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| Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle |
Action highlights the muddled but slick "Iron Man 3"
Without giving away any spoilers for the latest superhero installment "Iron Man 3" I will say it doesn't disappoint. Robert Downey Jr. is in great, cheeky-cool form, there's loads of action and special effects galore. It's certainly better than the lackluster second installment though not all of it works perfectly and some of it even seems very ho-hum routine and just another day at the superhero office. The entertaining "Iron Man 3" is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, with the man in the iron suit back in fine, if not predictable and routine, form. Arguably the coolest, most likable and the most human of the superheroes, mainly due to the brash confidence of Downey, "Iron Man 3" is directed and co-written by Shane Black, who directed Downey in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" years ago and taking over for Jon Favreau (who produces and co-stars this time out), is actually more of a follow-up to last summer's giant blockbuster "The Avengers," which featured Iron Man, in that it picks up in the months following that film. In this outing, he faces a couple of powerful enemies, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and scientist Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), both of whom could be behind a dastardly terrorist plot involving former U.S. soldiers. Back for the action are his trusted assistant and lover Pepper Potts (the always lovely Gwyneth Paltrow), pal Rhodey (Don Cheadle) and his bodyguard/head of security, Happy (Favreau). The first act is a little slow as it works through some Stark backstory, until it picks up some pep in the second act and doesn't let go with the thrilling climax involving more than one Iron Man. On the downside, the storytelling and script are a bit messy, but Downey can throw out some brilliant one-liners, usually in the midst of battle, and I like some added human elements (such as panic attacks) to the Stark persona. Kingsley plays a comic foil well (if I told you why that would give away too much) and Pearce is a serviceable villain, though in playing with plot calculations, his fate seems pre-ordained in the first few frames. "Iron Man 3," even with its flaws, won't disappoint fan boys and the rest of us who enjoy a decent action adventure/fantasy film. Slick, well-made, entertaining, with Downey and Paltrow in great form, you can overlook the film's slow points and the somewhat muddled story. Definitely worth a look if you enjoy this type of thing, and yes, stay over a humorous end-of-credits scene involving another Avenger.
Wes's Grade: B
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