Iron Man 3: Just Shy of Greatness

When the first Iron Man came out in 2008, expectations were blown away. That film proved, much like The Dark Knight, that a comic book movie could be fun and emotionally affecting. Iron Man demonstrated why comic characters have built such a strong connection with people across the world.

However, films like Iron Man and The Dark Knight are the exception rather than the rule. Iron Man 3 fits somewhere just below those great films. It's a good movie, but the film lacks the global consciousness, the social awareness, of the first film. Of course, that doesn't mean it's completely devoid of social critique, but its presence in the film seems to take a back seat to other more localized concerns.

Iron Man 3 begins not long after the events depicted in The Avengers. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is dealing with the effects of PTSD, not surprising considering he nearly died. Meanwhile, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is feeling emotionally distant from Stark and just a little jealous of the time he spends in his garage tinkering with a large number of different Iron Man suits.

Meanwhile, a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is making televised threats (Osama-bin-Laden-style) against the whole of America. Indeed, one of Stark's closest friends is seriously injured during one of The Mandarin's attacks. In addition, Stark's past is starting to create problems for his present, and Stark has to deal with the consequences of his actions pre-Iron Man. After The Mandarin destroys his home, Stark is left to pick up the pieces of his life in the middle of Tennessee.

And that's all the plot I'll provide here, but this is a great place to begin my actual review. See, the section in Tennessee is my favorite part of the film. I love the exchanges between Stark and Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins), a young boy who ends up helping Stark with more than repairing his suit. A major difference between good comic book movies and lesser ones is the emotional connection between the superhero and the audience. If the audience does not feel anything for the hero, then there's no suspense, no real risk of danger. This section of the film wonderfully builds on Stark's vulnerability as a soldier dealing with the effects of war and coming so close to death. This section is where Downey's abilities as a fine actor really have a chance to shine.

Another wonderful moment in the film is a bit of a spoiler, but I'll try my best not to ruin anything. I'll simply hint. One of my favorite moments in The Dark Knight Rises involves Selina Kyle's rescue of Bruce Wayne near the end. I loved that moment because a woman rescuing helps build the possiblity that women are just as capable at saving the men they love. A similar moment occurs in Iron Man 3, and I loved it. Women need a larger presence in these types of films. It's a shame it doesn't happen more often.

*This picture is very Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2.*

My next favorite moment involves Ben Kingsley, and the only thing I'll write here is that his performance is brilliant. Brilliant, I say!

I was never all that interested in Iron Man as kid, so that may be the reason why I'm not as interested in these films as others. Iron Man 3 is a well-made movie with a lot of really good things going for it, but there is something missing, something I can't really pinpoint (call it a lack of sufficient interest), that keeps me from delving into the frenzy of fandom. That being said, Iron Man 3 is a lot of fun and much better than most comic book movies out there. It just isn't a boundary pushing film; it doesn't elevate the material beyond the expectations of its genre, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but this does mean Iron Man 3 is just shy of greatness.

*This artistic reworking of the Iron Man 3 poster below is a wonderful example of the strange, subservient positions women often take in movie posters. I'd love to see the movie depicted in this drawing!*