Film Review: Iron Man 3 (Revisited)

So now it comes to this. Iron Man started off beating the snot out of terrorists and confronting the Iron Monger, all while trying to right the various wrongs of his life. Then he was challenged by Whiplash, and made to face a number of personal challenges. Lastly, he helped save Earth from an otherworldly invasion, and he personally passed through a wormhole to deliver a nuke to the Chitauri mothership. Where does Tony Stark stand after all this?

The third Iron Man film pits Tony Stark against more challenges, which elevates the stakes to a more personal level. He has his home taken away, before his friends and loved ones are thrown into peril, and he's forced to find answers on his own. It all culminates in a final gambit that involves an attack on the entire nation, and the emergence of a powerful new race of people. The endgame is a chaotic sequence in which multiple Iron Man suits wreak havoc on a freighter loaded with Extremis terrorists, and it is quite the explosive setpiece.

There is definitely a ton of action and quality special effects to behold here, but unfortunately, the pacing tends to sag between the action scenes. Aside from some sporadic action and comedy, very little of the film stands out, especially when compared to the last two films. In fact, the film's tone, atmosphere, and style never seems to mesh well with Jon Favreau's work, and as a result, the film is overshadowed.
The story that Iron Man 3 tells is full of high stakes, and it is notable how it rounds off Tony Stark's progression through the whole saga, providing some satisfactory closure. However, the film explicitly states that he's a changed man, but it's hard to really see such change; he remains his same old self throughout the whole runtime. He is a character so full of color and personality that he's entertaining to watch, but he ultimately delivers more of the same. The villains he confronts lack such personality, and elicit no sympathy; there is a twist behind the Mandarin's character that has upset countless film fans, and other characters never really stand out.

This film is competently-made with good photography and editing. Acting is as great as ever; Robert Downey Jr. is still apt as the title character, Gweneth Paltrow is still great, and so is Don Cheadle (although his role is rather limited). Ben Kingsley is rather cheesy, albeit on purpose, and I found him amusing that way. Guy Pearce is superb, even if his character is less memorable. The writing is generally good. This production has plenty of fine-looking sets, props, costumes, and special effects. Music is pretty cool.

Iron Man 3 has its moments, and it feels like it tries to be bigger and more relevant than its predecessors. Unfortunately, it's not as memorable, not as fun, and the substance isn't quite as deep. It will satisfy some and disappoint others, so I'd only recommend it as a rental to fans.

3/5 (Entertainment: Average | Story: Mixed | Film: Pretty Good)