As a comics character, I never really got into reading Iron Man. Billionaire Playboy Genius Philanthropist doesn't quite get handled the same way on the printed page as he does on the big screen. Whenever I would sample a story from the book, it was invariably some corporate espionage or baroque posturing between characters. It seemed for years Marvel Comics drove the, Tony Stark: Recovering Alcoholic, character into the ground. In short, the book never came off fun to me in any capacity to keep up with monthly. I realize that is not only a stereotype of the book, but rather disingenuous of me in such a broad statement because there are probably plenty of arcs outside of say Demon In a Bottle or Extremis that are worth reading.
As a movie character, Iron Man seemed custom made for a closeup. Played by Robert Downey Jr, Tony Stark/ Iron Man was humorous, intelligent, quick witted and a pleasure to watch. The first film was a fine and sure footed obligatory origin story for not only the relative unknown comics character, but also a good ground work for the Marvel cinema universe that would subsequently follow the picture.
Iron Man 2 was a mixed bag. It felt far too long in spots, with the optimistic rogue charm of Tony Stark from the first film morph into an insufferable navel gazing character in the second film. I think the only take aways from the second movie was the fight scene on the race track and Scarlett Johansson in a skin tight leather outfit.
After the triumphant assembling on the Avengers, the bar seemed raised for Marvel Studios. When Jon Favreau stepped aside for the Iron Man 3, Marvel made the ingenious choice of selecting Shane Black as his replacement. Black has been a fantastic screen writer, renovating the action/ buddy cop genre for the last two decades with Lethal Weapon. His first feature, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a modern noir set in LA cast a then toxic actor, Robert Downey Jr as the lead. It was a fantastic pairing and the film is very quote worthy and worth watching if you haven't seen it yet.
Iron Man 3 deals with Tony Stark's fallout after the events in the Avengers. Suffering from PTSD, and up for days at a time, Stark is creating more armor in a heightened state of awareness. Meanwhile, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) has approached Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) in regards to a breakthrough of science he wants Stark Industries to fund. Then there's the international terrorist The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who interrupts signals and shows various heinous acts with verbal sabre rattling as a voice over.
There are many things to really like in Iron Man 3, and I took away it was structured somewhat like the noir piece of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in a sense. Stark as well as his friends are involved in a plot that turns and twists in strange places. The humor and one liners are quick and funny in this film. The special effects are quite good as there is a scene involving Air Force One getting taken down from the sky, playing to the inherent smarts and good will Tony Stark has when faced with the dubious challenge of rescuing 13 falling passengers.
One thing I found great was in a more thematic way, this film's ending suits it well. Unlike DKR, who's ending was infuriating, the one displayed here is a natural progression of things regarding the character and the universe he inhabits. There are some Easter eggs for comics readers, and it deviates from source material in the comics, but, modern comics have been doing that for decades much to the chagrin of some fans.
Iron Man 3 is something you will get joy from on multiple viewings. Shane Black has made a fitting conclusion to the Iron Man story as he makes this story with a beginning, middle, and end. How refreshing!
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