Film: Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black
Genre: Action/ Comic Book
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: PG-13
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinema
Grade: B

I feel like I give a lot of B's to movies, but Iron Man 3 is the kind of enjoyable ultimately empty fluff that does the job but won't be remembered ten minutes after leaving the theater. It's fun, and it has a few interesting ideas, but it also doesn't break much new ground or seem interested in telling a story with long-term consequences. Still, it's a big step up from Iron Man 2, so I'll take it, and I'd see another Shane Black Iron Man film with no concerns.

As always, the best part of Iron Man is Robert Downey Jr. I'm not sure superhero casting has ever been so spot-on, as his brashness, his ego, and his sense of humor are all what make this character come alive. If he ever stops wanting to do Iron Man movies, I think the suits over at Disney are going to have to give the franchise a break for a while, because I can't imagine any other actor inhabiting the role the way he does. He is Tony Stark, and Tony Stark is Iron Man.

That question of identity and how well can you know yourself when faced with bigger questions and life-changing experiences is at the heart of Iron Man 3, which takes place not long after the events of The Avengers. Tony finds himself haunted by his experiences at the end of that film, unable to sleep and constantly tinkering and building. He finds himself unclear on where the suit ends and he begins, and Black solves this conundrum by basically taking him out of the suit for the majority of the film. He ends up in Tennessee, befriended by a little boy (ten years old? eight?) who both pushes him and questions him, and though it sounds really trite it all works pretty well. Downey Jr has good chemistry with the little boy, played by Ty Simpkins, and what could have gone the road of family-feel-good fodder actually stays true to the character and his crisis. Tony has to rely on himself--not the suit--in some of these scenes, and I can see the depth Black is going for. The question of identity and masks and what happens when those lines are blurred does provide some good moments.

Which brings me to Ben Kingsley, the highlight of the film for me, in a role that is both terrible and blindsiding all at once. Kingsley is clearly having fun here, and his second act conversation with Stark is one of my favorite superhero moments in a long time.

Which is why the fact that the film ultimately rings a little hollow is such a disappointment. Black doesn't go far enough with those questions of identity, or how much we rely on technology, or corporate/political machinations, or any of those questions he raises at the beginning. We end instead with a literally hollow battle, as Tony Stark and James Rhodes are joined by like 50 empty self-directed iron suits in trying to take down the bad guy. The scene takes the magic out of the fight for me, as you have to question why Tony goes into battle at all, when he can apparently program his suits to act fully independently. Even this could raise interesting questions about US drone strikes, but instead it is just about "Hey cool look at all the flying robots!" In addition, Tony makes a gesture at the end of the film that ultimately is going to be very hollow and pointless, and it makes me wonder why he bothered at all.

Don't get me wrong, Iron Man 3 is a good time at the movies. It just ended up having no real impact.

Alternate Film Title: "Glad to See the Guy From Rubicon Getting Some Work"