By Jeremy Hannaford (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: May 8, 2013
The concept of Iron Man has always been questioned; both in film and in the comics. Is it really Tony Stark or is it just a man in a suit? Is Tony the hero or is it his armour? That single question is the underlining focus of Iron Man 3 and while it isn’t given full attention, it is provided with an answer.
Iron Man 3 begins with Tony Stark mentioning a quote stating that “we create our own demons.” For Tony, his demons are the consequences of his actions from the past and how they, in turn, drove certain characters to become the people who they are. Add the fact that he’s dealing with some post-traumatic stress disorder and you have the once bravado-filled Tony Stark with a chip on his shoulder. He hides in his work by building new suit models and tries to mask his cracked demeanour. Unlike the self-destructing illness he faced in Iron Man 2, Tony’s weakness is that of his mind and something that actually holds strong throughout the film. Rather than being a silly asset of the plot, his disorder guides the character rather than controls him.
Some were upset when Jon Favreau, director of the last two films, stepped out of the chair for Shane Black to take over, but I personally liked the change in direction. Something about Favreau always seemed off. While he did a great job of bringing the character to life, the huge step in budget and production seemed to prove too much for him as was evident in the constant errors and gouging plot issues that were present in Iron Man 2. Shane Black takes the increased production value with a clearer focus and more well-rounded narrative. The fourth wall banter Robert Downey Jr. delivers at the front of the film is reminiscent of the pair’s work on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Black is able to combine the classic humour of the series and add a level of maturity not yet seen. The switch between the two is rapid but subtle and never creates an awkward or unnecessary moment.
Following a story arc eerily similar to that of The Dark Knight Rises, Iron Man 3 is much more about Tony Stark than about Iron Man. For a comic book film, the amount of action out of suit proves odd at first but it continues to ponder the question Black is asking. Not all of the film is clean cut, though. While the narrative and climax were handled much better, the film’s villain is at a loss for motive and identity almost throughout the movie. Their reason for all the terror and chaos they have caused is murky at best. Hints at actions by Stark in his past may provide a partial motive but the lengths in which they are carried out seem a tad extreme. Another head scratching incident appears halfway through the film, which will garner a mixed reactions from movie and comic fans alike. Some will be confused and puzzled while others will feel betrayed. The incident carried out is amusing at first, but afterwards seems unorthodox and just wrong. It doesn’t ruin the film but it does put a dent in the armour.
A problem that plagued the last two Iron Man films was that the endings fell short, both in story and in entertainment value. Iron Man 3 shines true and out-performs both the previous films combined. Besides lasting more than two minutes, Iron Man 3’s climatic end battle doesn’t hold back with creativity both from the writers and visual effects artists. The intensity is well shot and the humour doesn’t elude the action.
For a first directing attempt at a major motion picture, Shane Black handles the product well and helps create a unique story with Downey Jr. once again acing the character of Stark. Some may critique its poor choices during the second act, but I personally believe that it exceeds the second movie and while rarely does a origin story lose to its successors (excluding The Dark Knight) Iron Man 3 is an entertaining watch and gives an extra layer of depth that the series desperately needed.
