Iron Man 3 (2013)

Marvel Studios

I personally believe that 2008's Iron Man is the greatest superhero movie of all time. Sure, that's a very bold statement but I feel it has the perfect blend of action sequences, comedic moments, heart, and suspense along with great acting and even greater special effects. I said in my review of the first Iron Man film that the character of Tony Stark is a guy we shouldn't like since he has everything money can buy yet he doesn't appear to have earned any of it. Despite that, he's presented in such a way that we root for him and it's impossible to not like him. Other heroes often have a weakness, such as Kryptonite, but I like how Tony Stark's suit gives him his power while it is also his weakness since he needs to be Iron Man to live. If you don't agree that Iron Man is the greatest superhero movie, you may agree that it has effectively set the standard for this recent crop of superhero movies. It's just like the Batman movie with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson that gave birth to many comic book vigilante movies in the 1990's like The Phantom, The Rocketeer, and The Shadow.

The first Iron Man followed the same pattern as Spider-Man and Hulk, which tells the story of how the hero is born and then must battle his equal, who is typically a scientist gone mad. Iron Man 2 took that same formula of a hero versus his equal but split it in half, with Tony Stark having a rival in Justin Hammer and Iron Man having a foe to battle in Ivan Vanko. While the sequel added new characters and was faster paced and funnier than the first, I don't think it was ever in doubt that Iron Man would be defeated. It's especially true because we all knew Iron Man had to be there for The Avengers movie so he could team up with several other heroes in the Marvel Universe. However Iron Man 3 effectively raises the stakes once again. Tony's big ego comes back to bite him in the ass when he gives the villain the address to his house. Tony loses everything and has to start over from scratch but not only that, this villain is nearly unstoppable. I believe it created some doubt that Tony could survive this time without a scratch, unlike the previous Iron Man film. Not only is the villain more powerful than Iron Man, he's also a foe that Stark is responsible for creating. I really like that dynamic because the villains who are in some way related to the hero seem to be the most effective. Another aspect that enhanced this movie's villain is the actor seemed to be having fun with his performance and I feel it's one of the most diabolical I've ever seen on screen.

With as much praise as I've been giving to the villain, I feel it nearly took me out of the movie completely during the early part of the movie. Iron Man's previous villains were like him as they drew their power from manufactured suits and weapons; nobody had a superhuman ability. Iron Man 3 actually has a super-powered villain who can regenerate limbs and uses a super neato heat ability. I guess I was expecting another suited up foe that Iron Man would battle yet again. Then I remembered a line from Nick Fury in a previous movie that Iron Man isn't the only one who exists, and since we now know Iron Man lives in a Universe with Gods, green monsters, and even aliens, it makes sense he would battle a mega molten man this time around.

Another interesting aspect to Iron Man 3 is it follows the events of Avengers and presents a vunerable Tony Stark who is still suffering the effects from nearly dying. Perhaps it was too effective because it seemed like the only way Tony could win was with his new suit that is remote controlled. It seemed at first like the new suit was a deus ex machina, just an element to the story to get them out of a situation with impossible odds, but it did create many hilarious moments and awesome battles. Not only was this Iron Man movie funnier and more action packed than the previous films in the series, it has one of the best twists I have ever seen. In fact, M. Night Shamalyan should probably take notes on what a real twist should be. Like Tony Stark's narration says, you create your own demons, and now he has conquered them. So where does he go from here?