Iron Man III Review

I know this is a bit late but what the hell? I've had this film fester in my mind for a while now and can say without a doubt in my mind that I loved it. It is one of the best finales to a trilogy I've seen that belongs up there with Last Crusade and Back to the Future Part III. It's also the first movie I've seen that's technically the sequel to two movies; Iron Man II and The Avengers. Sadly, Iron Man II had the unfortunate duty of mainly being a preview for The Avengers and failed as a movie itself. Without having anything to hold it back Iron Man III shines as it focuses on Tony Stark in a post-Avengers world. I wonder how he'll handle it.

What Makes a Hero?

Don't be ashamed that you need supplements, Tony. Sometimes we all need a little performance booster.

Apparently, not that well. After learning of the existence of gods and aliens Tony suffers from intense panic attacks paired with memories of when he flew through the portal in New York fully intending to sacrifice himself in the same manner Captain America did in World War II. He has PTSD. This premise alone is brilliant because it shows the result of when a narcissist learns that he is no longer a big guy. He is now very small in the larger scope of the universe and as such falls into a routine that feels comfortable and safe; building armors. What this does is service a great story where Tony must learn that Iron Man is not the suit, but the man. Thankfully, a little boy is there to help him come to that realization. I don't know why but Shane Black thrives when he's writing buddy cop films. I mean have you seen Last Action Hero? It's a parody/satire of the very genre he writes and it's brilliant! And just like in that film Shane uses a child to add perspective here. In the end, Tony removes his chest piece and gets a clean slate by destroying all the armors he had built to make him feel safe for a hero is judged not by his tools, but by his courage.

The Ring's Are a Lie

Wouldn't it suck if we found out Osama was also just an actor? I'm sure he'd get an honorary Oscar.

Prior to the film's release a lot of rumors circulated about a post-credits scene where Tony flies into outer space. This rumor had some traction in the fact that the Avengers sequel was set to a more cosmic tune and as such would need a set up in space. Added to that was the fact that the Mandarin's power was from 10 rings with extra-terrestrial origins. At least in the comics. That's why the twist in Iron Man III is so good because it twists expectations. What?! Puns can be funny too! So turns out the Mandarin is just a bluefin tuna. Or was it red herring? Eh, they're both fish. As I was saying, he is just a ruse. An actor paid to play the part of an international terrorist who represents everything we fear in the like. The parallel's to 9/11 are everywhere as we see America on the defense after an attack on New York causes us to invade the East in order to find a single threat. But who is the real threat?

A.I.M. Creates Extremis to Rule the World

"Ah, but the black man lives in the White House. Get it? I'm so smart and sh*t."

Comic Book Lesson 107: A.I.M. is a think tank with the intention of overthrowing world governments through technological superiority, and they often use organizations as a front to their true goals. Extremis is a drug that rewrites a person's genetic code as a means of recreating the super soldier serum at a different angle. Tony, in the comics, used Extremis as a means to interface with technology and become faster and stronger. Iron Man III combines these ideas by having A.I.M. invent Extremis in order to create super hot fire soldiers and even human bombs as a means to take over the country thanks to a partnership with the Vice President. In order to fit the theme of the film, Tony doesn't inject himself with Extremis like in the comics. I like that. Tony is already powerful enough. A.I.M.'s inclusion gives the film a James Bond feel and thanks to Tony's various gadgets the film pulls it off relatively well by making him both Bond and Q. The only problem with A.I.M. is that their motivation starts and ends with "wants to rule the world." That's like soooo superficial. You'd think with that slogan S.H.I.E.L.D. would pop their head out and say hello.

Where is S.H.I.E.L.D.?

They're filming the new ABC series, dumbass!

Iron Man II dug the series a little hole with the inclusion of S.H.I.E.L.D. into it's plot because it showed us a world where they were involved with damn near everything. Thor pulled it off much better because it made more sense within the context of the story. A strange object feel to Earth and the government is studying it. I understand that Marvel is trying to save S.H.I.E.L.D. for the Captain America sequel and that is a great idea. That shows that they're trying to fix the problem Iron Man II created. It allows stories with Iron Man and Thor to breathe and grow, but just like it made sense in Thor for them to be involved it makes sense for them to be involved in a plot about an organization trying to take over the country. Hell, wouldn't that have helped the James Bond feel? Having Nick Fury in place of M giving James Rhodes (i.e. War Machine (i.e. Iron Patriot)) orders in the East to look for the Mandarin while Tony is in the West and just so happens to walk into him? Like I said, it's a small hole but it's a hole nevertheless.

Conclusion

Look at all the pretty Christmas lights! AHHHH!!! THEY BURN!!!

For those of you who don't know who Shane Black is he is the guy who wrote Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and now Iron Man III. He's kinda funny. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was also his directorial debut and also starred Robert Downey, Jr. Hmmm maybe that's why Robert said Black is the only transition from Favreau he'd sign off on. I guess we'll never know for sure! It's also interesting to note that all those movies I just mentioned have a Christmas theme. Damn you, Black! Stop thrusting your agenda down my throat! Wow, that sounded a lot more gay than I ever intended. Where was I? Oh right, a review! Black was the perfect guy to take the mantle for this series. He knows how to write witty dialogue and intense action, but most importantly he knows how to pair up a liberal off-the-chains white guy with a conservative by-the-books black guy. That's what Iron Man has always been about; interracial bromance.