Caught IRON MAN 3 last night. What an awesome start to the summer 2013 season.

Terrific, slickly produced, funny as hell pseudo-throwback to the 1980s/early 90s Hollywood action movies mixed with modern pytotechnics and the sci-fi/fantasy portal that is Marvel. We get 3 (or was it 4?) outstanding action setpieces. This might be better than the first (wonderful) IRON MAN film. This entry was directed by Shane Black, who back in his day of course scripted LETHAL WEAPON and LAST BOY SCOUT and a few years back directed KISS KISS BANG BANG with a pre-superstardom Robert Downey Jr.

And yeah like those movies, IM3 is basically a buddy actioneer albeit Downey and Don Cheadle don't team up together until the 3rd act but that beast narrative is there, highly kinetic and more one-liners than it knows what to do with. This is what the disapointing IRON MAN 2 should've been in the first place.

It's also solid science fiction. The ads you all might've seen showed Downey's new gizmos like remote controlling his Iron Man suits and pieces of the suit magnetically attaching to him one at a time. (And Black and his crew utilize this established fact for inspired imagination.) The villains with their new "Extremis" virus, which turns people into nearly-indestructable superhumans with regenerative powers if a tad explodey. How can a guy in a tin can defeat this technological superiority? By throwing everything plus the kitchen sink at them. (I'm sure I saw a kitchen sink flying around in that impressive climax fight.)

Crazy thing is the best moments in IM3 for me are when he's on the run, without his suits and basically forced to use his brains to fight back MacGuyver style. Handcuffed in the middle of a Tennessee town with two of those Extremis freaks on his ass? He doesn't let that get him (and his massive ego) down because he's Tony Stark, he'll figure something out. And he does.

I will say this though. The ads are misleading. This is not a remake of THE DARK KNIGHT, and some fanboys are pissed they didn't get that remake that they apparently were expecting. Oh boo hoo. I respect Marvel and Black for not going down that plot road that many recent movies have done already (SKYFALL, etc.) and tried to basically use that presumptions against you.

I give this ****1/2 out of 5.

Last edited by ronnierocketAGO; 05/03/13 04:01 PM.