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Iron Man 3
Five years since he
first appeared on screen. Four movies where he has figured. Three
films of his own series. Phase Two is underway. Sound confusing? This
One review will explain all that…
Marvel first came to be
by the creative hands of the great Stan Lee, who dreamed up many
characters and visualised them in the form of comic books. After the
first X-Men film in 2000 was a hit, every superhero in the comic book
library was “borrowed” and put into the development wheel to one
day become a film. Iron Man was one of the lesser known heroes of the
Marvel Universe to the mainstream audience, so portraying him on
screen was going to be a gamble. But you know the story. The first
film came along in 2008, catching everyone by surprise. It was
brilliant and found most of its strength in the fantastic performance
of Robert Downey Jnr. He did well again with Iron Man 2, and
continued this trend with a little movie from last year about a bunch
of heroes working together. You might have heard of this film called
“The Avengers?”
Now, it’s a
post-Avengers world and Marvel has aptly referred to Iron Man 3 as
the start of “Phase 2”. Thor will return later this year to get
angry and swing his hammer around some more, while good old Captain
America will bust out the shield and patriotic gear again in 2014.
And Hulk? Apparently, another stand-alone film for him is still a
possibility, but he’s a difficult character to focus on separately
because he balances on the border of hero and villain. And again, all
these characters will rejoin forces once more in The Avengers 2, due
out in 2015.
So now that you’re up
to speed on all things Marvel, let’s get around to why you’re
here - to read about Iron Man 3. I just saw the movie tonight, and as
I usually like to do after just coming home from the cinema, I write
up my review while I’m still excited and all reeling from the
experience. And first up, let me say I was very entertained.
Our latest offering of
Iron Man doesn’t ignore the events that took place in the Avengers,
and makes several subtle references throughout the picture. Tony
Stark can’t sleep, and has flashbacks to that moment in New York
where he seemed to cross between our world and the universe. The man
who is usually always cool, composed and unphased by anything gets
all jittery and shaken whenever the memory of that worm-hole
experience comes up. In the midst of the world around him, things
are not going well. A new terrorist, calling himself The Mandarin, is
wreaking havoc across the globe. Mysterious, untraceable and
extremely dangerous, this oriental orchestrator invades the airwaves
of world-wide television to warn of his next attack. He isn’t
stopping, and after an attack on American soil which injures someone
close to Tony Stark, its game on!
Given his lack of
control and rational thought due to the events of the Avengers
finale, Stark isn’t thinking straight in general. He makes a
statement directed towards the Mandarin which essentially invites the
terrorist over to Starks cliffside mansion. In a spectacular attack
of explosions and fire power, Stark loses his home (which you see in
the trailer) but makes it out with one of his suits. Landing in a
remote rural town in the mid-west, Stark treks through the snow and
wilderness, towing his suit behind him as a desperate attempt to
cling onto his power. Stripped bear of his armour, weapons and
courage, Iron Man is put aside while Stark must step up and become
the hero. Without his suit, he’s just a man, and must rely on his
wits, resourcefulness and mechanical skills to reclaim his position
as The Iron Man.
There were many great
elements to this installment of the Iron Man franchise. Like I hoped
it would be, it was a great improvement over part two. Not that the
second film was terrible, but it just lacked something. The third
time around, a new director was hired, a different visual style
adapted and a compelling story that throws a few surprises and twists
your way. I cannot even hint at what those surprises are in this
review, but you will be pleasantly surprised, and even amused, by
some of the character reveals and developments. As in the previous
films, the use of advanced technology and cutting edge gadgets plays
a big part. Even though it’s set in the present day, the Iron Man
films play with several ideas, concepts and breakthroughs in science
and discovery that are way ahead of our time. It makes me excited
that one day, the types of things Stark can do in his basement lab
will be available to us lesser mortals. Who wouldn’t like to just
talk to your own personal computer-assistant who could answer you
like a real person? And how convenient would it be to simply make
things fly over to you just by extending out your hand? I’d love to
be able to do that when I’m lying on the couch at home and I’ve
left the TV remote on the other side of the lounge room for example.
The special effects in
Iron Man 3 are top notch, and the seamless editing and mixing of
sounds and visual tricks result in some exciting and thrilling action
set pieces. One of the highlights (which was also in the trailer so
this isn’t a spoiler) involved Iron Man leaping out of a plane as
it’s attacked mid flight, to rescue the dozen people plunging to
their impending doom. Aided by his computerised assistant Jarvis
(voiced by Paul Bettany) Iron Man quickly assesses the situation;
thirteen people falling, he can carry four himself and only a matter
of a minute to save them from hitting the ground. Cleverly, Iron Man
grabs one, then another, then another and finds a way to perform a
massive group hug 18,000 feet above the surface. It was awesome to
watch, and so awesome in fact, I clapped. Yes, I clapped in the
theatre. And so did a few other people in the audience. I love
movies, what can I say…
Sequels can really
amaze you these days. There was a time when a sequel tried to repeat
the formula of the first, with a few small changes, but the result
was usually a poorer film. But the movies have changed so much, that
sequels are what we go back to the cinema for. Audiences today have
seen more films of a large variety, and we’ve just about seen it
all. We’re smarter and won’t be fooled or ripped-off anymore. If
we like a character, and they have the potential to tell us more
stories, we go for it, and today’s movie companies know this. They
don’t muck around when they’re on a winning streak, and what
started out as comic book characters is now its own film production
company.
Marvel has big plans for their catalogue of Superheroes, who
were strategically put on the board, moved towards and around each
other like chess pieces, then finally united in The Avengers, a film
once though impossible to make. Cheque Mate! It achieved the
impossible, becoming a very entertaining film and making a gazillion
bucks at the box office. We asked for it, and Marvel is giving us
more. So you might be wondering if this is the last time we’ll be
seeing Iron Man? I can’t say. The film keeps you guessing. Stick
around until the end of the credits for a little treat that hints at
what else is to come. Phase Two is underway and the future of the
Marvel Universe looks to be in good shape. Justice League take note…
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