the same as in the comics, Extremis is used but not in the same way. They've picked bits from the books to make a great story out of and it isn't predictable or disappointing. Whereas Marvel villains have been one note and done in one with each film, except Loki, here the Mandarin is done away with in a surprising fashion and the Extremis weapon comes back a lot in Agents of SHIELD, despite Killian vanishing.
Mandarin could have been a racially difficult character, originally being Chinese war time and communism, propaganda. Just the worst kind of character. Updating him as a terrorist is more current and feels more natural. Perhaps in 40 years time we will look back and cringe at a middle eastern portrayal.
The first sequel missed the mark story wise, yet had really enjoyable moments. This film moves everything along leaps and bounds, whilst going completely new places and being true to the characters.
End Credits Scene
It turns out as a way to cope with his anxiety Tony, who has being narrating the film, has been telling the story to Bruce Banner, who has fallen asleep. He jolts awake and tells Tony he's not that kind of Doctor. A follow up to the humourous end credits scene at the end of Avengers.
Iron Man 3 Rating: 8/10
This film feels like the end of one story and the start of another and I feel this film shows Marvel proved that sequels can go new places and still outdo the last film. It's a surprisingly fun down to earth blockbuster.
This film answers the question posited in previous films: Is Tony Iron Man or is the suit Iron Man?
 |
| The first film post Avengers. |
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Plot Summary
Tony has everything. His love life, his suits and his company is doing well, but all is not right with the man. After the events of the Avengers, Tony is crippled by anxiety attacks. Which would happen to you if you nearly got stuck in space trying to ride a Nuke into an Alien invasion. He's confined himself to his workshop making more and more Iron Man suits as failsafes against different problems that could arise. His suit numbers are well into the double digits.
 |
| Proof that Tony Stark has a heart. |
A new villain, a terrorist called the Mandarin. Linked to the ten rings of his terrorist cell's from the first movie. He's attacking America. Tony's past comes back to haunt him as industrialist and scientist equal, Aldrich Killian has a bone to pick with him, thanks to the way Tony treated him when he was his awful old self.
Killian takes aim at his company, now been run by Pepper. Pepper gets Happy to follow him and sees the Extremis he's peddling in action. As the Chinese theatre explodes. Tony investigates and finds that it was a human that explodes, overloaded with Extremis. While Tony brazenly gives his address on live TV for the Mandarin to come get him and consequently gets his ass handed to him as his house is destroyed. He get's knocked out and flown by JARVIS to a site he was investigating.
 |
| Iron Patriot is Americas way of making War Machine more friendly! |
By now we have seen what Tony can do in the suits. So here he's left to fend with just his wit and a child sidekick. He acts like a father figure while kitting up and hand making Iron Man gadgets. He takes the home of the Mandarin, suspiciously in Miami..? In what is possibly the most shocking and surprising twist in a Marvel film so far, the Mandarin turns out to be a failing British actor. Killian was trying to entice a war so he can sell his soldiers to both sides.
An Extremis user kidnaps the President from Air Force 1 mid flight. Tony remotely pilots, again another surprising moment at the reveal, a suit to catch the dozen crew member, barrel of monkeys style mid air before they die.
 |
| House Party Protocols. |
When Tony and Rhodey, find out about the president being killed on TV by the "mandarin's" men, Tony activates JARVIS' house party protocol. An amazing finale treats you to the spectacular fight between all 30 plus Iron Man Armours, war machine and Killian's Extremis users.
Review
Normally by the 3rd instalment of any franchise, exhaustion sets in, there's more of the same. Pirates of the Caribbean got so big and over the top that they essentially couldn't outdo the last. Spider-Man 3 essentially over crowded itself with villains. Here Iron Man not only had to battle third act syndrome but somehow follow the spectacle of Avengers. They have to juggle action that out does the Avengers finale, yet not have just more suit users, after the first two films essentially followed the same plot of "hey look at my suit(s)".
Switching directors and giving someone else the reigns seems to have helped. Tony spends a lot of time out of his suit, essentially being his usual charming self and still playing with tech. Taking time away from the regular cast and bouncing off the child character they pair him with. The humour is still there good and strong.
The action pieces are solid still. Playing with what they have yet doing new things. During the attack on the mansion Pepper gets in the suit. Something new. An aerial attack on a plane and a problem that needs solving without shooting guns is a refreshing use of the suit. Tony making Iron Man tools out of hard ware store materials, is charming and really enjoyable while still being entertainment. The final battle blows the Avengers ending out of the water in my opinion. Tony leaping from suit to suit as JARVIS gets a chance to shine piloting the other three dozen suits. It's all out enjoyment and spectacle. One of the main complaints I heard when this came out was that Tony wasn't in the suit enough, but with a finale like this how can you complain about that?
 |
| Extremis in action. |
There are genuinely shocking moments for comic book fans here too, the Mandarin isn't the same as in the comics, Extremis is used but not in the same way. They've picked bits from the books to make a great story out of and it isn't predictable or disappointing. Whereas Marvel villains have been one note and done in one with each film, except Loki, here the Mandarin is done away with in a surprising fashion and the Extremis weapon comes back a lot in Agents of SHIELD, despite Killian vanishing.
Mandarin could have been a racially difficult character, originally being Chinese war time and communism, propaganda. Just the worst kind of character. Updating him as a terrorist is more current and feels more natural. Perhaps in 40 years time we will look back and cringe at a middle eastern portrayal.
 |
| Marvel movie villains are notoriously one note, but none have gone out like this before. |
The first sequel missed the mark story wise, yet had really enjoyable moments. This film moves everything along leaps and bounds, whilst going completely new places and being true to the characters.
End Credits Scene
It turns out as a way to cope with his anxiety Tony, who has being narrating the film, has been telling the story to Bruce Banner, who has fallen asleep. He jolts awake and tells Tony he's not that kind of Doctor. A follow up to the humourous end credits scene at the end of Avengers.
Iron Man 3 Rating: 8/10
This film feels like the end of one story and the start of another and I feel this film shows Marvel proved that sequels can go new places and still outdo the last film. It's a surprisingly fun down to earth blockbuster.
This film answers the question posited in previous films: Is Tony Iron Man or is the suit Iron Man?
Iron Man 3: The Big Marvel Re-Watch
Reviewed by Matt
on
00:00:00
Rating:
Reviewed by Matt
on
00:00:00
Rating:
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