The third and hopefully not final installment of the Iron
Man saga (why limit them to 'trilogies'?) sees our titular armor-suited hero
suffering from night terrors due to PTSD after saving New York City from the
ravages of the alien Chitauri in 'The Avengers.' Wrestling with his 'inner demons,' Tony Stark
represents the very antithesis of his billionaire counterpart from the DC
universe, Bruce Wayne. True, both are
egotistical, borderline psychotic albeit brilliant playboy philanthropists with a predilection for high tech accessories, but
the similarities ended there. Bruce Wayne valued privacy, lived in a well hidden cave, and guarded his alter ego like a state secret; Tony Stark craved the spotlight like a Kardashian and literally opened his door to enemy attack by recklessly announcing to the 'Mandarin' on live TV that he lives at '10880 Malibu Point, Malibu, CA 90265' so come and get me. And while the
Dark Knight in his situation would have gritted his teeth, donned his mask and cowl with stoic
determination, and patrolled the mean streets of Gotham City with a vengeance, Tony
Stark retreated into his private sanctuary workshop of techno gizmos, finding solace in
upgrading and improving his Iron Man armor oblivious to what's going on in the world
outside. So therapeutic was his
tinkering that when IM3 started, the version of his suit had gone up to Mark
XLII (from MK VII the last time we saw him in 'The Avengers'). Though
JARVIS is pretty much what I would envision Alfred to be if he was an AI.
But this is also what I love about Iron Man. Its bright, shiny and chrome world is an
optimistic counterpoint to the bleak, brooding and gothic atmosphere of the Batman
universe. Tony Stark is a flawed hero
(not 'superhero' since, like Batman, he has no inherent or superhuman powers), known
to hide his insecurities behind a quick wit and a ready supply of smart-alecky one
liners, but he also epitomizes that American 'can do' spirit of industriousness and proved to his enemies' chagrin time and again that, if you push him too hard or one too many times, he's going to shove back even harder. And I'll be damned if the Iron
Man armored battlesuit MK Whatever isn't one of the coolest things Stan Lee
ever created; it's like having your own personal, fully integrated,
form-fitting fighter jet.
Directed by Shane Black, who worked with Robert Downey Jr.
in 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,' IM3 maintained the tone and mythos of the previous movies
from Jon Favreau, who took a break from the directing chair and did a bit of acting this time around as Happy Hogan, Stark's former bodyguard and current
Head of Security for Stark Industries, now run by Stark's former secretary and
love interest Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Shane Black's stamp is evident
throughout the movie: the helicopter attack on Stark's Malibu mansion is reminiscent
of the one in 'Lethal Weapon 2,' which Black co-wrote, and the final battle
took place on the docks with lots of cranes and intermodal cargo containers,
another favorite setting of his.
Other than being a great action movie, IM3 is also filled with
wry, tongue-in-cheek humor, satirizing our society's media obsession and need
for heroes and symbols. War Machine had a Captain America makeover and
was renamed 'Iron Patriot.' And in the movie's greatest 'Gotcha' moment,
(Sir) Ben Kingsley channeled his inner Russell Brand as the 'Mandarin,' Iron
Man's arch nemesis who had more in common with Osama bin Laden in the movie than any
oriental Chinese worthy of the name.
Grade: A
She's a pepper, wouldn't you like to be a pepper too?
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