So continues other comic book franchise on the big screen. The norm these days is if a movie can make $150 million domestically, sequel after sequel will continue to be made. I understand that. It makes sense. However, it doesn’t mean I have to continue supporting the franchise even if I consider the first movie in the series awesome. I usually give the series the benefit of the doubt if I like the first one. While I loved Iron Man, Iron Man 2 could have been better. There wasn’t the same kind of wow factor. It was still an ok superhero movie, but I never felt like what I watched was anything special. Such is the case with Iron Man 3. It is a very entertaining movie, but as will be the case with the almost certain Iron Man 4, Iron Man 5, etc., that unique originality feature that comes with every first movie in a series will be eliminated. So while I appreciate that attempts to make Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, etc., entertaining movies, I won’t have much feeling other than been there/done that. I expect I will like each new film in the series a little less than the preview. That has certainly been the case thus far.

The story isn’t terrible. It’s a pretty easy storyline to follow, which I liked. Aldrich Killian (Guy Pierce – Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo) is the mastermind of a company called Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). Some 13 years earlier, Killian approached Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes, Chaplin), hoping to secure the millionaire as an investor. Instead, stark promises to meet with him but blows him off so he can have a one-night stand with a young botanist named Maya (Rebecca Hall – The Awakening, The Prestige). At the time, Maya was researching a technology in which DNA could reproduce removed limbs of experimental plants. The technology isn’t perfect, though. While it can regrow leaves and stems, there is no mechanism to keep it from eventually exploding.

Fast forward to the present day, and we find Stark/Iron Man dealing with some personal problems. He has started developing anxiety attacks and is also unable to sleep. He keeps himself occupied with his Iron Man technology. Specifically, Stark is designing a remotely-operated suit. Meanwhile, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow – Shakespeare In Love, Sliding Doors) meets with Killian at Stark Industries. Killian essentially does what Maya does except for regrowing stems and leaves on plants; it regrows limbs on human beings. He has something new he would like to Potts and Stark. Even though Potts is wowed by Killian’s presentation (which involves isolating and empowering certain parts of the human brain), the technology frightens her. She believes the technology could get into the wrong hands and be used as a weapon. She turns down the opportunity to fund Killian.

Killian incorporates his technology into a program called Extremis. The Extremis program is an experimental treatment that allows people to recreate their limbs and recover from all types of debilitating injuries. However, if the user’s body can’t accept the Extremis treatment, it will turn bright red, heat up, and explode into pieces. Herein lies the need to get funded. With the proper funding, Killian knows he can be as rich as Tony Stark. However, he also sees the opportunity to use the people who cannot accept the treatment as human bombs. This is where the terrorist scenario (which is a spoiler, so that I won’t talk about it) comes in.

The Iron Man franchise is not Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight franchise, but it might be the next best thing. Downey plays his superhero character as well as any actor out there. There probably will come a day when he isn’t Iron Man (whether in the franchise or The Avengers series), but I can’t see anyone else in that role. I like the Toby Maguire Spider-Man franchise, but the third one was a disaster. Black did his due diligence to ensure that didn’t happen with his franchise. However, Iron Man 3 was the weakest of the three. Once again, that can be attributed to it lacking the wow factor.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the story. I liked how Stark dealt with some personal issues. I liked the advancements in Iron Man technology. I didn’t like the “villain.” A person being able to essentially turn into a fireball? Kind of lame. But we all know this movie isn’t trying to win any awards. It’s trying to make a buck. And a buck it will make. It’s highly entertaining, and nobody out there plays a superhero better than Downey does Iron Man. Unless it does not end up being a good movie year, Iron Man 3 will finish outside of my Top 10. Nonetheless, I’m glad I saw it. It held my interest and entertained me, and I look forward to the next installment in the series.

Plot 8/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing  9/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 7/10
85%

Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie

• Iron Man
• Iron Man 2
• Captain America: Civil War
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Avengers: End Game